Raleighvallen
Suriname · Sipaliwini · 60 m
Description
Raleighvallen is the reachable corner of the Central Suriname Nature Reserve, sixteen thousand square kilometres of untouched rainforest that UNESCO listed in 2000 and that has no roads, no settlements and no logging anywhere inside it. The falls are a long run of rapids on the Coppename rather than a single drop. A day of walking from the river station leads to the Voltzberg, a bare granite dome pushing out of the canopy with the forest running unbroken to every horizon from the top. Cock-of-the-rock nest in the boulders below it. The reserve covers about a tenth of the country's land area.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 6 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: February – April or September – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Climb of the Voltzberg granite dome
- UNESCO-listed Central Suriname Nature Reserve
- Rapids of the Coppename river
- Guianan cock-of-the-rock at the lek
- Boat journey up the river to Foengoe Island
- Eight primate species in the canopy
- Forest camp and hammock nights
- Swimming in the river below the rapids
- Giant otters and tapir tracks on the banks
- View over unbroken rainforest from the summit