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Suriname — hero

Americas

Suriname

South America's best-kept secret: near-untouched Amazon rainforest, a wildly multicultural capital and pure jungle adventure off the tourist trail.

Currency
Surinamese Dollar (SRD)
Language
Dutch
Best time
January – March & August – October
Visa
No visa needed for tourism for up to 90 days, but you must pay a US$54 entry fee before you travel, and complete the Immigration and Customs Form (ICF) up to 3 days before you arrive and before you leave. Bring US dollars or euros: British pounds can’t be exchanged

The FCDO has no advisory against travel to Suriname.

Still current at: 13 November 2026 Updated: 10 December 2025

Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — the definitive source. Check it close to your travel dates.

Flight cancelled or delayed because of this? Your rights under UK261 / EU261 →

Why visit

Why Suriname

South America's best-kept secret: near-untouched Amazon rainforest, a wildly multicultural capital and pure jungle adventure off the tourist trail.

  • UNESCO Dutch-colonial Paramaribo
  • Central Suriname Nature Reserve rainforest
  • Maroon and Indigenous Upper Suriname river villages
  • The Commewijne plantation bike-and-boat loop
Read more

Suriname is one of the most forested countries on earth and a dream for regenerative rainforest travel. Vast tracts of pristine Amazon interior, riverine wilderness and jungle eco-lodges await those willing to step off the beaten track.

Its tiny capital, Paramaribo, is a UNESCO-listed marvel of Dutch colonial architecture and one of the world's most multicultural crossroads, where mosques, synagogues, temples and churches share the same streets and the same table.

This is genuine soft adventure: dugout-canoe river journeys, indigenous and Maroon community stays, giant leatherback turtles nesting on the coast, and wildlife-rich reserves barely touched by tourism.

A pillar, not a footnote

Eat your way through Suriname

The single reason many travellers come back — the food culture worth reshaping a trip around, and the dishes to seek out region by region.

Suriname

Roti and pom, Javanese warungs and Creole one-pots — maybe the most multicultural plate in the Americas.

Few countries eat as many cuisines at once as Suriname. On a single street you'll find Hindustani roti met kip — soft flatbread with curried chicken and long beans, eaten by hand — a Javanese warung ladling out saoto chicken soup and bami noodles, and a Creole kitchen baking pom, the festive dish of grated pomtajer root and citrus-marinated chicken that traces back to the colony's Portuguese-Jewish planters.

This is the legacy of a Dutch colony that imported labourers from India and Java after abolition, layered over Afro-Creole and Maroon river cooking and a lasting Dutch bread culture. The warungs of Paramaribo's Blauwgrond and the Central Market on the river are where it all comes together. Order baka bana fried plantain with peanut sauce, a sweet dawet, and a big 'djogo' bottle of Parbo beer to share.

Dishes to seek out
  • Roti met kip (flatbread with curried chicken)
  • Pom (Creole root-and-chicken bake)
  • Moksi alesi (Creole mixed rice)
  • Bami (Javanese fried noodles)
  • Saoto soup (Javanese chicken broth)
  • Baka bana (fried plantain with peanut sauce)
  • Pindasoep (Creole peanut soup)
Plan your own trip to Suriname
Guides

All our Suriname guides

When to go

Weather & timing in Suriname Right now RIGHT NOW 26°C cloudy

Best Feb–Mar, Sep · Shoulder Jan, Aug, Oct

Units

Next 7 days

Forecast · Met Office · Powered by Met Office data

Typical · climate data

Best time to visit

January – March & August – October

Best for
  • Rainforest
  • Rivers
  • Culture
  • Colonial Paramaribo
At a glance
Sunshine 9.9 hr/day
Rainfall 207 mm/mo
Wettest May · 397.3mm
Driest September · 81mm
Part of Brazil & Guianas →
By season

Units

Spring (Mar–May)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 30°C with overnight lows near 24°C, with plenty of rain.

What's best — Dry season, then Monsoon. Mar is among the best months here (dry season, some showers).

Summer (Jun–Aug)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 30°C with overnight lows near 24°C — the wettest stretch of the year.

What's best — Monsoon, then Dry season. Aug is among the best months here (dry season, rain likely).

Autumn (Sep–Nov)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 32°C with overnight lows near 24°C, with plenty of rain.

What's best — Dry season, then Wet season. Sep and Oct are among the best months here (dry season, sunny).

Winter (Dec–Feb)

What to expect — Daytime highs average about 29°C with overnight lows near 23°C, with plenty of rain.

What's best — Wet season, then Dry season. Jan and Feb are among the best months here (dry season, rain likely).

Live forecast map · Windy.com · temperature with wind, °C and km/h
A little context

A little history

To read what you're looking at — the empires and eras that shaped Suriname's food, art and streets.

The Dutch took the colony from England in 1667, effectively swapping New Amsterdam (New York) for Suriname and setting it on a Dutch path
a sugar economy on enslaved African labour planted the Afro-Creole foundation, while escapees formed independent Maroon river societies
after abolition, the Dutch brought indentured labourers from India and Java, directly creating the multi-ethnic cuisine
independent from the Netherlands in 1975, with Dutch still the official language
Before you book

Know before you go

The practical back-matter — safety, drones and the essentials, in one place.

Safety

No FCDO advisory against travel FCDO advice →

Official UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office guidance is the definitive source — check it close to your travel dates.

Drone rules (sub-250g)

  • Suriname
    CASAS-regulated: drones must be registered and operations authorised, flown in sight, below 120m and clear of airports; there is no smooth self-serve process for visitors, so arrange permission before arrival. ⚠ Recreational visitors don't need a pilot licence, but registration/authorisation with CASAS is expected before flying; commercial use needs a ministerial application about 60 days ahead, and fully autonomous or cross-border flights are prohibited. Rules checked: Jul 2026

National parks, protected sites and religious/heritage venues often have their own rules and permits — always check the specific site before you fly.

The essentials

Plug & voltage Type C/F · 127V
Daily budget Budget to mid-range
Region South America