How to Get From Paramaribo to Georgetown On a Budget

To get from Paramaribo to Georgetown on a budget, you will need to travel overland with two shared taxis, and a ferry trip in between.

Guyana and Suriname were my 71st and 72nd countries visited, and the biggest headache to plan due to the high costs of flights and limited overland travel options among other things.

Flying between the two usually costs upwards of £150/US$200, or £85/US$110 if you book on very specific dates.

However, you can do it for half the price by taking the lengthy journey overland.

Here I will go into detail on how you can do this.

Whilst doing the journey myself, I kept track of timings, key locations, costs and any other information that will be useful for anyone else travelling between the two capital cities.

The information on the internet was patchy, so I want to give you a complete and up-to-date guide on what to expect during this trip through the Guianas.

How to Get From Paramaribo to Georgetown Without Flying

You will need to take three vehicles to get between the two cities.

Firstly, a shared taxi from Paramaribo to the border at South Drain. This leg of the journey starts at 4am and takes 4-4.5 hours.

Then a ferry which takes 1 hour, although you will most likely be waiting at the ferry port for 2-3 hours.

Finally another shared taxi from Molsen Creek (the border town in Guyana) to Georgetown which takes 4-4.5 hours.

In total your journey will be 10-12 hours in total, including 2-3 of waiting time at the ferry terminal.

I used Navin Bus Service to arrange the shared taxi pickup. He can be contacted on WhatsApp on +597 852-1998.

I used Long Hair Transport to arrange the reverse journey from Georgetown to Paramaribo (their WhatsApp is +592 641 6010).

My driver from the Suriname border to Paramaribo was the same one as from Paramaribo to the border during my initial trip to Guyana, despite booking through a different company.

Whichever transport company you pick, will cover both Paramaribo to the Suriname border and the Guyana border to Georgetown. You will pay the driver when you arrive at South Drain and will not need to pay a second time in Georgetown.

The ferry is a separate transaction.

How Good Are the Transport Companies?

Would I recommend Navin Bus Service or Long Hair Transport? Based on my experiences with both companies, they got me from Paramaribo to Georgetown and back a few days later, which is the main thing. So the answer is a lukewarm “yes”.

This is the Guianas, meaning whoever you go with will most likely have some unprofessional traits as this region caters more towards adventure travellers and hardy locals, rather than anyone looking for luxury.

Both companies were late leaving from Paramaribo and Georgetown respectively. Both were able to pick me up from the other side of the border as soon as I arrived. Both had vehicles which lacked comfort at times, but could have been worse.

Navin wasn’t a fast responder to messages. This is one area where Long Hair were much better.

I would say they’re worth booking with, but I also wouldn’t rave about how awesome they are.

How Much Does it Cost to Travel Overland Between Paramaribo and Georgetown

It will cost you US$50 for the taxi, covering both the Paramaribo to South Drain (Suriname border town) and Molsen Creek (Guyana border town) to Georgetown legs of the journey.

You will pay an additional US$20 for a one-way ferry ticket, or US$30 for a round trip.

If you do not have US dollars, Surinamese dollars and Guyanese dollars are also accepted.

I strongly advise having at least one of these three currencies with you, as others are generally not accepted.

What Documents do You Need to Enter Guyana

Guyana is a very easy country to enter. Aside from your passport of course, you only need one or two other documents.

Firstly a visa, but this depends on what country you come from. Us Brits don’t need a visa to enter Guyana, and nor do travellers from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and most major European countries including Italy, France and Germany.

Secondly, your yellow fever vaccination certificate. Unlike visas, this is necessary for everyone entering Guyana, and alongside Suriname, it’s the strictest country I’ve ever been to when it comes to checking this.

Unlike Suriname, Guyana is really easy to enter and you don’t need any more than this, although I’d always advise booking your accommodation for at least the first night, as border officials often love to know this.

Is the Journey Safe?

Whilst the roads can be slightly bumpy at times, travelling between Paramaribo and Georgetown is fairly safe.

Both cities are pretty dodgy and you have to take extra care in them. I have some useful travel safety tips that can help you prevent any issues.

One thing I noticed is how the drivers don’t always lock their vehicles at stops, so take your valuables with you.

