Dear Suzette,

We had a wonderful holiday in Suriname. The purpose of this holiday, to relax and view this old colony, was certainly successful; although of course we haven't seen everything!

Let's start at the beginning:

After a successful flight we arrived at JA Pengel airport and the first thing we experienced when we got off was the heat. We were in the tropics and we would know it! The customs formalities took a long time, but the advantage was that the suitcases were already neatly ready and we were taken directly to our hotel by taxi. The hotel itself looked neat. Not so in the area, but it later turned out that this applies to all of Paramaribo: beautiful buildings with a dilapidated building next to them. Hotel Greenheart does not have air conditioning (we knew that) and that was a bit disappointing given the temperature in Suriname. The rooms are not large, nor are the shower/toilet rooms and in some rooms there is actually not enough space to place 2 suitcases. Furthermore, the hotel is clean; the breakfast is not special and it does not have much atmosphere, but the latter may also be because there were very few guests present. The staff is very nice and if you ask or wish something they will do their best for you.

On the second day of our stay we took a city walk in the morning under the guidance of Cathrin Judell, the local agent of Suriname Holidays. This was very fun and informative and will help you find a number of addresses to exchange money or have a nice meal and the like. Handy because we would stay in Paramaribo a number of times during this trip.

Days 3 and 4 were all about the plantations. Because we only stayed in Suriname for 14 days, we visited the plantations and everything that goes with them by taxi. Desmond, our guide and driver, pleasantly introduced us to this part of Suriname and our shared history. Given the temperature, we thought transport by car with air conditioning instead of by bicycle was not a bad idea. After this we were dropped off at the Commewijne River and taken to Frederiksdorp by canoe. The old Frederiksdorp plantation has been restored and clearly shows how settlers used to live on a plantation. The atmosphere is very good and cordial, the room with air conditioning is very spacious and the garden is very nicely maintained.

The next day we visited the Warappa Creek and Reynsdorp plantation. Unfortunately, we didn't see any scarlet ibises, but there were plenty of other birds and also the squirrel monkeys. A very nice and relaxing day with the boat in this region where the jungle tries to reclaim the lost territory on the plantations. Be sure to rub it well with Deet or something similar, because there are plenty of mosquitoes here. At the end of the day we were taken back to Paramaribo by taxi.

Days 5 to 8 were devoted to the stay at the Anaula Nature Resort, an hour's sailing with the canoe south of Lake Brokopondo in the jungle. A nice resort located on an island in the river. Rooms are spacious and clean and have a nice sitting area/balcony at the front. The food is good but there is a fairly tight time limit in which you can eat. Here we took a walk on the island, which still largely consists of jungle. Here again we saw the monkeys as well as various birds and a golden hare. Our 'pace' had already dropped nicely, partly due to the temperature, and we were just enjoying our stay in this area. We also visited a Maroon village to see how the people live here now. Enjoyed a small music performance last evening and left for Paramaribo on day 8.

Days 9 to 14 were the highlight of our trip: Kabalebo Nature Resort. This resort is located in the uninhabited west of Suriname and is only accessible by plane from Zorg & Hoop airport. (What a name!) The approximately 1-hour flight over the jungle was quite an experience and when you land and get off on the grass runway of the local airport you feel like an explorer. But what a beautiful place in the middle of the jungle. And then the resort itself: truly fantastic with wonderfully friendly and helpful employees and guides. You will immediately feel at ease here. The rooms are spacious, with air conditioning and a nice shower and toilet. A kitchen was located at the end of the 6 room wooden building called Inspiration Point. When you left the room you stood in a covered area where you could read or lie in the hammock while looking out over the runway, the jungle and the 'Misty Mountain' mountain. A beautiful swimming pool is also available and is well maintained; wonderful to cool down while enjoying a drink from the refrigerator there. The meals were provided in the main building (also made of wood and designed with taste) and were of very good quality and very varied. After dinner, the next day's program was determined with and in consultation with the group. The activities consisted of various walks and boat trips through the jungle, where you could always cool off in one of the many waterfalls there. A night walk through the jungle is also possible (for a fee), as is spying on an ocelot, a small cat. Of course, a climb of the 'Misty Mountain' is also on the program for fit visitors. All in all, there is plenty to do, but the most important thing is to simply enjoy this gem in the jungle.

Unfortunately, our stay in Kabelbo came to an end much too quickly and we had to return to Paramaribo. We stayed here another day to recover a bit. However, after Kabalebo this was unnecessary. We walked around a bit, had a nice lunch and dinner and prepared for the journey home the next day. We had a good return flight and the end of a very nice holiday in a special country, for which we thank you. It was all very well organized and everything ran very smoothly. We never had to wait because the taxi was late or had to worry about anything. Perfectly arranged and therefore kudos to Suriname Holidays!

If we had to give the different parts a grade, it would look like this:

Paramaribo 6

Green Heart Hotel 4

Frederiksdorp 8

Warappa Creek 7

Anaula 7

Kabelbo 10

 

This is the end of the travel report. We hope this gives a good insight into how we experienced our holiday: we saw a lot in a relaxed way in beautiful but warm Suriname.

 

Best regards,

Toos and Henri van Leeuwen