A synagogue ruin in the forest, and a cemetery older than the settlement.
Jodensavanne day trip: the UNESCO World Heritage site on the Suriname River
Jodensavanne lies about 50 kilometres south of Paramaribo on the Suriname River and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2023. You walk between the foundations of the Beracha ve Shalom synagogue and the stones of two cemeteries. 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 2023 inscription is listed in full as "Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery", number 1680 on the World Heritage list, inscribed under criterion iii. It is Suriname’s only cultural World Heritage site besides the historic inner city of Paramaribo.
It covers two places that belong together. The cemetery at Cassipora Creek belongs to an older settlement founded in the 1650s. The Jodensavanne settlement itself dates from the 1680s and holds the remains of the Beracha ve Shalom synagogue, cemeteries, landing places on the river and a military post.
This is not only the story of Sephardic Jews who had fled Portugal and Brazil and were granted unusual freedoms here. It was at the same time a slaveholding plantation community, with free and enslaved people of African and Indigenous descent. Both facts belong to the place and we tell both.
Practically: the drive from Paramaribo takes roughly ninety minutes by road towards the Carolina bridge, with the last stretch on unpaved track or by boat across the Suriname River. Local operators publicly sell this as a full day (checked September 2026). We will not publish times of our own until they are confirmed.
What that means for you: this is a request page, not a booking page. Send us your date and how many people you are, we check what is running 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 trip is feasible. We promise neither in advance.
Included
- Guiding on site, the exact format confirmed with you before booking
- Drinking water
Not included
- Anything not written into the confirmed quotation
- Entry fees and on-site contributions, unless confirmed otherwise
- Tips
Bring
- Shoes you can walk on unpaved ground in
- Insect repellent with DEET, this is forest beside a river
- Sunscreen, a hat and more water than you think you need
- Cash, do not count on a card machine along the way
This is for you if…
People interested in Jewish history in the Americas, in plantation history, or in a World Heritage site that is still genuinely a ruin in the forest rather than a fitted-out museum.
Do not book this if…
Not for anyone wanting a short activity near the hotel: allow a full day and about 50 kilometres each way. Not for anyone who copes badly with heat, mosquitoes or uneven ground, and not for anyone who would rather leave the slavery history out.
What you meet along the way
Frequently asked questions
Is Jodensavanne a UNESCO World Heritage site?
Yes. It was inscribed in 2023 as "Jodensavanne Archaeological Site: Jodensavanne Settlement and Cassipora Creek Cemetery", number 1680 on the World Heritage list, under criterion iii. The inscription covers both the settlement and the cemetery at Cassipora Creek.
How far is Jodensavanne from Paramaribo?
About 50 kilometres south of Paramaribo, on the Suriname River in Para district. By road towards the Carolina bridge it is roughly ninety minutes, after which the last stretch is unpaved track or a boat crossing.
What is left to see at Jodensavanne?
The foundations of the Beracha ve Shalom synagogue, two cemeteries with stones in Hebrew, Portuguese and Dutch, the old landing places on the Suriname River and the remains of a military post. It is a ruin in the forest, not a fitted-out museum.
Can I book this day trip 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 visit Jodensavanne with you?
Ask us. For a request for 1 person we check whether a shared departure towards Para is running that day that you can join, or whether a private trip is feasible. We do not promise it in advance; you get an honest answer within 24 hours.
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
- Commewijne: plantations and river
A neat white director’s house looking straight at a cell.
€95 per person 7 hours
- 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
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 Jodensavanne day trip 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 Jodensavanne day trip
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.