Both sides of the border have police checkpoints. As a result, this journey isn’t often targetted by criminals. If you head the other way in Suriname from Paramaribo to the Albina border with French Guiana, it’s a different story…

The ferry is a ropey old boat, but seems sturdy enough. There are several lifejackets on board in the unlikely event of an emergency.

But overall, both my trips between Paramaribo and Georgetown felt safe, unlike life on the ground in both cities…

Is it a Problem if I Don’t Speak Dutch?

As a former Dutch colony, this is the language used in Suriname, whilst Guyana was once British, making English the primary language.

However, the Brits did have a spell in charge of Suriname, and as a result, most Surinamese people speak English at a fairly high level.

Therefore you can make this journey, book the shared taxis and buy your ferry ticket without having any language barrier issues along the way. The same is true at immigration.

Although it doesn’t hurt to learn how to translate into other languages to help you on the way and make things even smoother for you.

Where to Exchange Money at the Guyana/Suriname Border

You can swap money as soon as you get off the ferry and are stamped into Guyana. Several men will wait in the car park who you can exchange with.

I was sceptical at first, having been scammed out of £23 (US$30) in Paramaribo the previous day, and spoke with my transport driver.

He brought over a man called “Chucky” who exchanged my US$100 for Guyanese dollars at above the going rate.

Chucky was honest and reliable, he didn’t try any dirty tricks on me, and I highly recommend him for anyone looking to exchange some cash in this part of the world.

He can easily be identified by a lanyard with his name on it.

Was the Journey Comfortable?

Excluding the ferry, I took 4 vehicles along this route. One from Paramaribo to South Drain. Then from Molsen Creek to Georgetown, and later the same in reverse when I returned to Suriname’s capital a few days later.

I had mixed results with comfort on this journey.

On the way there, the first vehicle was reasonably comfortable, with cool air and a little space to manoeuvre inside the vehicle.

Although on the return journey, I faced a lot of discomfort to begin with as the window in front of me was open and I was blasted with air for an hour, before we had a break and I was able to close the window.

The passenger beside the window didn’t seem to understand when I asked if he could close it.

On the Guyana side, the most comfortable vehicle was the one I took to Georgetown, a proper minivan with air con and a good driver who had a cheerful personality.

The reverse journey wasn’t fun though. It used a van just like the ones used in Georgetown by the locals (no seatbelts, bumpy rides, and not much space to maneuver in whilst full).

Therefore I would say your comfort on the journey comes down to luck.

The Paramaribo to Georgetown ferry across the Courantyne River is not the most enjoyable experience in the world.

If you sit on the seats, it feels like you’re in an oven, and you will end up feeling fairly sweaty and uncomfortable.

By standing up on the top part of the boat, you will enjoy a nice breeze, but end up risking some pretty nasty sunburn. The sun is intense up there.

The least-bad option is to stand at the far end of the ferry and hide in the shade. You get a tiny breeze, without any of the oven effect in the seated areas.

Comfortable? Not really. But it’s the lesser of three evils.

I found the ferry to be the roughest leg of the journey on both the way to Georgetown, and the return journey. Fortunately it is also the shortest part.

In Detail: The Entire Journey Between Paramaribo and Georgetown

With airlines costing a fortune to fly between these two neighbours, overland travel is the best option to save a bit of cash.

The journey takes around 12 hours in total. Although factors such as traffic, the weather, the ferry (which is often late leaving) and more can impact on your schedule.

I was up and ready to go by 4am as promised. I wish they’d told me it would be a window from 4-5am, rather than dead on 4, because they finally arrived at 4:40am.

After just 45 minutes on the road, we stopped for a coffee and toilet break.

Then headed off again after around 10 minutes here.

At 7:20am, our vehicle was stopped by the police. This is something you’ll experience a few times in the Guianas. They wanted to make sure everyone had their passport and yellow fever card, then waved us on our way.

At 8:45am, 4 hours and 5 minutes after being picked up in Paramaribo, and we reached the ferry terminal.

At this point your driver will do two things.

He will take payment for the transport (no need to pay your driver on the Guyana side, this will be handled by your Suriname driver).

He will also take a picture of you. This is to send to your driver in Guyana so he recognises you when you arrive.

