Travel Guide Apoera

On the Corentyne River, the village of Apoera or Apura lies at the very western end of the country (in fact, it's the final destination of the south-east-west link), in the Sipaliwini district. On the other side is Guyana. The village has around 3,000 inhabitants, mainly Arawak Amerindians, so you can familiarize yourself with their habits and customs, and admire their handicrafts.As part of the West-Suriname Plan between 1976 and 1978, an 80 km railroad was built from the south of Apoera to the Bakhuis mountain range, to extract bauxite. Initially, the village was supposed to serve as a port where ships could transport bauxite from the Bakhuis mountains, but the railroad was never used for this purpose, and with internal wars and lack of interest from bauxite companies, this idea was shelved... In the end, the railroad line was almost never used. However, the old locomotive can still be seen on the banks of the river, a reminder of this turbulent past.Nowadays, the village's main livelihood comes from two companies: one for granite, the other for lumber. The raw materials are transported by river to Nieuw Nickerie, then by road to Paramaribo. Although the area is not particularly touristy, it can be a pleasant place to stay in the middle of the rainforest.