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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Americas

Americas

Suriname

A forest country where leatherback and other turtles still nest on quiet beaches, but far fewer than before.

Leatherback turtle
Leatherback turtle, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: Max Gotts on Unsplash
Story only

Story only, for now. We love learning about this place and its ocean, so we share its story here and do not sell trips yet. Checked by Ocean Calling on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: The Guianas at a Crossroads: Leatherbacks, Illegal Fishing - SWOT, State of the World's Sea Turtles; Nesting and Nest Success of the Leatherback Turtle in Suriname - Chelonian Conservation and Biology; Braamspunt - Wikipedia.

Why: Galibi Nature Reserve is a 4,000 hectare stretch of beach at the mouth of the Marowijne River where green turtles, olive ridleys, hawksbills and leatherbacks nest between January and August. It was once part of the world's biggest leatherback nesting area, with a peak of about 30,000 nests in 2001, but numbers in the Guianas have fallen by around 99 percent since the early 2010s, mostly because of illegal gillnets at sea. We do not sell old peak numbers, and if we ever visit it would be a community-led night watch from a respectful distance, never touching a turtle or using bright lights.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department rates Suriname at Level 1, exercise normal precautions, as of 8 Sep 2026. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, Suriname Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

Turtles

Why Suriname

Most visitors come to Suriname for Paramaribo, the forest and the rivers, and the coast is secondary. Leatherback, green, olive ridley and hawksbill turtles nest mainly at Braamspunt and Galibi. Leatherbacks have dropped by about 98 percent since 2001, according to WWF figures cited in the press. At Braamspunt, parts of the beach narrowed from over 500 m wide to 10 to 12 m in about five years.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

United States of AmericaHaitiDominican Rep.MexicoBrazilBoliviaPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaTrinidad and TobagoGalibi, SurinameBraamspunt, Suriname

When to go

Feb-Aug. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We share this place as a story so you can learn. There is no Ocean Calling trip.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Story only

We tell the story. We do not sell a trip here.

Checked 6 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
The story

Where in Suriname

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Galibi

Story only

A Kali'na village coast on the Marowijne river where turtles nest and a no-fishing zone has existed since 2001.

Also seen: Sea turtle nesting (supervised access in season, story only for now)

When: Feb-Aug. We do not have verified nesting months in our notes yet. Access in season is supervised.

Braamspunt

Story only

A sandy point near the mouth of the Suriname river where turtles nest.

Also seen: Sea turtle nesting (story only for now)

When: Feb-Aug. We do not have verified nesting months in our notes yet.

Animals

Animals recorded in Suriname

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Leatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableShort-finned pilot whale surfacing off Tenerife with the island behindShort-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala macrorhynchusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant oceanic manta with T-shaped white shoulder patches and remorasOceanic manta ray (giant manta)Mobula birostrisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasEndangeredMale magnificent frigatebird perched on a mangrove branchMagnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensSeen in 52 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHeavily spotted adult Atlantic spotted dolphin with young, AzoresAtlantic spotted dolphinStenella frontalisSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo rough-toothed dolphins leaping together, blotchy grey skin visibleRough-toothed dolphinSteno bredanensisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAntillean manatee swimming in clear blue water, seen from belowAntillean manateeTrichechus manatus manatusSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasEndangeredLongsnout seahorse holding a red sponge stalk with its tail against blue waterLongsnout seahorseHippocampus reidiSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScarlet ibis in flight against a pale blue sky, photographed in Georgetown, GuyanaScarlet ibisEudocimus ruberSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernCrowd of brown pelicans packed together on a coastal roost, one adult with a pale head and coloured bill facing the cameraBrown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAmerican flamingo wading in shallow water with its head lowered toward the surface, Yucatán, MexicoAmerican flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast ConcernScopoli's shearwater skimming just above calm blue waterScopoli's shearwaterCalonectris diomedeaSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeach's storm-petrel in flight over water, wings spread, with a pale patch at the base of the tailLeach's storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreat shearwater flying low over calm water, its reflection belowGreat shearwaterArdenna gravisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernNeotropic cormorant perched among willow branches beside the waterNeotropic cormorantNannopterum brasilianumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSargasso shearwater gliding over a grey sea, dark above and pale belowSargasso shearwater (Audubon's shearwater)Puffinus lherminieriSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAnhinga holding a fish in its long, pointed billAnhinga (American darter)Anhinga anhingaSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSmooth butterfly rayGymnura micruraSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask RocíoBack to the Ocean Atlas

Also in Americas
AntarcticaArgentinaBermudaBrazilCanadaChileColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorEl SalvadorFalkland IslandsFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaMexicoNicaraguaPanamaPeruUnited StatesUruguay

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