The profosu rides the incoming tide upriver, following the shrimp.
Sunset and dolphin tour: the profosu in the mouth of the Suriname River
Minimum 4 people per departure. Fewer of you? Ask whether you can join another group on the same date.
In the last hours of daylight you sail from Leonsberg into the mouth of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers, where the Guiana dolphin, called profosu in Suriname, 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.
This is a boat trip in the last hours of daylight. From the jetty at Leonsberg, on the north side of Paramaribo, you head for the point where the Commewijne River meets the Suriname River. The water there is brackish, the shrimp are there, and the dolphins follow them in on the rising tide.
The species is Sotalia guianensis, the Guiana dolphin. In Sranantongo it is called profosu. It is a small grey dolphin with a pale belly that lives close to the coast and in river mouths, and it is not the pink Amazon river dolphin it is often confused with online. They surface briefly and are gone again; anyone expecting a marine-park show is on the wrong boat.
We do not guarantee dolphins. Nobody honestly can. These are wild animals in open water and there are evenings when you do not see them. What you do get is the river in low light, the plantation bank opposite, and a sunset that is over within half an hour around six in the evening, because this close to the equator dusk is short.
Local operators publicly list this trip as a programme of roughly three to four hours, leaving Leonsberg in the late afternoon with a stop at a plantation bank such as Rust en Werk (checked September 2026). That is their format, not ours: 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. You send us 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 we can actually deliver. 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
- Transport to and from the jetty, unless confirmed otherwise
- Tips
Bring
- Sunscreen and a hat, you sail in full afternoon sun
- A light jacket or jumper, the water cools down after sunset
- Insect repellent with DEET for the last hour
- Binoculars if you have them
This is for you if…
People who want to be on the water in low light and enjoy looking for wild animals without knowing whether they will show. It also works as a first look at the river on your arrival day.
Do not book this if…
Not for anyone who needs a guaranteed dolphin sighting: nobody can promise that. Not for anyone who gets seasick in a small open boat, and not for anyone who needs a fixed departure time to plan a day around, because we do not have one yet.
Frequently asked questions
Are dolphin sightings guaranteed near Paramaribo?
No, and we do not claim otherwise. The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), locally called profosu, lives in the mouth of the Suriname River. You see them regularly, most often on a rising tide in the late afternoon, but they are wild animals in open water.
What is a profosu?
Profosu is the Surinamese name for the Guiana dolphin, Sotalia guianensis. It is a small grey dolphin with a pale belly that lives in brackish water between the coast, the Commewijne River and the Suriname River. It is not the pink Amazon river dolphin, which does not occur in Suriname.
Can I book this tour today?
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.
What does a sunset and dolphin tour in Suriname cost?
We do not publish a fixed price yet. For orientation: local operators publicly list this trip from around €28 per person (checked September 2026). What you pay with us is stated at confirmation, not afterwards.
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 say in advance that it will work; 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
- Peperpot Nature Park
A plantation that became forest again, with flat tracks and sloths overhead.
on request
- Commewijne and dolphins
Plantation banks first, then back on the tide behind the profosu.
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 WhatsApp
Very friendly and knowledgeable tour guides, courteous and attentive. Had lots of fun and the boat ride was very relaxing. Would have liked if there was a little music on the boat. However overall it was a very good experience.
Enquire about Sunset 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.