Werehpai

Werehpai is a group of granite boulders and shelters in the forest near Kwamalasamutu in Suriname's far south, and their surfaces carry hundreds of petroglyphs, faces, animals and geometric forms, reported in 1998 by a Trio man searching for his lost dog, though another Trio man says he knew the caves around 1990; finds from test pits dug in 2007 have been dated to between 5,000 and 4,200 years ago. Its 313 identified petroglyphs make it the largest concentration of rock art known in the country, and perhaps in the Guianas. The site is managed by the Trio community, who guide all visits.

What's there

• The petroglyph panels - hundreds of carvings across the boulder surfaces.
• The shelters - the granite overhangs the carvings are cut into.
• The discovery - a site reported by Trio men in the 1990s and studied since 2007.
• The community management - visits run entirely by the Trio of Kwamalasamutu.

When to go

The dry seasons, February to April and August to November, are the practical windows. Forest light is low under the boulders in any month. Flights to Kwamalasamutu are irregular.

What to expect

Getting there means a charter flight to Kwamalasamutu then a boat and a walk, arranged with the community well in advance. The carvings are faint in places and need pointing out. There is no infrastructure beyond the village.

Nearby

Kwamalasamutu is nearby, and the Brazilian border is south.