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Suriname Info
General information

Suriname is situated on the North-East coast of South America, north of the Amazon Rainforest. The north border is formed by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname borders in the west with Guyana, in the East with French Guyana and in the South with Brazil. The majority of the land surface is covered with tropical rainforest and the country is sparsely populated. The capital of Suriname is Paramaribo also known as the “wooden-city”, which was placed on the UNESCO heritage site in 2002.

City:Paramaribo Form of government:Parliamentary democracy Independence day: 25 november 1975 Head of state:President D.D.Bouterse

Population: 
Approx. 539.910 inhabitants (Census 2011)

Vaccination: Suriname authorities require a yellow- fever vaccine certification from all travelers.

Language:
Dutch is the official language in Suriname.
The lingua franca is Sranan tongo. This language which has Spanish, English and some African influences is the common language spoken by many Surinamese.Furthermore, each ethnic group has its own language. Many people speak and understand English.

Religion:
The number of religions is as diverse as the many ethnic groups that live in Suriname. All the prayer houses are a silent reminder of this fact. The biggest religions are Hinduism; Islam; Roman-Catholicism;Protestantism; Judaism.

Climate:
Suriname has a tropical climate with a high level of humidity. Temperatures can reach from 23 degrees up to 35 degrees Celsius.

Short dry season: February – April
Long rainy season: May – mid-August
Long dry season: mid-August – November
Short rainy season: December – January

Currency
As of January 1st, 2004 the official currency is the Suriname Dollar (SRD).
ATM machines are widely spread throughout the country such as at banks,in shopping centers, and at fuel stations. You can withdraw a maximum amount of SRD 1000,- and the maximum of withdrawals is 3 times a day. This differs per bank.Credit Cards such as VISA and Eurocard/ Mastercard are not yet generally accepted in Suriname. Hotels generally accept American Express, Visa and MasterCard. Payments with US Dollars and Euros are no problem. These currencies as well as traveler check can be safely exchanged at all local commercial banks and foreign exchange offices (cambio).

Post office:
Surpost Head quarter
Address: Kerkplein #01,Paramaribo

Communication
The country code of Suriname is +597.
Wireless internet is available in many hotels, side-walk café’s and internet-walk-ins. Teleg (the mobile network of the national provider Telesur) Digicel and Uniqa are the three mobile network providers in Suriname.

Do & Don'ts

Health:
The sun can be very bright in Suriname. It is therefore mandatory to protect your head with a cap or hat and to put on sun block. Due to cloudy skies or the wind you cannot see that you are getting sun-burned.

Check to see if you need malaria pills when traveling to locations in the interior. You can consult your local health care agency for this or you can visit the Public Health Office (BOG) in Suriname. When suffering from head-aches and fever after spending time in a malaria-area, you should consult your doctor immediately. If you use special medication you should bring some extra with you. These might not be at hand in Suriname. Hospitals work with some international insurance providers. It can also happen that you will need to pay for some costs on the spot. These can be declared at your insurance company when returning home.

Water:
Tap-water is clean and the taste is also good. You need to inquire if the tap-water is safe and if the tap is connected to the distribution channel of the water supply company. Not everybody is connected to this network. Some people depend on rain or wells for their drinking water. It is therefore mandatory to take a bottle of water with you before leaving your accommodation. In the tropics you tend to lose more body fluid in the form of sweat, so it's important to drink enough. Recycle your water bottle. Every day millions of plastic water bottles are thrown away all over the world. You can refill your bottle if the water from the tap is drinkable.

Food:
It is mandatory to order food items clear with regards to pepper or no pepper on your food. In general Surinamese eat their food very spicy.

It is very important to be polite. Always speak to stranger in a proper way.To make sure you don’t offend anybody it is best to remove your shoes before you enter someone` house.

When traveling to the interior:
Items you should bring on a trip to the interior are: bathing suit, sun-screen, hat or cap, anti-mosquito gel or insect repellent, a pair of long pants, long sleeve shirt, poncho and a flashlight. Cameras and other stuff that should remain dry, can be put in a plastic bag before you embark on a boat are enter the rain forest.Ask before taking pictures of people or their belongings. Not everyone likes this and some cultures have a taboo of photography. Don't wander off in a closed community. It's tradition that before entering a domain you should ask permission first at the village authorities.

Service

You can also come to us for renting cars,bicycles,hotel and apartments.We like to  help you arrange a special occasion such as an anniversary, honeymoon, restaurant booking and hotel transfers.

Feel free to contact us.

National Holidays and anniversaries

New Year`s day 01 januari
Day of the Revolution 25 february
Holi Paghwa (Hindu New Year) 27 march
Good Friday 29 march
Easterholiday 31 march & 1april
Labor day 01 may
Keti Koti (Freedom day) 01 july
International Day of indigenous 09 august
Marroon day 10 october
Srefidensi (Independence day) 25 november
Bodo/Id-Ul-Fitr (end of Muslim fasting period) tentative (august)

Special Offers
Special offer for residents of Suriname
Galibi 2 days/ 1 night

Price: SRD550,- per person
Minimum of 10 persons.

 
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News
Bibliotheek Galibi
"Books are welcome in the village. We have space on board our boat to transport these books to Galibi", says Wijnberg Tokoe, owner of Myrysji Tours Suriname. Bibliotheek Galibi was founded on May 29, 2010 by Jennifer Gangaram, a vigilant young woman whose heart goes out to the people of Galibi. Every school holiday she heads out to Galibi with her team for educational activities. View all news items
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