Berg en Dal - The Amazonian Caribbean Experience

Berg en Dal 

Location: Berg en Dal resort

Theme:    Eco-Tourism

For more pictures and info see our youtubechannel:

The Berg en Dal eco- resort is a pricy oasis of comfort on the Suriname river. 

Lodges at the banks of the Suriname River

The resort consists of a number of lodges, scattered around the property. There was hot running water, non-stop electricity to charge our laptops, phones and camera batteries, and a quiet isolated place where we were able to catch up on writing. A real treat.

An early start (around 06:30) allows for a great bird watching tour around the resorts itself. This area north of the Brokopondo.

View from the restaurant

There were many more flowers and fruit trees than we had seen in the dense rainforest south of the lake and their sweetness attracted a great variety of birds.

Toucan

Many toucans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toucan) live in the forest around the resort – including the black-necked toucan, the channel-billed toucan, the red-billed toucan.

Lineated woodpecker

And so do the lineated woodpecker,

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineated_Woodpecker)

, the green oropendola (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Oropendola)

,the silver-beaked tanager (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver-beaked_Tanager) 

Silver-beaked tanager  and the great kiskadee

, and the great kiskadee (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Kiskadee) 

not to mention colibris, troglodytes and parrots among others. There are also caimans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caimaninae)  in a pond nearby.

Our guide, Miguel

Our guide Miguel, who works with the resort’s Adventure Centre, turned out to be very knowledgeable and has an amazing ability to spot the smallest bird in the tall forest trees.

If you are a fan of adrenaline stirred experiences, the Adventure Centre organizes a series of activities including kayak, canopy and hiking tours (no, we did not try it!).

At night, a different, unexpected set of creatures takes over the resort. We were surely not prepared for the invasion of giant bugs, flies and other after dark crawlers. We love nature, but really not that much.  The cause of our distress was  soon identified.; the pathways to the lodges are engulfed in artificial light, clearly intended to create safety and comfort for guests. However the light also attracts bugs, causing at times hilarious reactions with female guests; therefore we would gladly recommend that the hotel deploy less light on the path walks towards the lodges.

View from the restaurant

For our travel information and accommodation tips, see the Accommodation section below.

To book and learn more about the Berg en Dal resort and its Adventure Centre follow these links:

·      The resort www.bergendalresort.com

·      The Adventure Centre http://www.bergendalresort.com/website/adventure.asp?menuid=35

Accommodation

Located about 1h30 North of Atjoni if you’re coming from Pikin Slee like we did or 1h30 South of Paramaribo. If you are coming from the capital, the resort can arrange transportation through its sister Hotel Krasnapolsky (www.krasnapolsky.sr). There is a large reception area where wireless internet connection functions very well and at high speed; a very wide and well designed restaurant space with limited but generous food serving hours (good thinking so the animals and crawlers don’t get too attracted by the place – for the same reason, by the way, there are no garbage cans around the resort). The hotel has a pretty pool side although be prepared to see colourful lizards floating in it at night. Berg en Dal  is composed of individual lodges of 3 qualities - prices on 31 October 2011 for double occupancy were Lodge C – 92USD per person; Lodge B – 109USD per person; Lodge A – 113USD per person. The lodges are all very spacious and can accommodate up to 4 or 5 guests, with price per person decreasing with triple or quadruple occupancy. For a bit of extra luxury or indeed if you are not comfortable to walk through the forest in order to come get dinner, ask for an A lodge – they are located by the waterfront (some C lodges are, too). If you enjoy sleeping among the trees, there are a few B and C type lodges at the edge of the forest, 5 minutes walk to the water around the caiman pond. Insect attack aside, unfortunately there were a range of things that didn’t function properly when we were there (the shower flooded, the phone to the reception did not work, the water pump broke leaving the resort without water for half of day). The staff was helpful, but we would recommend that more maintenance be done in order for the resort to live up to the expectations raised by the high accommodation price.