Money in Suriname

Change money in the city, not the airport

The Surinamese dollar (SRD) is the official currency, and US dollars and euros are the two foreign currencies worth carrying. Exchange at Hakrinbank, De Surinaamsche Bank or a licensed cambio in Paramaribo rather than at the airport, where rates are routinely worse. Change in stages rather than converting a whole trip's budget on the first day — the rate has moved substantially in the past, and holding a large balance for two weeks is taking a position you did not mean to take.

ATMs stop where the road does

Hakrinbank, De Surinaamsche Bank and Republic Bank all run ATM networks in Paramaribo, and they are the practical way to get local cash. Beyond the capital the machines thin out fast, and in the rainforest interior there are none at all. Withdraw what an interior trip needs before you leave the coast, and allow for a machine being out of cash or offline on the day you try.

Cards work in the capital and almost nowhere else

Larger hotels, restaurants and supermarkets in Paramaribo take Visa and Mastercard, and that is roughly the extent of it. Card acceptance outside the capital is unreliable, and phone payments have very limited coverage anywhere in the country. Carry a card for the city and treat it as a convenience rather than a plan.

The interior runs entirely on cash you brought

Lodges, boatmen, guides, village stays and everything else beyond the coastal road are cash transactions, and there is nowhere to top up once you have left — a consequence of how the interior is reached rather than a matter of preference. Work out what an interior block needs before departure, add a margin for tips and a delayed return, and carry it in small notes, since change is genuinely scarce.