The northwest coast is a birding landscape. Bigi Pan’s lagoons and mangroves, and the rice fields around Nieuw Nickerie, hold waterbirds through the year. Scarlet ibis are part of that coast. Dawn is the working hour. Midday on a boat without shade is a long hour.
Galibi is a different coast and a different purpose. People go for nesting leatherback and green turtles, in a season that runs roughly from March into July or August and does not keep a fixed calendar. Birds are there too. The rules of the beach outrank the birds.
Bring your own binoculars. Renting field gear is not something to count on. A local boatman who knows the channels is the difference between a wetland and a hot ride.
While you are there
Stay in the boat unless your guide steps out. Do not push a roost into flight for a better look. On a turtle beach: no white light, no flash, no touching, and do not stand between a turtle and the sea.