💉 Practical info
Vaccinations for Suriname: yellow fever, malaria and mosquitoes
For Suriname, yellow fever vaccination may be required depending on your route, and malaria precautions mainly apply to stays in the interior rather than Paramaribo. Get advice from a travel clinic at least six weeks before departure.
Check this This changes. Verify it before you travel with a travel clinic or your national health service, we keep this page current, but a page is no substitute for the source itself.
What applies to you depends on your route, how long you stay and whether you go into the interior. A week in Paramaribo with day tours asks something different from three weeks on the Upper Suriname River. Get personal advice rather than relying on a general article, including this one.
What does apply to everyone: dengue and chikungunya are carried by mosquitoes that bite during the day, and there is no vaccine or prophylaxis for them. Repellent with DEET, long sleeves at the start and end of the day, and air conditioning or a net are the real protection.
Tap water in Paramaribo is generally considered drinkable, though many visitors stick to bottled. In the interior: bottled or filtered.
Take travel insurance with medical cover and repatriation. Medical facilities in Paramaribo are reasonable; in the interior you are hours from a hospital.
In short
- Travel clinic appointment at least six weeks before departure
- Repellent containing DEET (30–50%)
- Long sleeves for early morning and evening
- Travel insurance with medical cover and repatriation
- Own medication in original packaging with prescription
Frequently asked questions
What vaccinations do you need for Suriname?
It depends on your route and whether you go into the interior. Yellow fever vaccination may be required depending on where you travel from. Get advice from a travel clinic at least six weeks before departure; a general article cannot substitute for that.
Is there malaria in Paramaribo?
Malaria in Suriname is largely confined to the interior rather than Paramaribo and the coastal plain, so whether you need prophylaxis depends on whether you go up the rivers. Get personal advice.
Can you drink the tap water in Suriname?
Tap water in Paramaribo is generally considered drinkable. Many visitors still prefer bottled, and in the interior bottled or filtered water is the advice.