Surama

---

title: "Surama" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-upper-takutu-upper-essequibo", "indigenous-villages-in-guyana", "macushi"] topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-upper-takutu-upper-essequibo" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surama" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Surama
native_name_lang
settlement_type	Amerindian village
pushpin_map	Guyana
pushpin_label_position	bottom
pushpin_map_alt	Map showing location of Surama in Guyana
pushpin_map_caption	Location in Guyana
coordinates
coordinates_footnotes
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	[[Image:Flag of Guyana.svg
subdivision_type1	Region
subdivision_name1	Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo
established_title	Founded
established_date	1974
founder	Fred and Theo Allicock
leader_title	Senior Councilor
leader_name	Michael Allicock (2012)
unit_pref	Metric
area_footnotes
area_total_km2
area_land_km2
area_total_sq_mi	5
dunam_link
population_footnotes
population_total	274
population_as_of	2012
population_density_km2	auto
website
::

| name = Surama | native_name = | native_name_lang = | settlement_type = Amerindian village | image_skyline = | image_alt = | image_caption = | image_flag = | flag_alt = | image_seal = | seal_alt = | image_shield = | shield_alt = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = | map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Guyana | pushpin_label_position = bottom | pushpin_map_alt = Map showing location of Surama in Guyana | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Guyana | coordinates = | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[Image:Flag of Guyana.svg|25px]] Guyana | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | established_title = Founded | established_date = 1974 | founder = Fred and Theo Allicock | seat_type = | seat = | government_footnotes = | leader_party = | leader_title = Senior Councilor | leader_name = Michael Allicock (2012) | unit_pref = Metric tags -- | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = 5 | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_percent = | area_urban_km2 = | area_urban_sq_mi = | area_metro_km2 = | area_metro_sq_mi = | area_blank1_title = | area_blank1_km2 = | area_blank1_sq_mi = | dunam_link = | area_total_dunam = | area_land_dunam = | area_water_dunam = | area_urban_dunam = | area_rural_dunam = | area_metro_dunam = | area_blank1_dunam = | area_blank2_dunam = | length_km = | width_km = | dimensions_footnotes = | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = | population_total = 274 | population_as_of = 2012 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = | population_note = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = | iso_code = | website = | footnotes =

Surama is an Amerindian village in the North Rupununi area and the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo Region of Guyana, with a population of 274 people as of 2012.

The village is primarily inhabited by Makushi people.

History

The area of land in which Surama is located has been inhabited sporadically for many years. An established cattle-trail ran through the area in the early twentieth century, and Surama was an important stopping-point on that trail. As the cattle-trail dwindled, however, so did the number of inhabitants in the area, and by the 1970s Surama was completely deserted. The modern village of Surama was founded in the 1974 by two brothers, Fred and Theo Allicock.

Eco-Tourism

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Surama_Eco_Lodge.jpg" caption="Surama Eco-Lodge (2009)" alt="Photograph of Surama Eco Lodge"] ::

Following the construction of the Linden-Lethem road in the mid to late 1970s, Surama and surrounding areas became more accessible to the general public. In 1996, Surama received its first tourists, and the money they gave the community to pay for their stay funded the construction of Surama's first guest-lodge. Since that time the village has become a leader in community-based, eco-tourism in Guyana.

Description and location

Surama village extends across 12.95 squared kilometres (5 square miles) of land, and is located in a valley on the border of the Guyanese rainforest and the North Rupununi savannahs. It is bounded by Iwokrama Forest protected area, the Burro-Burro River, and the Pacaraima Mountains. Surama Mountain lies to the East of the village.

Economy

Up until the mid-1990s, Surama's economy relied primarily on subsistence agriculture, with a minority of male villagers taking paid jobs as loggers or gold-miners in the North-West region of Guyana or across the border in Brazil.

References

References

1. (2004). "Guyana and the Guianas". ITMB:International Travel Maps.
2. "Surama".
3. "2012 Population by Village".
4. Smock, Kirk. (2009). "Guyana: The Bradt Travel Guide". Bradt Travel Guides.
5. Hammond, Richard. (21 April 2007). "Clean break: Surama Village, Guyana". The Guardian.
6. Barrell, Sarak. (24 September 2005). "Guyana's Rainforest: Rumble in the Jungle". The Independent.
7. Laughlin, Nicholas. (September–October 2006). "Great Beyond: Guyana's Rupununi". Caribbean Beat.
8. Anon. "Best Hotels in Colombia, Guyana and Venezuela". National Geographic.
9. Stabroek Staff. (12 April 2011). "Surama Lodge gets ecotourism kudos from CTO". Stabroek News.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::