🧭 Every country, and the places worth the trip NEW 26,489 places written across 243 countries 🎮 Guess the country As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases
Meridiela.
Home/Countries/Suriname/Museums & culture/Saamaka Marron Museum, Pikin Slee

Saamaka Marron Museum, Pikin Slee

A village museum on the Upper Suriname river showing Saamaka Maroon life and carving.

Saved in this browser only - no account, nothing sent anywhere. See your map

Typemuseum
WhereSipaliwini
Nearest cityParamaribo
Best seasonFebruary to April, August to November
Time to allowHalf a day or overnight
Getting thereOn the Upper Suriname river; road to Atjoni then boat, around an hour upstream
EntryEntry and guide fees

Pikin Slee is a Saamaka village on the Upper Suriname river, one of the Maroon communities descended from people who escaped the plantations and built free societies in the interior, and its museum was set up by the villagers to hold and explain their own material: carved stools and paddles, textiles, tools, cooking gear and the geometric tembe carving the Saamaka are known for.

What you actually see

  • The tembe carving - the geometric woodwork the Saamaka are known for.
  • The household material - stools, paddles, textiles and tools of village life.
  • The village-run museum - a collection assembled and explained by the community.
  • The river setting - the Upper Suriname running past the village.

When to go

The dry seasons, February to April and August to November, are best for river travel. Low water makes some rapids harder. Visits should be arranged rather than turning up.

Honest expectations

Visitors are guests in a living village and photography and behaviour rules must be followed. Access is by road then boat and takes most of a day from Paramaribo. Accommodation is basic lodges nearby.

Nearby

Atjoni is downstream, and the Upper Suriname villages run in both directions.

What to pack for Saamaka Marron Museum, Pikin Slee

Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.

All packing kits →

Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

← More museums & culture in Suriname

One postcard a week.

A short Friday email: one place worth knowing about, the story behind it, and what is in season right now. No noise - leave whenever you like.