
A nature park about 100 km south of the capital Parmaribo, that can be reached in 2 hours driving. On the top is some accomodation for the night. Reservations should be made via STINASU (the foundation for the protection of nature in Suriname) or via some tour operator.
The park is a northern outcrop of the hilly region in the south of Suriname and the top is a plateau at about 400-500 m. It is covered with high forest and on the slopes are some waterfalls. From the accomodations area one can look to the east and see the van Blommenstein lake, made in the sixties for the hydroelectric power plant of SURALCO. The temperature on the brownsberg is a couple of degrees lower than in the surrounding lowlands (reaching sometimes a low of 20 degrees at night!) and the humidity is higher. About 2.5 meters of rain will fall each year. Often clouds will come from the east and on the climbing the hill will bring rain, as can be seen from the top. The dry period is from half august to half november. A walk in the early morning on the road over the crest of the Brownsberg gives a very good impression of the rich fauna of the mountain.
My count of the species seen on the Brownsberg is over 400. A list of all the birds of the Brownsberg with an indication of how often they are observed is on th next page. This includes the bellbird, 5 toucans and aracaries, 5 trogons, 38 antbirds, 30 tanagers and 9 manakins. Some bigger game birds (trumpeters, currassows and guans) have returned after a period with hunting during the internal wars. Also on this list are birds that were seen at the foot of the Brownsberg, like the Black manakin and the Saffron-crested Tyrant-manakin.