All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Brownsberg Nature Park
Trekking / Hiking in Brownsberg Nature Park
A forested plateau rising to about 500 metres in the Brokopondo district, some 130 kilometres south of Paramaribo, and the most accessible piece of rainforest in Suriname. Its trails lead to three waterfalls and to viewpoints over the vast Brokopondo Reservoir, and the park is managed by the conservation foundation STINASU.
Why here
Brownsberg is the rainforest you can actually walk into without a week-long expedition, a wooded mountain plateau at around 500 metres that puts Suriname's jungle within a half-day of the capital. The draw is a network of forest trails on foot, threading down through the canopy to three waterfalls, the Leo, the Irene and the Koemboe on the Witi creek, where the reward for a sweaty descent is a swim in a cold forest pool. From the Mazaroni plateau the forest opens onto a long view over the Brokopondo Reservoir, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, its drowned treetops still breaking the surface. The park sits on old gold-mining ground and the birdlife and monkeys are close and loud: eight primate species live here, from howlers to capuchins, alongside toucans, trogons and hundreds of other birds. Trails range from short loops to full-day walks that take in all three falls for those with the legs and an early start. Managed by the conservation foundation STINASU, Brownsberg is the honest introduction to the interior, a place to learn the forest on your feet before committing to the deeper reserves.
Best months
The trails are walkable all year but firmest and least slippery in the drier months, roughly February to April and August to November; in the wet the clay paths and the descents to the falls get greasy and leech-prone. Doing two of the three waterfalls in a day is comfortable, while all three needs good fitness and a dawn start. Mornings are best for wildlife, with monkeys and birds active around the plateau. It is hot and humid under the canopy, so carry plenty of water, and the waterfall pools are cool enough for a genuine swim.
Getting there & around
Brownsberg lies about 130 kilometres south of Paramaribo, a two to three hour drive of which the final climb up the mountain needs a four-wheel drive, so most visitors come with an operator that provides transport and a guide. It works as a long day trip or, better, as an overnight in the park's basic lodges and hammock huts, which lets you catch the dawn chorus and hike the falls before the heat. Park entry and a local guide are arranged on site or through the tour; bring water, sturdy shoes and swimwear for the pools.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Blue Bird Tours & Travel
OutfitterBlue Bird Tours and Travel is a Paramaribo-based operator that runs day trips across Suriname with its own driver-guides. Its Brownsberg programme covers the 130-kilometre drive south to the plateau, where the last stretch up the mountain needs a four-wheel drive, and takes in the park's three signature waterfalls, the Leo, the Irene and the Koemboe on the Witi creek. It also guides colonial-history walks through Paramaribo's wooden inner city and runs interior river trips.
Orange Travel
OutfitterOrange Travel is a Surinamese tour operator offering more than fifty guided trips across the country, from single-day tours to multi-day interior expeditions. Its Brownsberg programmes run both as a day trip and as an overnight, with travellers waking to the sound of the falls before hiking to the Leo and Irene waterfalls and the viewpoints over the Brokopondo reservoir. It frames itself around sustainable travel and also runs Galibi turtle trips and Upper Suriname lodges.