Tour Overview
| Duration | 9 Days / 8 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Suriname & French Guiana — Paramaribo, Commewijne, Cayenne, Kourou |
| Price From | $2,995 per person (twin share, private tour) |
| Tour Style | Private Journey — Amazon Culture & European Space Heritage |
| Best Season | August — November (dry season) |
| Data Source | Across Caribbean Excursions / Wilderness Explorers — 2026 verified |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Paramaribo — UNESCO City
Touch down at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport. Transfer to Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital and a UNESCO World Heritage city. The inner city is a unique blend of Dutch colonial architecture built with local materials: white wooden buildings with ornate gables line tree-shaded streets. Afternoon walking tour: the Presidential Palace, Fort Zeelandia (a 17th-century Dutch fort turned museum), and the magnificent Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral — the largest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere. Welcome dinner featuring Surinamese cuisine: roti (Indian-influenced flatbread with curry), pom (Jewish-Surinamese oven dish), and moksi alesi (Creole mixed rice). Overnight in Paramaribo.
Day 2: Paramaribo — Maroon Culture & River Life
Full day exploring Paramaribo’s extraordinary multicultural heritage. Visit the Central Market — a riot of colors, languages, and cuisines reflecting Suriname’s diversity: Hindustani, Javanese, Creole, Chinese, Maroon, Indigenous, and Dutch. Visit the Arya Dewaker Hindu temple and the Keizerstraat Mosque standing side by side with the Neve Shalom Synagogue — a famous symbol of religious harmony. Afternoon: boat to the Commewijne River. Visit a former plantation now a Maroon cultural village. The Maroons are descendants of escaped enslaved Africans who built independent communities in the rainforest interior. Learn about their unique culture, music, and art. Overnight in Paramaribo.
Day 3: Brownsberg Nature Park — Amazon Rainforest
Journey into Suriname’s interior to Brownsberg Nature Park — a 12,000-hectare rainforest reserve atop a 500m plateau. Hike to the Mazaroni Plateau for panoramic views over the Brokopondo Reservoir, one of the world’s largest artificial lakes. Visit Irene Falls and Leo Falls — pristine jungle waterfalls where you can swim in crystal-clear pools. Wildlife: howler monkeys, spider monkeys, toucans, macaws, and if lucky, the Guianan cock-of-the-rock. Overnight in Brownsberg eco-lodge.
Day 4: Brownsberg — Albina — Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni
Morning birdwatching at Brownsberg (over 200 species recorded). Descend and drive east along the Marowijne River border to Albina. Cross the river by ferry into French Guiana — you’re now in France, but in the Amazon! Visit Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, the historic penal colony town where over 70,000 convicts were processed before being sent to the infamous Devil’s Island. Tour the Camp de la Transportation, the haunting prison camp that was operational from 1852 to 1953. Overnight in Saint-Laurent.
Day 5: Kourou — Guiana Space Centre
Drive along the coast to Kourou. Visit the Guiana Space Centre (Centre Spatial Guyanais) — Europe’s spaceport, where Ariane rockets launch satellites into orbit. The location was chosen for its proximity to the equator, which gives rockets extra velocity. Tour the launch facilities, the Jupiter Control Centre, and the Space Museum. If timing aligns, you may witness an actual rocket launch — a spectacular sight over the Amazon coastline. Overnight in Kourou.
Day 6: Îles du Salut — Devil’s Island
Full-day catamaran excursion to the Îles du Salut (Salvation Islands). Visit Île Royale with its abandoned prison buildings, hospital, and chapel. The islands gained worldwide notoriety through Henri Charrière’s memoir “Papillon” — his dramatic escape story (though partly fictionalized) captured the horror of the French penal system. Walk the prison ruins, see the solitary confinement cells, and swim in the surrounding turquoise waters — a surreal contrast of paradise and suffering. Overnight in Kourou.
Day 7: Cayenne — French Amazon Capital
Drive to Cayenne, the vibrant capital of French Guiana. Tour the old town: Place des Palmistes with its tropical gardens, the Cayenne Cathedral, and the Musée Départemental with its collection of Amerindian artifacts and penal colony history. Visit the bustling market where Brazilian, Creole, Hmong, and Indigenous cultures converge. Afternoon: optional excursion to the Kaw Marshes to spot caimans, capybaras, and the spectacular scarlet ibis at sunset. Overnight in Cayenne.
Day 8: Cayenne — Hmong Villages & Cacao
Journey to Cacao, a Hmong village established by Laotian refugees in the 1970s. The Hmong community has created a thriving agricultural settlement in the Amazon — visit their vibrant Sunday morning market (if timing allows), taste Hmong-French-Guianan fusion cuisine, and learn their remarkable story of adaptation. Visit a butterfly farm and the nearby rainforest trails. Return to Cayenne for farewell dinner blending French gastronomy with Amazonian ingredients. Overnight in Cayenne.
Day 9: Depart Cayenne
Morning at leisure. Visit the market for souvenirs — vanilla, cacao, and local crafts. Transfer to Félix Éboué Airport for departure.
Inclusions
- 8 nights (city hotels, eco-lodge, coast hotels)
- Daily breakfast + 5 dinners
- All transfers in air-conditioned 4×4
- Brownsberg Nature Park guided hikes
- Camp de la Transportation (Saint-Laurent prison)
- Guiana Space Centre tour
- Îles du Salut catamaran excursion
- Maroon cultural village experience
- English/French-speaking guide
- All national park & site fees
