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 — colonial city walks, Peperpot rainforest mornings, Bigi Pan sunsets, and a border-hop to French Guiana's Space Center — 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 — often the guide himself — 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 — 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 — even for a same-week booking — 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 June–August and December–January windows are best for boat and jungle trips. Pricing scales with itinerary — expect roughly USD 35–70 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 — 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.
