Green Heritage Fund Suriname Sloth Sanctuary
Meet Suriname's rescued sloths at the country's only Xenarthra rehab center
Why Go
Tucked into the Saramacca countryside near Groningen, this is where 'Sloth Lady' Monique Pool has been quietly rewriting the story of Suriname's displaced wildlife since 2005. It's not a zoo ΓÇö it's a working rehabilitation center where three-toed sloths, tamanduas, and armadillos get a second chance at the rainforest, and visitors get a rare, respectful glimpse into that process.
The Experience
You'll drive about an hour west from Paramaribo through cane fields and small Javanese-Surinamese villages to reach the Xenarthra Rehabilitation Center, inaugurated in 2018 after Pool's team pulled off the legendary 'Slothageddon' rescue of 141 sloths from a single deforestation site. Visits are intimate (small groups only) and usually run around two hours: a caretaker walks you through enclosures of recovering animals, explains why urban Paramaribo keeps producing sloth 'refugees' from cleared trees and power lines, and ΓÇö if timing allows ΓÇö lets you watch a feeding or a health check. Everything is on the animals' terms; there's no handling, no selfies with sedated wildlife, no gift-shop kitsch. Just the low hum of the forest, the slow blink of a two-toed sloth in its rehab hammock, and the sense that you're standing inside one of the most important small conservation projects in the Guianas.
What to Try
Ask about the Xenarthra Program ΓÇö the rescue-rehab-release pipeline that has returned more than a thousand sloths to the wild ΓÇö and, if you can commit ten days ahead, request to join one of the field research trips (max ten people) where you help track released animals in the Commewijne mangroves. Bring binoculars for the anteaters at the back of the compound; they're shyer than the sloths and easy to miss.
Insider Tip
You cannot just show up. Visits are strictly by prior appointment ΓÇö email Green Heritage Fund at least a week ahead (two weeks in high season) and confirm before you leave Paramaribo. Entry is free, but this is a nonprofit surviving on goodwill: bring cash in SRD or USD for a meaningful donation, or arrange the visit through Travel the Guianas, whose ~US$75 fee bundles transport with a built-in contribution. Go in the long dry season (mid-August to late November) when the access road is firm; after heavy rains the last kilometer turns to soup.
The Practical Stuff
Location: QGC8+MGM, just outside Groningen in Saramacca District, roughly 50 km / 1 hour west of Paramaribo via the East-West Link. Getting there: rental car or 4x4 recommended (public transport is impractical); tour operators in Paramaribo can also arrange transfers. Hours: by appointment only, typically mornings. Cost: free; donations expected. Duration: ~2 hours. Language: tours in Dutch, English, or Sranan Tongo. Bring: closed shoes, insect repellent, drinking water, small bills for donations, and a quiet voice ΓÇö the animals are in recovery.
Pair It With
- Peperpot Nature Park Guide — A former coffee-and-cocoa plantation just outside Paramaribo where wild brown-throated sloths, capuchins, and squirrel monkeys are easy dawn spots ΓÇö a perfect 'in the wild' complement to the rescue-center visit.
- Commewijne plantation river tour — On the way back to the city, hop a boat through the Commewijne mangroves where many of GHFS's rehabilitated sloths are released; dolphin sightings at sunset are a bonus.
- Paramaribo historic inner city (UNESCO) — Base yourself among the wooden colonial mansions and Javanese warungs of the capital ΓÇö it's the natural launchpad for the Saramacca day trip and pairs the wildlife side of Suriname with its cultural mash-up.
- Brownsberg Nature Park — If the sanctuary sparks a deeper rainforest itch, this highland reserve 2.5 hours south delivers howler monkeys, waterfalls, and canopy views over the Brokopondo reservoir.