A neat white director’s house looking straight at a cell.
Commewijne plantation tour: by boat to Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, Frederiksdorp and the sloths of Peperpot
Minimum 4 people per departure. Fewer of you? Ask whether you can join another group on the same date.
You cross the Suriname River in the morning, the only way the Waterkant still looks the way it was meant to, and walk into an eighteenth-century coffee plantation where the director’s house, the police post and the cells still stand in sight of each other. In the afternoon you follow the old plantation tracks at Peperpot between the cacao trees, with a good chance of sloths overhead.
We cross by boat in the morning. On the way you see the city from the water, which is the only way the Waterkant still looks the way it was meant to. With luck there are Guiana dolphins in the river mouth; that is not a guarantee and we do not pretend otherwise.
Fort Nieuw Amsterdam is the first stop: a pentagonal fort from 1747 at the fork of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers, now an open-air museum. Then Frederiksdorp, an eighteenth-century coffee plantation where the director’s house, the police post and the cells are all still standing. That contrast, a neat white house looking out at a cell, is the point of the day.
We eat lunch by the river. In the afternoon we drive to Peperpot: a former coffee and cacao plantation given back to the forest and now a nature park. You walk the old plantation tracks between cacao trees. The chance of sloths is good; howler monkeys, toucans or an anteater are luck in the afternoon, because the forest is liveliest early in the morning.
We tell this history straight. If you want a pleasant day out without the slavery part, this is not the right tour.
What happens on the day
Fort Nieuw Amsterdam Peperpot Nature Park 7 stops
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08:00
Pick-up in Paramaribo. To the jetty.
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08:30
Boat across the Suriname River. The Waterkant seen from the water.
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09:15
Fort Nieuw Amsterdam, open-air museum.
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11:00
Frederiksdorp plantation: director’s house, police post, cells.
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12:30
Lunch by the river.
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13:45
Peperpot Nature Park: plantation tracks, cacao, sloths.
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15:00
Back to Paramaribo by road, at your hotel around 15:30.
Times are indicative. Weather, traffic and how long you want to stay somewhere decide the rest.
Included
- Boat out and road transport back
- Entry to Fort Nieuw Amsterdam and Peperpot
- Lunch and water
- Guide in English or Dutch
Not included
- Extra drinks
- Tips
- Binoculars (you may borrow ours)
Bring
- Insect repellent with DEET. Peperpot is forest
- Sunscreen and a hat for the boat
- Shoes you do not mind getting dirty
- Binoculars if you have them
This is for you if…
People who want Surinamese history told on the ground where it happened rather than sailed past, and anyone who wants to see sloths.
Do not book this if…
Not for you if an open boat makes you seasick, and not if you want a pleasant day out: slavery and indenture are the substance of this day, not a footnote. It is seven hours, some of it in full sun.
What you meet along the way
Frequently asked questions
What does a Commewijne plantation tour cost?
Ours is €95 per person for seven hours, including boat, entries and lunch. On international platforms Commewijne plantation tours run from $169 to $295 per person. A local operator in Paramaribo charges around €70 to €85. We deliberately sit above that: eight people per guide at most, and a guide paid properly for the whole day, costs more than a full bus.
Are there dolphins in the Suriname River?
Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) live in the mouth of the Suriname River. You see them regularly but not always, and the tide decides a lot. We do not promise them, because nobody honestly can; if you want to look for them properly, take the separate sunset trip.
Can you see sloths at Peperpot?
Yes. Peperpot Nature Park is one of the most reliable places in Suriname for three-toed sloths; they sit in the cecropia trees along the main path. Also howler monkeys, toucans and, more rarely, a giant anteater, though those are mainly an early-morning sight; this tour arrives in the afternoon, so count on the sloths and not the rest.
How do you get from Paramaribo to Commewijne?
By ferry or small passenger boat across the Suriname River from the Waterkant, or by road over the Jules Wijdenbosch bridge. We go out by boat because arriving from the water is what makes it, and come back by road because it is faster.
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 €76 per person, 20% off. Tell us the ages when you enquire; we confirm in advance whether a child seat is available.
Other tours
- Jodensavanne day trip
A synagogue ruin in the forest, and a cemetery older than the settlement.
on request
- Commewijne boat tour
The plantations sit on the water, because the water was the road.
on request
- Paramaribo Food Tour
The market at nine, when it is at its fullest, and a roti lunch to end on.
€55 per person 4 hours
- Historic Centre Walking Tour
From the cells of Fort Zeelandia to the synagogue that shares a plot with a mosque.
€40 per person 3 hours
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