Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana 14 Days

After a (connecting) flight from Amsterdam you will arrive in Suriname. The former Dutch Colony and the only Dutch Speaking country in South America. You will meet your local guide at the airport and we will transfer to the hotel in Paramaribo city. We will have a dinner in the hotels restaurant. (D)

After breakfast, we will go on a city tour through the historic inner city of Paramaribo. During the tour, you will enjoy the most prominent historic buildings, built from hard tropical wood, and their unique architecture. We will visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites, like the Independence Square, the Palm Garden, Waterfront and the central and Maroon markets. After this visit we drive to the pier of Nieuw Amsterdam to have a river tour to spot Pink belly dolphins in the Suriname river. (B)

From Paramaribo city we will drive to the west side of the border country with Guyana. Here there is a wetland of 68.000 Hectares of mangrove jungle, sweet and salt water lagoons and lots of birds, crabs and fish. This is called Bigi Pan means Big Pan of water. With a local wooden canoe we will explore this lagoon, watch wildlife and overnight at the overwater lodge. (B/L/D)

In the morning we will go boating in the swamp to spot as many of the 122 bird kinds that live in and from the wetlands. After lunch we will depart back to Paramaribo city.

Day 5 -7: Maroon Culture Experience In the morning, we will leave from the hotel to the Upper-Suriname. You will travel to a river lodge on the Suriname River in a traditional dugout canoe. The river lodge, where we will be staying, supports and is supported by a local community. During these days, you will go on a jungle walk and visit a local village, where you can experience the authentic way of living and see the African-like culture of the maroons. At the lodge, there will also be a cultural dance performance, where women from the village will teach some cultural dancing steps. On one evening, we will go on a night tour on the river, where we will try to spot some caimans. There will be enough time for you to relax and enjoy the serenity of the Suriname rainforest. On the third day, you will return to Paramaribo city after lunch and transferred to Peperpot Boutique hotel. (B/L/D)

Today you will explore the old plantation and have a tour on the field, spot wildlife and after the tours you will have a Hot stone massage to relax the day off. You will overnight again at the Boutique hotel. (B)

Today we will drive to Albina, the border city of Suriname and French Guiana. After customs, we will continue our journey across the Marowijne river by pirogue (tent boat) to St. Laurent, French Guiana. After customs in French Guiana, we will go to Cayenne for the city tour of this French heritage site. After the tour we will spend the night in Kourou. (B/D)

On this day, we will go to Devil’s Island in Îles du Salut with a Catamaran. The penal colony of Cayenne, commonly known as Devil's Island (Île du Diable), was a famous prison of the 19th and 20th century. Opened in 1852, it was notorious for being used for internal exile of French political prisoners during that period. You could also swim in the ocean. After the Devil’s Island tour, we will return to the hotel. (B/D)

At 8 am we need to be at the space center for registration. Take along your passport. We will do the tour in the space center and space museum. The Space Center is a 700-sq. km site created in 1964 by the French space agency. This is a responsive and high-performance space center, which is among the best in the world. Almost 85% of all telecommunication satellites are launched here. There is a launch almost every 5 weeks! We will continue our way back to Suriname and on the border of French Guiana and Suriname we will visit the transportation camp, St. Laurent du Maroni, which was the main penal establishment of French Guiana for a century. Overnight in Paramaribo, Suriname. (B)

Today we will experience some more nature activities as well cultural sites. We will visit to the oldest Jewish settlement of South America. This is the site called Joden Savannah along the highest point of the Suriname river. We will see the ruins of the 1st Synagogue where the replica is in Paramaribo as well the graves yards of the Maroons and the Jews ( black and white people separated). When we are done with the tour we will visit the Amerindian village called Redi Dotie (red dirt village). Your hotel will be in Paramaribo city. (B/L)

Early morning you have a flight to Georgetown Guyana. Your guide will wait you at the airport and you will do the city tour. At 1130am we will check you into the flight to to experience Guyana’s Crown Jewel: the majestic Kaieteur Falls. This is a 50-minute flight. We will fly over Guyana’s pristine rainforest to Kaieteur Nature Park where the Kaieteur Falls are located. Kaieteur is nearly five times the height of Niagara Falls. At the falls, we hope to see the white-chinned and white-tipped swifts swirling over the gorge, as well as the astonishingly colorful Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock bird. After a two hours ground time at the falls we return to Ogle Airport and transfer to our hotel in Georgetown city, Guyana. (B/D)

Depending on your flight we will transfer you to the international airport for your flight onwards.