After leaving your Suriname driver behind, enter the terminal and turn left, then you should see a ticket booth.

The process is a bit odd. You buy your ticket here, but have to surrender your passport (don’t worry, you get it back before leaving).

It costs 1,080 Surinamese dollars for a return ticket as of December 2024. Regardless of how the local prices change over time, it will always be roughly around the US$30 mark.

A single ticket costs 720 SRD (around US$20).

Your yellow fever certificate will also be checked on the way in.

After purchasing the ticket, you must wait around the corner for 20-30 minutes until a man calls out your name to hand your passport back.

From here, you turn right and queue to get stamped out of Suriname. The queue shouldn’t be too long and took me around 15 minutes to get through.

They do have WiFi in this area, but it’s not very good, therefore I’d recommend taking a screenshot of your ICF before embarking on this journey.

Finally, you can walk outside and wait for the ferry. There are some expensive duty free shops outside, but what you really want here is the canteen.

They sell cheap fast food, as well as a series of drinks ranging from standard Coke and Fanta (called Fernandes here) to Suriname’s popular Parbo beer and Rude Boy, a type of drink unique to the Caribbean.

For those wondering, Rude Boy contains an unusual mixture of caffeine, ginseng, taurine and horny goat weed, a Chinese medicinal herb.

I previously had it in Belize, and would say it’s certainly an acquired taste! Maybe one for a more chilled day, rather than a hectic transit mission.

We eventually boarded the ferry at 10:40am, 10 minutes later than we were supposed to leave by…

It then left at 10:50am.

Whilst boarding we were given two forms. One for immigration and one for customs on the Guyana side. Bring a pen and fill these out on the boat to save a fair bit of time.

The forms ask all the standard questions about your reasons for visiting the country (probably tourism), where you’re staying, when you’re leaving the country etc.

The journey took 40 minutes, with a further 10 waiting for vehicles to leave the boat, before foot passengers were allowed off.

There was even one truck carrying several pigs across the river!

Once off the boat, it took just 15 minutes to enter Guyana. Immigration asked a series of standard questions before stamping me in.

What’s your purpose for being in Guyana? Where are you staying in Georgetown? How long do you plan to be here? Basically the same as what had been covered on the forms.

Just make sure you have a screenshot of your accommodation address, as you most likely won’t have internet here.

Locals told me this was a very quick journey, and it can take several hours on a bad day. So I appeared to be lucky with the hasty entry.

There is a small canteen when you enter Guyana, but the one on the Suriname side is far bigger and better. Therefore I’d recommend eating something whilst waiting for the ferry in Suriname.

After meeting with my driver at Molsen Creek and exchanging money with Chucky, we left once all passengers in our taxi had been stamped in.

We departed at 11:15am Guyana time. Guyana is one hour behind Suriname, so be aware of this when you travel. The good news is that you should arrive before sunset, unless something goes horribly wrong such as your vehicle bursting a tyre.

If you’re wondering why that seems like an oddly specific example, that’s exactly what happened to my transport in French Guiana from capital Cayenne to the Saint-Georges border town.

The Guianas are a tricky region for travellers and I’d recommend them for people with more experience of rugged countries, rather than beginners who have only visited “easy” nations in the past.

Anyway, at 12:50 we were stopped by the police shortly after passing Belvedere. Our driver said they were looking for bribes.

This was the first of three police stops. Each time they inspected our documents and let us go, realising we all had the correct paperwork.

The driver and a Guyanese man in the taxi laughed and joked about how corrupt the local police are. They said stops are regular occurrences, with bribes a hefty source of income for local coppers.

We stopped once for snacks and drinks, before arriving in Georgetown at 3:30pm, meaning it took 4 hours and 15 minutes to drive to Guyana’s capital.

And the complete journey was a total of 11 hours and 50 minutes. So it’s a pretty long one.

Now the sun will set within a couple of hours of your arrival. Therefore I would suggest dashing out ASAP to grab a bite to eat and buy supplies for the following day.

Georgetown is notoriously unsafe, and I had some seriously sketchy moments during just 3 days there. So do not go out after dark.

I’ve heard far too many robbery stories from other visitors.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about travel between the two capital cities of Suriname and Guyana.