Short answer: Suriname receives about a quarter of a million visitors a year, most of them Dutch; it has four seasons, not two; it has been malaria-free since June 2025; it charges every arriving tourist USD 50 plus USD 8 for an entry voucher; and its capital's old town is thirty hectares of wooden buildings on a UNESCO list. Every number below carries the source it came from and the date we read it. Numbers we could not source are listed at the end rather than filled in.
Visitors
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors in 2023 | 246,547 | Suriname Tourism Authority, reported by de Ware Tijd; read 2 September 2026 |
| Projected visitors 2026 / 2030 | 258,903 / 314,698 | Same |
| Share of visitors from the Netherlands | more than 60 % | Same |
| Share of tourists visiting interior lodges and nature | 80–90 % (estimate) | Presidential Tourism Development working group (Nov 2025–May 2026), reported by de Ware Tijd |
For comparison, and to keep expectations honest: Iceland, a country with a similar-sized population, receives around two million. Suriname is not crowded, and the numbers say it will not be soon.
Entry and money
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Fee, single entry | USD 50 / EUR 50 + USD 8 / EUR 8 service fee | Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement of 27 March 2024 (effective 15 May 2024); read 24 August 2026 |
| Multiple Entry voucher | USD 75 / EUR 75, five entries in three months | Ministry announcement of 26 April 2025 (from 1 May 2025) |
| Children exempt | age 0–2 | Same |
| Nationalities that still need a visa | 21 | Ministry "Reizen naar Suriname" page; read 24 August 2026 |
| Exchange rate, USD | 37.26 buy / 38.02 sell SRD | De Surinaamsche Bank, 2 September 2026, 07:30 |
| Exchange rate, EUR | 43.11 / 43.99 SRD | Same |
| ATM withdrawal fee | SRD 17.60 flat, incl. VAT | Since 1 August 2026; read 21 August 2026 |
| Highest foreign-card ATM ceiling | SRD 20,000 / day (Republic Bank) | Explore Suriname ATM guide; read 21 August 2026 |
Detail and caveats: do you need a visa, banks and ATMs compared.
Getting there and around
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| Airport to city | 45 km | N.V. Luchthavenbeheer (airport operator); read 24 August 2026 |
| Cheapest published transfer | USD 18 per person, return, shared bus | Does Travel & Cadushi Tours; read 24 August 2026 |
| Private transfer | from USD 40 one way, up to 2 persons | Same |
| Check-in for Amsterdam flights | opens 5 h, closes 2 h before departure | Airport operator |
| State bus routes | more than 60, in 8 districts | Government of Suriname page on NVB; read 21 August 2026 |
| Night bus | 21:00–02:00 from Heiligenweg | Same |
| Ride-hailing apps operating | 0 international; 1 local (Ride) | Operator and directory sources; read 2 September 2026 |
| Mobile operators | 2 (Telesur, Digicel) | Operators' own sites; read 21 August 2026 |
| Tourist eSIM, 30 days | SRD 400 / 600 / 800 for 5 / 10 / 15 GB | Digicel; read 21 August 2026 |
Seasons and nature
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons | 4: short rainy (early Dec–end Jan), short dry (early Feb–mid Apr), long rainy (mid Apr–mid Aug), long dry (mid Aug–early Dec) | Meteorological Service of Suriname, via Suriname Nieuws Centrale; read 24 August 2026 |
| Rain that can fall in one hour during a disturbance | 40–60 mm | Meteorological Service |
| Sea turtle nests counted, March–mid June 2023 | over 14,000, 98 % green turtle; 272 leatherback | WWF Guianas; read 24 August 2026 |
| Turtle nesting season | February to mid-July | Operators (Cardy Adventures); verified 21 August 2026 |
| Brownsberg Nature Park | ~12,000 ha | Park entry sources; verified 21 August 2026 |
| Peperpot Nature Park | ~820 ha | Same |
| Protected areas managed by STINASU | 5, of which 2 open to tourists | STINASU; verified 21 August 2026 |
Health
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| Malaria-free certification | 30 June 2025 | World Health Organization; read 21 August 2026 |
| Last locally transmitted malaria case | P. falciparum 2018, P. vivax 2021 | WHO |
| Chikungunya cases reported in 2026 | ~7,484 (3,389 confirmed) as of 16 May 2026 | TravelHealthPro notice of 15 June 2026 |
| Emergency number | 113 | Hospital and government sources |
| RGD pharmacies along the coast | 45 | Regionale Gezondheidsdienst; read 21 August 2026 |
| Duty pharmacy weekend windows | 09:00–10:00 and 17:00–18:00 | RGD wachtdienst page; read 2 September 2026 |
Heritage
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage sites | 2: Historic Inner City of Paramaribo (2002), Jodensavanne (19 September 2023) | UNESCO; verified 21 August 2026 |
| Size of the inscribed inner city | about 30 hectares | UNESCO; see walking guide |
| Cathedral built | 1883–1887, in wood; minor basilica since 2014 | Verified 21 August 2026 |
| Mariënburg sugar factory | opened 23 October 1882, closed 1986; first railway in Suriname, 12 km | Wikipedia (nl); read 2 September 2026 |
| Jewish congregation on Keizerstraat dates to | 1665 | Verified 21 August 2026 |
The country
| Figure | Value | Source, date read |
|---|---|---|
| Area | about 164,000 km² (reference works give 163,820 to 165,940 depending on how disputed territory is counted) | Wikipedia; read 2 September 2026 |
| Population | about 630,000 (632,638, CIA Factbook 2022 estimate) | Wikipedia; read 2 September 2026 |
| Districts | 10 | Same |
| Official language | Dutch (the only independent state outside Europe where it is) | Same |
| Independence | 25 November 1975 | Same |
| Time zone | UTC−3, no daylight saving | Same |
| Calling code | +597 | Same |
| Driving side | left | Same |
| Currency | Surinamese dollar (SRD) | Same |
On this site
Counted live from the database at the time of writing: 89 published places and 21 published guides (15 English, 6 Dutch), every place with the source of each fact and the date it was checked. The current figures are on the home page.
Numbers we could not source
A current official population figure from the Algemeen Bureau voor de Statistiek (its 2024 census was enacted in October 2024; results were not published on its site when we looked); a published airport taxi tariff; a published Suriname River boat fare at Leonsberg; current supermarket prices for everyday goods (the figures circulating online date from 2019–2020); hotel rack rates. Each of those would go in this table the day a source publishes it.
Every figure above was read at the source named beside it on the date given. A table like this is a snapshot; for volatile figures (rates, fees, health) read the linked original before you rely on it.
Common questions
- How many tourists visit Suriname each year?
The Suriname Tourism Authority reported 246,547 visitors in 2023 and projects 258,903 for 2026 and 314,698 for 2030, as reported by de Ware Tijd. More than sixty percent of visitors come from the Netherlands.
- Is Suriname malaria-free?
Yes. The World Health Organization certified Suriname malaria-free on 30 June 2025, the first country in the Amazon region to be certified.
- What time zone is Suriname in?
UTC−3 (Suriname Time), all year. The calling code is +597 and traffic drives on the left.