Plantation banks first, then back on the tide behind the profosu.
Commewijne and dolphins: plantation banks by day, profosu on the turning tide
Minimum 4 people per departure. Fewer of you? Ask whether you can join another group on the same date.
This is the combination: the Commewijne River by day with Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and the old plantation banks, then the river mouth on the way back, where the Guiana dolphin, locally profosu, comes in with the tide. New departure dates are being arranged. Request your date and we will check available shared or private departures; the price is confirmed when availability is checked.
Status: Switi Tours organises this experience on request. Availability, timing and final arrangements are confirmed with you before booking.
The reason these two are usually sold together is the tide. The run east along the Commewijne past Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, Rust en Werk and the other plantation banks happens during the day; the turn when dolphins ride the rising tide into the mouth comes later. One boat, two reasons to be on it.
The dolphin is Sotalia guianensis, the Guiana dolphin, called profosu in Suriname. It lives in brackish water between the coast, the Commewijne River and the Suriname River, following the shrimp. It is not the pink Amazon river dolphin, which does not occur in Suriname.
We do not guarantee dolphins. Nobody honestly can: they are wild animals in open water. Take this day for the river and the plantation history, and treat the dolphins as the chance on top.
Local operators publicly market the plantation and dolphin combination with departures from the jetty at Leonsberg and a return in the late afternoon, when the odds at the confluence are best (checked September 2026). We do not adopt those times as ours until our own departure times are confirmed.
What that means for you: this is a request page, not a booking page. Send your date and how many people you are, we check what is sailing that day, and you get a personal answer with the price and the format. If you are travelling alone we check whether there is a shared departure you can join or whether a private boat is feasible. We promise neither in advance.
Included
- A place on the boat, the exact format confirmed with you before booking
- Drinking water
Not included
- Anything not written into the confirmed quotation
- Entries and food along the way, unless confirmed otherwise
- Tips
Bring
- Sunscreen and a hat for the daytime stretch
- A light jacket or jumper, the water cools towards evening
- Insect repellent with DEET
- Binoculars if you have them
This is for you if…
People with only one day on the river who want both the plantation history and the chance of dolphins, and travellers who would rather do one long sail than two separate trips.
Do not book this if…
Not for anyone who wants guaranteed dolphins, because nobody promises that. Not for anyone who gets seasick in an open boat or needs a tight schedule: the programme follows the tide, and our departure times are not fixed yet.
What you meet along the way
Frequently asked questions
Why are Commewijne and dolphins sold together?
Because the tide decides it. The plantation banks along the Commewijne River, with Fort Nieuw Amsterdam at the fork, work during the day; the Guiana dolphins ride the rising tide into the mouth later on. One sailing therefore covers both.
Will I definitely see dolphins on this combination tour?
No. The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), locally profosu, is seen regularly at the confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers, but these are wild animals in open water. Come for the river and the plantations, and treat the dolphins as the extra chance.
How is this different from the dolphin-only tour?
The dolphin-only trip is a short late-afternoon sailing from Leonsberg aimed purely at the profosu at the river mouth. This combination adds the Commewijne River during the day, with Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and plantation banks such as Rust en Werk, and runs considerably longer.
Can I book this combination now?
Not in one click yet. Switi Tours organises this experience on request. Request your date by WhatsApp or through the form and we will check available shared or private departures, with the price confirmed when availability is checked.
Can a solo traveller join?
Ask us. For a request for 1 person we check whether a shared departure is leaving Leonsberg that day that you can join, or whether a private boat is feasible. We do not promise it in advance; you get an honest answer within 24 hours.
What if there are fewer than 4 of us?
This tour departs from 4 people, because only then are the guide and the tour costs covered. With fewer, ask whether you can join another group on the same date; we confirm per enquiry whether that works.
What do children pay?
Every child has their own seat and, on the water, their own life jacket, never a lap. Children under 3 come free, from 3 to 11 20% off the adult price. Tell us the ages when you enquire; we confirm in advance whether a child seat is available.
Other tours
- Colakreek: swimming in blackwater
Black water, white sand, and you can see your feet on the bottom.
€85 per person 8 hours
- Brokopondo & Brownsberg
Leave in the dark, stand at five hundred metres by ten.
€125 per person 11 hours
- Sunset and dolphins
The profosu rides the incoming tide upriver, following the shrimp.
on request
- Peperpot Nature Park
A plantation that became forest again, with flat tracks and sloths overhead.
on request
Ask us first
Switi Tours organises this and stays your point of contact, with no platform in between. A question about the timings, the meeting point or whether this tour suits the people coming: ask it before you commit to anything.
Ask on WhatsAppNobody has reviewed Commewijne and dolphins yet, and we do not invent reviews. The first one appears here: unedited, with a first name and the month. Every review of Switi Tours is on Google.
Enquire about Commewijne and dolphins
You get a personal reply within 24 hours, not a call centre and not a booking platform. No obligation.
Ask a question on WhatsAppWhatsApp is the normal business channel in Suriname, you will usually hear back within a few hours.