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Hot, steamy Suriname is a gumbo of cultures. In Paramaribo, the capital, you'll find ingredients from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America: Towering palms shade tidy green squares and colonial brick buildings, Bush Negroes, known as Maroons (forest-dwelling descendants of escaped slaves), arrive in town to sell their traditional wood carvings, Javanese Muslims crowd into a mosque sandwiched between a synagogue and a Hindu temple, and Dutch-style wooden houses edge mangrove-lined riverbanks.

Outside the densely populated capital, however, the inhabitants are spread very thin—with only 6 people per sq mi/2.5 sq km. Most of Suriname—more than 80%—is covered with dense rain forest, reachable only by airplane or riverboat. All that virgin timber is sought by numerous international logging companies, and Suriname's government has granted logging rights to a few of them. But protests by international environmental groups and Suriname's citizens have also prevented the wholesale destruction of these forests: In 1998, the country created one of the largest rain forest reserves in the world, a 3.95 million-acre/1.6 million-hectare corridor that links Raleighvallen Reserve in the northern part of the country with Eilerts de Haan Gebergte Reserve in the south.

Suriname does not have the range of attractions of most other South American countries, and many of its accommodations and infrastructure are still underdeveloped. It does, however, have interesting jungle life worth exploring—for those willing to brave the stifling heat, humidity and insects—and both adventure and cultural tourism are rapidly expanding. While much of the interior has remained inaccessible, an outstandingly efficient government-sponsored organization originally called NV METS or Movement for Eco-Tourism in Suriname—now, Metsresorts; http://www.surinamevacations.com—works with indigenous people to organize visits to upriver villages and nature reserves (with rustic accommodations).

Geography

History

The Spanish were the first to colonize the country, but shortly after they staked their claim Sir Walter Raleigh arrived with 60 English settlers and began growing tobacco. Spain's hold was indeed tenuous, and the Dutch (and other Europeans) soon began to muscle in on its territory. The Dutch and the English fell into dispute over the land in 1667, and the conflict was resolved when the Dutch chose to keep Suriname while ceding to the English what they considered an inferior property—New Amsterdam, now known as New York City.

As a colony, Suriname's plantation-based economy required large numbers of slaves, most of whom were taken from West Africa. With the abolition of slavery in the 19th century, indentured workers from India and Indonesia arrived, creating a multiracial populace not found elsewhere in South America.

Suriname gained independence from the Dutch in 1975, but shortly thereafter a guerrilla war was started by Maroons and various indigenous groups. The Tukayanas (an Amerindian group) kidnapped a number of people, including a government minister. The pro-Dutch, democratically elected government was overthrown by the army, led by strongman Desi Bouterse, and it purged many of its enemies (police as well as civilians).

Bouterse, who left office in 1987, staged another coup in 1990 and remained in power (often as the power behind the president) until 1999, when the Dutch government (Suriname's primary benefactor, which sought Bouterse's extradition on drug charges) started putting pressure on the government to reform itself. The tactic worked, and the coalition New Front government of Ronald Venetiaan (who himself had been president in the early 1990s) has since done an excellent job of restoring order and improving Suriname's economic outlook, as well as its unique environmental heritage.

Snapshot

The main attractions of Suriname are jungle adventures, markets, bird watching, great restaurants, unusual animals and a culturally diverse population.

Suriname will appeal to travelers who want to observe life (human, animal and botanical) in the rain forest and can tolerate intense heat, humidity and insects.

Potpourri

Suriname has almost 3,000 mi/4,800 km of waterways.

The Bush Negroes who live in the interior of Suriname are descended from escaped slaves, or Maroons, who were brought to the country around 400 years ago. Each group, or tribe, has its own Granman, or Grand Chief.

You'll find more than 750 species of birds in Suriname.

The Amerindian groups in the interior of the country were isolated from the rest of the world until the middle of the 20th century, when they were first contacted by missionaries.

Suriname has a very active black market, in currency as well as in goods.

One of the first synagogues in the Western Hemisphere was built in Suriname in 1665. Yet the fastest-growing religion in the country is Hinduism, followed by Islam.

The liquid dripping from cylinders attached to the villagers' thatched roofs is cassava pudding. When fermented, it makes a tasty liquor.

Cashew trees grow in the region around the Maroni River, but if you pick up one of the inch-long, comma-shaped pods holding the nut, be careful not to break it open—it contains a fluid that will cause severe burning in your eyes.