Blue Sky Car Rental & Lease: Your Keys to Exploring Suriname
Flexible wheels for everything from a day-trip to Brownsberg to a multi-year Paramaribo posting.
Why Go
Suriname rewards travelers who wander beyond Paramaribo's Dutch-colonial center ΓÇö but public transport thins out fast once you leave the capital. Blue Sky has been quietly solving that problem since 2012, handing over keys with a lot less bureaucracy than the international chains and a lot more flexibility on how long you keep the car.
The Experience
Walking into Blue Sky feels more like borrowing a friend's car than checking in at an airport rental counter. The family-run operation, tucked into a residential pocket of Paramaribo just off Altonalaan, keeps a mixed fleet of compact sedans, SUVs, and pickups ΓÇö the latter genuinely useful once you point yourself toward the interior. Staff switch effortlessly between Dutch, English, and Sranan Tongo, walk you through the paperwork in minutes, and are refreshingly candid about which roads your chosen car can actually handle. Because they lease to local businesses as well as tourists, the vehicles tend to be well-maintained and current-model, and you'll often see the same cars ferrying expat workers around Paramaribo on multi-year contracts.
What to Try
Ask about the 'short lease' ΓÇö a three-month minimum at a fixed monthly rate with no penalty to cancel afterward, which is a sweet spot if you're doing a longer research trip, volunteer stint, or slow-travel loop through the Guianas. For shorter stays, the daily and weekly rentals are the standard play; a compact is plenty for Paramaribo and the coastal road east to Albina or west to Nickerie, but upgrade to a 4x4 or pickup if you're headed to Brownsberg Nature Park, the Upper Suriname River put-in at Atjoni, or anywhere the pavement gives out.
Insider Tip
Book by email or WhatsApp a few days ahead rather than walking in ΓÇö the fleet is modest and the good 4x4s get snapped up by leasing clients first. Confirm in writing whether your rate includes insurance and how the excess/deposit works, and ask specifically about permission to cross into French Guiana or Guyana if that's on your itinerary; overland border rentals often require extra paperwork that's easier to sort before you pick up the keys.
The Practical Stuff
Address: Altonalaan 15, Paramaribo, Suriname. Bring your passport, home-country driver's license (an International Driving Permit is a smart backup), and a credit card for the deposit. Suriname drives on the left ΓÇö a quirk inherited from its Dutch-colonial neighbor Guyana rather than the Netherlands ΓÇö so give yourself a few blocks to recalibrate before hitting the East-West Link. Fuel stations are plentiful in and around Paramaribo but sparse in the interior; top up before you leave the capital. Cash (SRD or USD) is widely accepted for extras.
Pair It With
- 597SpeedUp Watertubing Guide — Once you've got the car, the fastest way to reach the launch points along the upper rivers is to drive yourself ΓÇö pair a rental with a watertubing day for a classic Suriname interior combo.
- 'T VAT Sidewalk Cafe Guide — A relaxed Paramaribo terrace to plot your route over a Parbo beer the evening before you pick up the keys.
- 101 Suites Guide — A convenient central base with easy parking, so you can stage road trips out of Paramaribo without fighting the one-way grid every morning.