Exciting Tours
Small-group Guianas adventures run by a guide who treats every traveler like a friend
Why Go
Tucked onto Henck Arronstraat in the heart of Paramaribo's UNESCO-listed old town, Exciting Tours is the rare Suriname operator that can stitch together a full Guianas circuit ΓÇö colonial city walks, Peperpot rainforest mornings, Bigi Pan sunsets, and a border-hop to French Guiana's Space Center ΓÇö without ever losing the warm, personal touch that Jurgen John has become locally famous for.
The Experience
Walk in and you'll feel less like a customer and more like a houseguest working out a plan over strong Surinamese coffee. Exciting Tours is a small, family-scale outfit that quietly handles some of the region's most logistically tricky itineraries: catamarans out to Royal Island, dawn birding at Peperpot Nature Park, guided crossings into Cayenne and Kourou, and the classic wooden-shutter walking tour of Paramaribo's Dutch-colonial center. Groups are typically kept small, itineraries are customized on the spot, and Jurgen ΓÇö often the guide himself ΓÇö narrates in Dutch, English, and French with the kind of digressions (colonial history one minute, Maroon culture the next) that turn a day trip into a story you'll retell for years. It's the sort of low-key, high-trust operation that regional travelers stumble on once and then keep booking for every return trip.
What to Try
Book the multi-day French Guiana circuit if you have the time ΓÇö a Suriname-side start followed by Cayenne, Kourou, and the Guiana Space Centre is the trip most reviewers rave about. Shorter on days? The Peperpot Nature Park half-day and the Bigi Pan sunset boat tour are the sweet-spot picks: both are close enough to Paramaribo to slot into a packed week and both showcase the wildlife (scarlet ibis, monkeys, caimans) that make Suriname worth the flight in the first place.
Insider Tip
Message ahead ΓÇö even for a same-week booking ΓÇö and be specific about what you actually want to see (birds vs. history vs. beaches). Jurgen will quietly reshape the itinerary around your interests instead of pushing a fixed package, and he's known to do airport pickups at odd hours (yes, even 1 AM) if you're arriving on the late KLM flight. Cash in SRD or euros is often smoother than cards for on-the-day extras.
The Practical Stuff
Located on Henck Arronstraat in central Paramaribo, walkable from most historic-district hotels. Tours run year-round; the drier JuneΓÇôAugust and DecemberΓÇôJanuary windows are best for boat and jungle trips. Pricing scales with itinerary ΓÇö expect roughly USD 35ΓÇô70 for local half-day tours and USD 250+ per person per day for multi-country expeditions with transport, guide, and meals included. Booking is direct (WhatsApp/email) rather than through Tripadvisor; confirm inclusions before you pay a deposit.
Pair It With
- 'T Vat Sidewalk Cafe Guide — A short walk from the office and the classic Paramaribo spot to debrief your tour over a cold Parbo beer and bitterballen before or after a day out.
- 168 Restaurant Guide — Reliable, generously portioned Surinamese-Chinese cooking nearby ΓÇö a great low-key dinner when you get back into town after a full-day excursion.
- 101 Suites Guide — An easy walkable base in the historic center, so airport transfers and early-morning tour pickups with Exciting Tours are painless.