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Para Home > Places To Go > Para

It is said that every visit to Suriname begins in Para because the international airport Johan Adolf Pengel is there, so you have to go through it to get anywhere. The Suriname interior experience, then, really starts there, with famous bathing places in pretty creeks and former plantations such as Republiek, Bersaba and Berlijn. There is also Colakreek, known for its cool water, and rejoicing in the name of the famous drink because of its colour, which it gets from the leaves from the tall trees that grow around it.

In the 17th century Jewish colonists arrived from Portugal and made their home by the Suriname river in the middle of the Para savannah. The settlement was destroyed by fire in 1832. Nowadays known as the Joden Savannah, it is a mysterious place popular with sightseers, with its spring reputed to have healing qualities, plus the ruins of a synagogue. Everyone loves a bit of mystery with their historical sites and this one scores well in that department.

Further on, not far from Paramaribo, are the first Indian villages including Powaka and Matta, where the culture vulture can learn about how the Indians lived in Suriname’s interior.

Also in Para are some of the new generation of Surinamese vacation spots such as the Overbridge River Resort and Bergendal, which make the most of the country’s natural, unspoilt character while providing modern amenities.