Wia Wia Nature Reserve protects about 36,000 hectares of coast in Marowijne district, made up of mudflats, mangroves, salt lagoons, swamps and coastal woodland. It was set aside in 1961, at first for nesting sea turtles. As the sandy beaches shifted along the coast over time, its main value became its birdlife.
It is a site of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and supports hundreds of thousands of migrating shorebirds a year. There are no visitor facilities or regular tours, so it suits only well-prepared birders. Turtle watchers should go to Galibi instead.
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Leatherback & green turtles nest here
Sea TurtlesCoastalRemote
Good to know
- Getting there
- There are no roads or visitor facilities. The coast can only be reached by boat, on a trip arranged privately with experienced local boatmen
- Entry and permits
- There is no entrance point or fee system; ask the Nature Conservation Division of the Forest Service (LBB) about permission before planning a visit
- Season
- Migrant shorebirds such as Semipalmated Sandpipers are present mainly outside the northern summer
- Tips
- The reserve supports more than 500,000 shorebirds a year and is a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site since 1989
Tours that go here
No regular tours go to this reserve.
Location
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