Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002, Paramaribo’s inner city has become a jumping-off point for both day trips and multi-day jungle adventures in Suriname. Almost all require the use of a tour company and a guide because the commute often involves both land and water travel, and to some rather remote places.

I sweated through two excursions last week (humidity is my enemy). The first was a one-day hike to the waterfall in Brownsberg Nature Reserve. A couple of Dutch tourists I met at my guesthouse warned me about the rigor of the hike so I wore my brand new Merrells and hoped for no blisters. Tracy and Keir, the British couple who joined me on the hike, however, had clearly missed the memo. They were both in Teva sandals, and Tracy wore a dress. She gets top scores for the agility with which she climbed the downed trees in our path, though we all saw her knickers.Continue Reading