All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Central Suriname Nature Reserve
Wildlife Safaris in Central Suriname Nature Reserve
A UNESCO World Heritage rainforest wilderness of about 1.6 million hectares in the heart of Suriname, one of the largest protected tracts of untouched tropical forest on earth. Its visitor gateway is Raleighvallen on the Coppename River, base for the climb up the 240-metre granite dome of the Voltzberg and for seeing the Guianan cock-of-the-rock.
Why here
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve is one of the last places you can stand in tropical rainforest that runs unbroken to the horizon in every direction, roughly 1.6 million hectares with no roads, no logging and no villages, inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2000. Its wildlife is the full Guianan cast: jaguar, puma, tapir, giant armadillo, giant river otter and eight species of primate, among them the red-faced black spider monkey and howler monkeys whose dawn roar carries for miles. The reserve's window on all this is Raleighvallen, a cluster of rapids on the Coppename River where a field station sits under the canopy. From here two experiences define a visit. One is the climb of the Voltzberg, a bare granite dome rising 240 metres straight out of the forest, a hard humid scramble rewarded by a view over an ocean of trees. The other is the lek of the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, where flame-orange males gather at dawn on the forest floor to display, one of the great birding spectacles of South America. Reaching Raleighvallen is part of the point, a long river journey by dugout that leaves the modern country behind.
Best months
The forest is walkable year-round but easiest in the drier windows, roughly February to April and August to November, when river levels and trails are more forgiving and the Voltzberg rock is less slick. The cock-of-the-rock displays at first light, so the best birding means an early start from the field station. Expect heat, humidity, rain at any time and a genuine wilderness with no phone signal or shops. The Voltzberg climb is strenuous and slippery when wet, requiring reasonable fitness rather than technical skill.
Getting there & around
Raleighvallen is reached either by a chartered light aircraft to the Foengoe Island airstrip, about fifty minutes from Paramaribo, or overland by a long drive to a river put-in near Witagron followed by roughly three hours upriver by dugout canoe. Accommodation at the field station is simple, in bunks or hammocks, and there is no commercial infrastructure inside the reserve, so trips are booked as multi-day packages through an operator or through the managing foundation, which arranges permits, boats, guides and food. Come self-sufficient and expect to be off the grid.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
STINASU
ClubSTINASU, the Foundation for Nature Conservation in Suriname, was established in 1969 by Dr. Johan Schulz to manage the country's protected areas for research, education and eco-tourism. It runs the field station on Foengoe Island in the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, the gateway to Raleighvallen and the Voltzberg, manages Brownsberg Nature Park and co-manages the Galibi turtle reserve. Its wardens handle the permits, boats and simple lodging in reserves that have no commercial infrastructure.
We Love Suriname Tours
OutfitterWe Love Suriname Tours was founded in 2014 by the Wiratma brothers, among them Reginald Wiratma, who started out as a nature guide in the country's interior. The company runs adventurous small-group trips and is known for the cooking its guides do in camp. Its flagship is the four-day Raleighvallen and Voltzberg expedition into the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, reached by road to a river put-in and then by dugout canoe, alongside journeys to Bigi Pan, Galibi and the Upper Suriname River.