Bird watching at its best in Suriname’s Brownsberg Nature Park

The Brownsberg Nature Park is a wonderful place to spend a holiday in the lovely South American nation of Suriname. This natural wonder is situated some 120 kms from the capital city of Paramaribo in the southern direction. The Park is housed in the nation’s Brokopondo district.

The journey from Paramaribo to the Park is quite adventurous even though the traveling is via a plain road. However, the road is not any ordinary road as it is full of dirt or mud and maneuvering the stretches involving sharp curves and heights is quite a challenge task and one needs to be quite capable of driving a vehicle to survive such tests. The entire road journey can be completed in around 2 and a half hours from Paramaribo.

Once you have reached the premises of the Park, you are surrounded by abundant greenery and I bet you will fall in love with the place as it is a wonderful sight to the human eye. The Park has so many assets and can be easily considered to be the pride of Suriname.

This fact is proved as the place has been frequented by so many visitors. It’s not that the place is visited by the local Suriname population only, the place has also seen foreign tourists visit the place in huge numbers and this has only led to the development of the entire region and country. Whenever foreign tourists flock to a place in large numbers, the country and that particular region only flourishes economically as it earns the all important foreign exchange reserves, which in the end only benefits the region positively.

Let’s now have a look at the park

The park is made of a thick montane tropical rainforest and the adventure doesn’t end here definitely. This rainforest area is above another wonder of the region. The forest overlooks the huge W J van Blommestein Meer, which is considered to be amongst the largest reservoirs in the entire world.

The park area is quite developed and offers facilities aplenty to its visitors. I’m sure once you enter the park premises; you will definitely be naïve and will not know much about the area. You need not worry as there are guided tours available for your benefit. These tours include a short informative walk to the Mazaroni plateau as well. In the process of getting to the plateau you can hold your breaths as you will be provided with a spectacular view of the Blommestein Meer reservoir. The advantages of visiting the place with a guide has its own unique plus points as the guide is well learned and has a lot of information about the place as in all probabilities the person will be a local guy who has lived his or her entire life in the surrounding areas of the Park area.

Besides, the guides of the Park can communicate in English as well and hence the trip will only be knowledgeable to you and the kids, who will also love it as learning about the trees and birds is only fascinating.

The die hard adventure freaks need not worry as there is some serious stuff waiting for you guys as well. You can undertake a long and strenuous hike which is full of fun and danger, however, I’m sure the guys with adventurous hearts will only love this challenge and undertake the hike without any negative fears. Here you have to be careful as there is a very steep slope which leads into a canyon. This area is a wonderful place to be in and in a nut shell the place is all about small waterfalls, which spray milk like sprays. These waterfall areas are very popular among the adventure freaks and once you are there, do not be surprised if you encounter a large crowd there. I can only guarantee you will be more than tired after the hike that you will only want to go to bed.

Brownsberg is not just about waterfalls and creeks; the place is also rich in the fauna, flora and birdlife. Besides, the area also boasts of some of the most luxurious accommodation facilities.

The Brownsberg Nature Park is a haven for birdwatchers and I can only guarantee you won’t be able to take your eyes off these beautiful delicate creatures. It is estimated of the 650 different bird species found in the entire nation of Suriname; more than 200 different species of this lot can be found in the premises of the Park itself. The best part of the park is you can encounter some of the rarest of rare species here, specially the birds which live in the highlands of the forest canopy. You may have heard the whistles and songs of these creatures, however as they were in the highlands you may have never seen the birds. However, the Park provides you an opportunity to view these wonderful creatures at the heavenliest best in these natural surroundings.

Some of the famous bird natives of the Park region include Great Tinamou, Little Tinamou, Red-legged Tinamou, Variegated Tinamou, Gray-bellied Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, Barred Forest-Falcon, Lined Forest-Falcon, Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Collared Forest-Falcon, Violaceous Quail-Dove, Lilac-tailed Parrotlet, Dark-billed Cuckoo, Vermiculated Screech-Owl, Black-banded Owl, Short-tailed Nighthawk, Band-rumped Swift, Chapman’s Swift, Great-billed Hermit, Racket-tailed Coquette, Black-throated Trogon, White-chested Puffbird and Black-tailed Leaftosser.

Another popular attraction of the Park area and probably the most frequently visited place in the entire region is the gorgeous Irenevallen waterfall. This 10m high waterfall can be reached by foot and the entire walking time from the headquarters of the Park takes around an hour’s time. I can assure you will only be tempted to get wet under the waterfall’s milk like spray. However, you need to take care as the rocks and the general surface under the water may be slippery like any other surface under the water. A little bit of caution will only make you experience under the waterfall all the more fascinating.

Another attraction in the Park area is the Witikreek stream. This is a secluding stream, which rushes at the base of the Brownsberg Plateau. The entire park area is full of adventure, and getting to the Witikreek stream is no less fascinating as you have to undertake a two hour hike to reach this place. Once you are there, I’m sure you won’t be able to resist the temptation of swimming in the beautiful waters. Besides the place is an ideal site to relax in a hanging bed as seen in popular adventure movies. The Witikreek area is famous as an ideal picnic spot.

Listed below are some of the questions which may be on your mind.

How do I reach the Brownsberg Nature Park in Suriname?

You first need to enter the nation of Suriname via its capital Paramaribo. The capital city’s Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport or locally known as the Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport is the gateway to the nation. This airport hosts a series of international flights from the US and other major countries of the world.

Once you have set foot in the territory of Suriname, your further journeys are only all about adventures as you can reach the Brownsberg Park only via road and that too one of the most adventurous routes which is full of dirt. Brownsberg is all about adventure and I’m sure you will have nothing to complain about and will love the ride from the airport to the Park.

Where do I stay during my Brownsberg Nature Park adventure?

The entire Park area has accommodation facilities via lodges and bungalow in the Mazaroni Plateau, which is situated at some 1500 ft above the sea level. At such a height, you can expect spectacular views of the Brokopondo Reservoir.

A common trend seen in this part of the world is people prefer to stay in the capital city of Paramaribo and then travel to the Park and return back to the capital at night. The entire Park area can be enjoyed in a day’s time if you start in the morning.

When is the best time of the year to visit the Brownsberg Nature Park?

The best time to visit the Brownsberg Nature Park is during the months of February through April and the middle of August through December. These months see dry climatic conditions.

Otherwise, the area is quite humid and temperatures reach unprecedented highs on account of the region being very near to the equator.

In recent years, the region has seen huge number of tourists visit the Park during the months of July through August, however, you should not visit the place during these months as the high temperatures may be a hindrance to your adventure. It is recommended you slightly postpone your trip to the month of September, which will provide much better conditions.

In conclusion, the Brownsberg Nature Park is a wonderful place for that quite and green holiday. In fact, the entire nation of Suriname is known the world over to be a haven for birds and birdwatchers and so goes the case of the entire Brownsberg Nature Park as you can expect to the see some rarely seen species of birds here in the best possible surroundings.

Secondly, despite being a tourist hot spot, the region in and around the park is quite safe and there have been no reports of any untoward incidents from the area. The area is crime free and the last few years have not seen any robberies or murders. Hence, rest assured you are in safe surroundings. So, what are you waiting for, just go ahead and plan that all important trip to the Brownsberg Nature Park in the gorgeous Suriname.