Guyanan Red Howler Monkey (Source: own photo)
If you enjoy tropical forests, you can do worse than visiting Brownsberg Nature Reserve in Suriname. Arriving by car from Paramaribo, leave the tarmac after some 130 kms just before the village of Brownsweg and take the small red laterite dirt track leading into the forest.
Red Laterite track up the mountain side (Source: Own photo)
Follow the track - 4WD required - through the lower reaches of the forest and then up the mountain-side to reach the research station on top of Brownsberg. The views of the Brokopondo Reservoir beneath the research station are spectacular.
Views from the top of Brownsberg, including Pandora (left) , the Reservoir (centre), and gold mining operations (Source: own photos)
The Brokopondo reservoir was created by the construction of the Afobake Dam in the early 1960s. With a surface area of 1,560 square kms, the reservoir is one of the largest in the world. Trunks of dead trees rise from the lake surface like glochids. Gold mining operations are also visible from the mountain. The miners carve enormous scars in the forest-scape and release large amounts of cyanide and mercury into the rivers.
Tree Runner (Source: own photo)
The Brownsberg Nature Park is extremely biodiverse due, in part, to its steep elevation. Some 1,450 species of plants and 350 species of birds have been recorded in the park, but more continue to be discovered. You can expect to see Red-Rumped Agoutis, Spider Monkeys, Guyanan Red Howler Monkeys, and various Sakis. The insect and reptile life is also impressive with plenty of tarantulas, butterflies, and lizards of all kinds.
Tarantula den, cricket, and a Morpho Peleides butterfly (Source: own photos)
The area surrounding Brownsberg is secondary forest due to extensive logging. Gold mining, in some cases within the park boundaries, is a major threat. Logging and mining have forced out the larger game, such as Tapir or Jaguar. If you want to see those, you have to go much further afield.
Grey-winged Trumpeter (Source: own photo)
Female Tanager (Source: own photo)
Still, Brownsberg is well worth a visit if you are in Suriname. Expect to spend 5-6 hours to get there and back (from Paramaribo). The park has a decent network of trails that will take you to all corners of the mountain, including several of its waterfalls. Walking can be strenuous due to the steepness of the slopes, the heat, and the humidity.
The End
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