Ten days deep in the 93% of Suriname that still belongs to the forest
From the wooden streets of Paramaribo to jaguar country on the Kabalebo river — a slow, guided journey through savannah, coast and untouched interior with someone who grew up here.
A country most travellers still haven't heard of
Suriname sits tucked between Guyana and French Guiana on the Guiana Shield, one of the last true wilderness blocks left on the planet. Almost the entire country is still forest, and almost none of it is set up for mass tourism — which is exactly what makes it worth the trip.
This expedition moves through four very different Surinames: the UNESCO-listed wooden capital and its plantation-era rivers, the wetland flats where thousands of waterbirds gather at dusk, a remote jungle river reached only by boat, and the deep interior around Kabalebo, where the nearest road is over 150 miles away and jaguar, tapir and giant otter still move through the forest largely undisturbed.
Wirjo leads every group personally. He trained as a biology teacher before he was a guide, so the days aren't just about ticking off species — you'll understand why the forest looks the way it does, how the rivers shape the wildlife, and what's actually at stake for the country's conservation.
This trip is for you if
- You want wildlife encounters without the crowds — Suriname sees a fraction of the visitors Guyana or Ecuador does
- You're happy with early mornings, night walks and the occasional basic lodge in exchange for real sightings
- You'd rather learn from a local biologist than follow a script
- You want jaguar, harpy eagle and giant otter on the same trip — Suriname is one of the few places all three are realistic
How the ten days unfold
A loose outline — Wirjo adjusts pacing and stops daily based on what's being seen and reported by local guides on the ground.
Paramaribo & the Commewijne river
Settle in and walk the wooden UNESCO old town, then take a boat out along the old plantation river, where pink-bellied river dolphins surface between the mangroves. Evenings free to acclimatise.
Peperpot Nature Park
A former coffee and cacao estate reclaimed by secondary forest, right on Paramaribo's doorstep, and one of the easiest places in the country to see sloths, capuchins and a serious range of forest birds without a long transfer.
Bigi Pan wetlands
West to the coast, where a vast brackish lagoon draws in scarlet ibis, flamingoes, spoonbills and skimmers by the thousand at dawn and dusk. We base at a stilted lodge over the water for this.
Kabalebo, deep interior
A charter flight over unbroken canopy into the heart of the country. No road reaches here, which is exactly why the wildlife is so undisturbed — this is the best stretch of the trip for jaguar, lowland tapir and giant otter, alongside dense primate and bird activity.
Back to Paramaribo & departure
Fly back out over the forest, a final market walk or free morning in the capital, and departure.
The reason people fly this far
Nothing is guaranteed in the wild — but this route is built around the best realistic chances the country offers.
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Jaguar
Kabalebo's isolation makes it one of the more reliable places in South America to search for jaguar sign, and occasionally the animal itself.
Photo: Charlesjsharp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0_-_panoramio.jpg?width=600)
Pink-bellied river dolphin
Regularly seen from the boat on the Commewijne, often in small pods working the river mouth.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Harpy eagle
The largest eagle in the Americas, and a genuine highlight when a nest or roost is active during the trip.
Photo: Hector Bottai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Scarlet ibis
The Bigi Pan evening flight-in is one of the great wildlife spectacles of the country — thousands of birds against the sunset.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA.jpg?width=600)
Giant otter
Family groups still work the quieter interior rivers around Kabalebo, best spotted early or late in the day by boat.
Photo: Charlesjsharp, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lowland tapir
Suriname's largest land mammal, most often found along riverbanks and forest trails in the deep interior.
Photo: ggallice, Wikimedia Commons, CC BYWhat's included
Guiding
A naturalist guide leads the full trip in person.
Accommodation
A mix of hotel, riverside lodge and stilted wetland lodge. Rooms have private facilities except in the remote interior, where it's simpler by necessity.
Transport
All in-country transfers, river boats and the internal charter flight to Kabalebo.
Meals
All meals from arrival in Paramaribo to departure.
Not included
International flights to Paramaribo, travel insurance and personal spending.
Group size
From 4 to 10 people per trip, kept small enough that the pace can stay flexible around the wildlife.
Dates & prices
Four fixed departures for 2027. USD $8,000 per person, land only, based on a group of 4–10 travellers.
Departure 1
Sun 14 Feb – Tue 23 Feb 2027
Departure 2
Sun 10 Oct – Tue 19 Oct 2027
Departure 3
Sun 24 Oct – Tue 2 Nov 2027
Departure 4
Sun 21 Nov – Tue 30 Nov 2027
Ready to see it for yourself?
Tell Wirjo your dates and what you most want to see, and he'll confirm availability and fine-tune the route around it.