WATER
Water and waterways play a major role in and around Amatopo. The resort is located on the banks of the Corantijn with an unobstructed view of the impressive and always fascinating water. The river is a drinking water supply, a bathing place, a watering hole for animals and the main mode of transportation. The forest, which you will experience for yourself, is more difficult to access and fairly impenetrable. That is why waterways such as Corantijn and the Lucie river are essential for us. Numerous activities we offer revolve around water: boat trips, visiting and staying in a sula (rapid/waterfall), swimming and lying in the water at the resort "on your doorstep", kayaking and so on.
However, certain activities are also strongly influenced by water levels. At high water we cannot offer everything in the same way as we can at lower water levels. Of course we can welcome you at any time of the year and offer you a wonderful experience. Don't let that stop you!
Looking at rainfall and water levels, the most attractive times of the year to book your stay on Amatopo are:
- End of January to mid-May
- End of July to early December
CLOTHING AND GEAR
When you book with Amatopo Rainforest Retreat, you are not coming for a beach holiday! You will experience adventure and gain many new experiences in the middle of the tropical rainforest. It is therefore advisable to protect yourself well.
Our advice to take with you:
- closed, sturdy walking shoes (which can get dirty) or preferably rubber boots
- water shoes (bare foot shoes)
- long pants and socks
- shirt or jacket with long sleeves (not too thick fabric)
- rain poncho
- small backpack
- cap or (tropical) hat
- insect/mosquito repellent
- anti-itch spray if you do get stung
- sunscreen (water resistant) factor 50
We take care of:
- Fresh life jackets in the boat
- First-aid kit
- Raincoats
- Trained professional guidance provided with GPS tracking equipment and satellite communication
- All buildings and guesthouses are equipped with fire extinguishers and a first aid kit
- Trained emergency response personnel (European validated certificate) present at the resort
MALARIA
Suriname already achieved its goals for eliminating malaria more than 15 years ago and there are no known cases of malaria in the area around Amatopo. You can travel safely!
AMATOPO, THE RESIDENTS
Our resort is located next to the village called Amotopo by the indigenous Trio people. The village was founded in 2000 on the instructions of Granman Asongo (deceased in 2021) who learned of activities of outsiders in the area. He wanted more supervision and presence of Trios on the banks of the Corantijn and sent one of his Captains to settle there. The village grew in the following years and then shrank again to fewer than 20 people. With the arrival and development of the resort (from 2016), the population increased to over 40 because the entrepreneur's efforts increased the opportunities for livelihood. Covid threw a spanner in the works and much came to a temporary standstill, also due to the imposed flight ban.
Development has been fully resumed from 2022, making start-up in 2024 a fact.
We would like to tell you everything about Amotopo and its history during the fascinating village walk where you will become acquainted with the daily life of our neighbors. When you visit the “market” you can purchase local artifacts and jewelry that directly contributes to the village's income. These unique objects are made especially for you by the residents and stem from their tradition and culture. Many objects are crafted from natural materials from the Amazon forest around us so every piece is unique...
Discover and experience life in Amotopo during your stay at the resort. It is a special experience that will certainly stay with you!
BIRD WATCHING & ANIMAL SPOTTING
For all birdwatchers and animal enthousiasts we have made a list of all species we have spotted so far. These spottings are live sightings by our team, proof of existence given by the villagers of Amatopo or animals we have spotted with our trail cams/ trap cams.
This list is a work in progress and new spottings will be entered. For now the entries are in Dutch (and often the Surinamese name also) but we will add English and Latin in the future. By no means this is a scientific list but is composed as a good insight in the variety of species you can find in our area.
We invite experts and specialists to inform us about other confirmed sightings they have made and we will add them to the list (with your credentials).
Birds are for now grouped in main categories (i.e. birds of prey, hummingbirds).
Please also check on our Gallery page the beautiful bird pictures shot by Dutch photographer Kees de Haan.
You can download the full list from here 
