Practical Information for visiting Suriname

The currency is the Surinamese dollar, SRD, which replaced the guilder at 1,000 to one on 1 January 2004, was held at official rates by the central bank until June 2021 and has floated since a 33 per cent devaluation that month; the rate is therefore not stated here and the central bank's daily list, in Dutch, is the reference. Bring US dollars or euros, the UK advisory says: pounds cannot be exchanged. Credit cards are not widely accepted outside the major hotels, so check with yours, and some cash machines in Paramaribo accept international cards and dispense Surinamese dollars; the Canadian advisory adds a caution at ATMs. Not all medical facilities take insurance payment, so keep accessible funds. Tipping is not summarised here because no authority page opened for this page spoke to it.

Both advisories rate Suriname as needing normal precautions, with the caveat that police presence outside Paramaribo is scarce. In the capital and its surroundings there have been burglaries, armed robberies and violent crime; pickpocketing and robbery are increasingly common in the business and shopping areas and near the hotels; theft from vehicles and carjacking occur; foreigners are targeted; and the Palm Garden behind the presidential palace is named by both as a place where criminals wait in quiet corners. Do not walk alone after dark beyond the immediate vicinity of the major hotels, keep passport and cards secure with photocopies elsewhere, and show no affluence. Tourists have been robbed on trips into central Suriname away from the coast: use a well-established tour company.

Demonstrations take place regularly, particularly on Saturdays in Paramaribo, can turn violent and lead to roadblocks; do not try to cross a blockade. The sea and the rivers: pirate attacks and armed robbery against ships occur in coastal waters and against fishing boats; the jungle and its fauna are hazardous, so never trek alone and carry insurance with helicopter rescue.

Roads and weather: poor roads outside the centres, no sidewalks, bad lighting and dangerous driving; flooding in the north and centre from May to August that can close roads and damage bridges; heatwaves. Drugs: severe penalties, lengthy sentences; never carry another person's package.

Call 113 or 115 for an ambulance, 110 for the fire service and its helicopter medical service. Medical facilities are severely limited, the UK advisory says, and not all accept insurance payment, so carry accessible funds and insurance that covers evacuation. The health risks listed are yellow fever -- a certificate is required if arriving from a risk country -- Zika, dengue and schistosomiasis, with rabies common in dogs and wildlife including bats; neither advisory lists malaria, but repellent and nets are sense in the interior. Pharmacies and tap water are not summarised here because no authority page opened for this page spoke to them.

Entry papers: the tourist card or e-visa, the entry-fee voucher and the ICF form are all checked, and overstaying or working without a permit is illegal. Drugs: severe penalties. Driving: left-hand traffic, licence and IDP together, no motorcycles. Dual citizenship is not recognised: the Canadian advisory says people born in Suriname who took another nationality are treated as foreigners. Same-sex relations are legal but, the Canadian advisory says, homosexuality is not widely socially accepted.

Manners are Dutch-Caribbean and easy: greet, use first names once offered, dress modestly at the temples, mosques and the synagogue, and ask before photographing people, especially in the Maroon and Amerindian villages, which are communities under their own authority. Tipping and drone rules are not summarised here until they have been read on an authority's page.

Emergency numbers: police 115; medical assistance 113; fire and helicopter medical service 110; natural-disaster assistance 115. Services exist but, the Canadian advisory says, may be limited.

Consular: an honorary consul of Canada in Paramaribo and the High Commission in Georgetown on 1-592-227-2081, with Global Affairs Canada's emergency line at any hour. Natural hazards: flooding in the rainy seasons, May to August and November to February, closing roads and damaging bridges; heatwaves; no cyclones.