Anaula Nature Resort: A Rainforest Island Hideaway on the Upper Suriname River
Sixteen cabins, one river-carved island, and the deep quiet of the Sipaliwini rainforest.
Why Go
An Amazonian escape where your alarm clock is a howler monkey and your afternoon 'spa' is a granite rapid the river carved into a natural jacuzzi.
The Experience
Anaula sits on its own leafy island in the Upper Suriname River, roughly a canoe hour upstream from the port of Atjoni. Sixteen open-air wooden cabins line the water, each with a private veranda (many strung with hammocks), a canopy bed under mosquito netting and a simple en-suite with a cold-water shower. The vibe is unplugged rather than five-star - generator power runs from about 6:30pm to 11pm, meals are served family-style in a breezy open dining room, and the small pool with its sun loungers looks out over the tannin-brown river where kids from the nearby Saramaccan Maroon villages paddle past in korjaal dugouts. It's the kind of place where the loudest thing after dinner is the frog chorus.
What to Try
Do not skip the 'soaking the sula' trip, a short boat ride to natural jacuzzis carved into the granite riverbed - it is the moment every guest talks about afterwards. Add a night boat outing to spot caiman eyes glowing in the guide's flashlight, a jungle walk with a Saramaccan guide who'll point out medicinal plants and huge kapok trees, and a visit to a nearby Maroon village to see the school and a traditional dance performance. Order a passion-fruit rum sour at the bar before the generator clicks off.
Insider Tip
Book the classic 3-day/2-night package direct through the resort or a Paramaribo operator rather than piecing nights together - it bundles the full boat-and-van transfer from Atjoni, all meals and the core excursions, and DIY logistics upriver get expensive fast. Charge every device the moment you check in: outlets in the cabins only work during the 6:30-11pm generator window. Pack a headlamp, a light rain shell and long sleeves for dusk - the pathways between cabins are unlit jungle floor and the mosquitoes appear on schedule.
The Practical Stuff
Location: an island in the Upper Suriname River near Aurora, Sipaliwini District. Getting there: ~4.5 hours by road from Paramaribo to the port town of Atjoni (resort van pickup can be arranged), then about 1 hour upriver by motorized korjaal canoe; a 40-minute charter flight is a faster alternative. Electricity from ~6:30pm to 11pm only; no reliable mobile signal or Wi-Fi. Bring cash in SRD or EUR - card acceptance is unreliable this far upriver. Best months are the drier windows of February-April and August-November, when the river runs calmer and bugs are lighter.
Pair It With
- Atjoni port and market — Your Anaula boat transfer starts and ends here - stop for cassava bread, peanut soup and Maroon woodcraft before the long drive back to Paramaribo.
- Brownsberg Nature Park — An easy natural add-on if you're already heading into the interior - waterfall hikes and howler monkeys pair well with Anaula's river-and-culture focus.
- Palumeu Jungle Lodge — For travelers who want to go one step deeper after Anaula, swapping the Maroon riverfront experience for an indigenous Trio and Wayana village setting.
- Paramaribo's historic centre — A UNESCO-listed wooden colonial capital that makes the ideal 1-2 night bookend on either side of your upriver stay.