Wanica District, Suriname: The Suburbs South of the Capital
Where Paramaribo runs out — market gardens, malls, temples and the road to everywhere else.
Why Go
Wanica is the district immediately south and west of Paramaribo, and it is where most of the capital's population actually lives, shops and eats. Lelydorp is its main town, the highway to the airport and the interior runs straight through it, and the landscape is a mix of housing, market gardens, mosques, mandirs and shopping centres. It is not a sight, and nobody plans a holiday around it. It is where you end up constantly, and knowing it makes moving around Suriname considerably easier.
The Experience
The district reads as a long ribbon of development along the main roads with agricultural land behind. Market gardens supply the capital's markets, and roadside stalls sell what came out of the ground that morning. The religious architecture is the most visible thing about it — Javanese mosques, Hindu temples and churches within a few hundred metres of each other, which is Suriname's defining characteristic rendered in buildings. Hermitage Mall anchors the retail end, with chain restaurants, phone shops and supermarkets. Golf, museums and tour operators are scattered through the district, and much of the country's inland tour capacity is booked from offices here rather than downtown. The district also carries most of the country's everyday economy. The capital has the ministries and the historic centre; Wanica has the housing, the schools, the wholesalers and the market gardens that supply them. Anyone trying to understand how Suriname actually works spends more useful time here than downtown.
What to Try
Eat, which is what this district is for. Wolly's Latour, Danitcha, Black Boy's Kitchen, Saroo Food on Indira Gandhi Weg and Gusto Restaurant cover the Javanese, Hindustani and Creole cooking that makes Surinamese food distinctive, and roadside warungs along the main roads are cheaper and often better than anything downtown. The Surinaams Museum and Lalla Rookh Museum handle the country's history and the Hindustani indenture story respectively. Golfclub Paramaribo is here for anyone who wants it. Black Eagle Tours, Explore Suriname Tours and Dolfijn in Suriname run the interior trips and river excursions that most visitors come for, and booking them is done from this side of the city. Stop at a roadside stall for whatever is piled highest. The market gardens behind these roads supply Paramaribo, and produce sold on the verge here was in the ground that morning.
Insider Tip
Eat at the warungs rather than the malls. Wanica's Javanese roadside kitchens — small, often just a counter and a few plastic chairs — serve the food this district is genuinely known for, at a fraction of what a restaurant charges, and the queue at lunchtime tells you which ones are worth stopping at. Go where the local traffic goes. Carry small notes in Surinamese dollars, because warungs are cash-only and rarely have change for a large bill. And treat the traffic seriously when planning an airport run. The highway through this district carries everything leaving the capital, and an hour that is comfortable at nine in the morning is not comfortable at five in the afternoon.
The Practical Stuff
Wanica District borders Paramaribo to the south and west, with Lelydorp as its main town. The highway to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport and onward to the interior runs through it, and the airport is roughly forty-five minutes from the capital through this district. Minibuses run the main roads constantly and are the everyday transport. Shopping centres accept cards; warungs, stalls and small shops do not, so carry cash in Surinamese dollars. Dutch is official, Sranan Tongo universal, with Javanese and Sarnami Hindustani widely spoken here. Yellow fever vaccination is commonly required for entry to Suriname. Rain is heaviest roughly April to August, with a shorter wet spell around December and January.
Common Questions
What is Wanica District?
The district immediately south and west of Paramaribo, where most of the capital's population lives. Lelydorp is its main town and the airport highway runs through it.
Is there anything to see?
Not in the sightseeing sense. Its interest is the food, the mix of mosques, mandirs and churches within a few hundred metres of one another, and two good small museums.
Where should you eat?
At the warungs — small Javanese roadside kitchens along the main roads. They are cheaper and usually better than the restaurants, and the lunchtime queue tells you which ones to stop at.
How do you get around?
Minibuses run the main roads constantly and are what everyone uses. The district is spread along the highways rather than walkable.
How far is the airport?
Johan Adolf Pengel International is roughly forty-five minutes from central Paramaribo, on the highway that runs south through Wanica.
Do you need cash?
Yes. Shopping centres take cards, but warungs, roadside stalls and small shops are cash-only and rarely have change for large notes.
Pair It With
- Stichting Surinaams Museum — The history before the interior trip.
- Wolly's Latour — The plate that explains the district.
- Black Eagle Tours Guide — Where the interior journeys get booked.
