Tour information

Galibi is the general name given to the two Carib villages located on the coastal area at the border with French Guyana; Langaman kondre and Christiaan kondre. Galibi takes approximately 4.5 hours to reach. There is first a bus drive of about 3.5 hours to Albina, located at the banks of the Marowijne River. From there follows a one-hour boat trip to Galibi. The Galibi Nature Reserve protects the turtle nesting beaches, which are situated at the corner formed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Marowijne River, right at the border with French Guiana. Sea turtles nest at various sandy beaches along the ever-changing coast of Suriname and the wider Guiana's. The main sandy beaches at Galibi seem to be more stable than elsewhere, which benefits effective marine turtle protection. Galibi has a particularly large population of nesting sea turtles, and is one of the few sites in the Western Hemisphere where the Olive Ridley turtle has been recorded to lay eggs.

The reserve also protects a small strip of hinterland which is of very recent origin - at best a few thousand years - and has a varied swamp, sand ridge, lagoon, and mangrove vegetation. The lagoons and mudflats host a variety of resident and migratory birds, such as various herons and also the scarlet ibis.

Galibi’s main asset remains its wild coast, which is a productive feeding ground for animals and man alike. It is a safe place for breeding sea turtles, and provides opportunities for research on these spectacular endangered marine reptiles.

Galibi Sea Turtle Breeding Beach: The Galibi area has some useful facilities for researchers who are interested in sea turtles, migratory birds, or coastal ecosystems. At Galibi, the STINASU offers permanent facilities available along the Surinamese coast. The main facilities are at the Babunsanti beach: the large Warana tourist lodge, the Babunsanti research lodge, and some buildings for staff and workers. Rooms in the Warana lodge are also available to visiting researchers. Apart from the Babunsanti lodge, another lodge has been built specifically for research purposes at the Samsambo beach, a few kilometers to the North of Babunsanti. These two beaches are research sites of the Dutch Biotopic Foundation, which studies the reproductive biology and migratory behavior of the marine turtles.

The US Oceanic Society is also doing some turtle research at Babunsanti. The research sites are demarcated. The Stichting Natuurbehoud Suriname (STINASU) will first negotiate an agreement with the visiting researchers), in which conditional access to a specific area (e.g. the Babunsanti area) is granted, and an access fee is set per day for the researchers who are present in the area. The signed agreement will then serve as a valid research permit. The access fee will usually cover lodging, and can also cover other services for which daily rates are applicable . Services not explicitly covered by the access fee will be charged separately.