Warappa Creek (2 days)

We leave the city by bus for the Katwijk plantation.
At Katwijk we get a guided tour and drink a cup of coffee produced on the plantation.
It is the only coffee plantation in Suriname that still produces.

From Alkmaar we set off by boat across the Commewijne River.
In about 50 minutes we sail to the old Reynsdorp plantation, which locals also call Bakkie.
On this plantation you spend the night in a well-kept holiday home with beds, air conditioning and private facilities (cold water only).

After lunch the afternoon is free.
You can take a walk on Bakkie and learn about the botanical garden being planted there.
It grows various crops that used to be cultivated on the plantations (such as cotton, coffee and sugar cane).
Various herbs and medicinal plants have also been planted, and the guide can tell you all about them.
In the evening, on request, you can take a trip through the creek to look for caimans and reptiles.

The next day is the boat trip through the Warappa Creek.
After the abolition of slavery this creek was used less and less and silted up.
As a result, nature was able to take its course undisturbed.
The Warappa Creek was dug out again a few years ago.

We sail along the creek, sometimes through tunnels of overhanging trees, with constantly changing vegetation.
Along the way there are several stops, such as at the sugar factory with machinery from 1830.
The remains of a sugar-cane press, steam engines and steam boilers are unique.
The factory is easy to reach from the creek via a narrow path through the parwa mangrove forest.

During the trip we also see old locks, the original ring dykes and an old camel bridge.
The surroundings change dramatically as the creek turns into the Warappa canal.
This canal was once dug by enslaved people.
Here we have a wide view over the unique parwa landscape with its dead trees.
Many different birds can be seen in this area, including the crab hawk, woodpeckers, spoonbills and the beautiful scarlet ibis.

The kilometres-long canal flows into the Atlantic Ocean, where there is a beautiful wild beach. At low tide mudflats form, on which thousands of birds forage for food at the same time.
On the beach, right above the mudflats, Suriname's first bird hide has been built.
It is the perfect spot for nature lovers and birdwatchers to watch the foraging birds undisturbed.
After a short walk on the beach and a visit to the bird hide, we return through the creek, which looks completely different because of the changing tide.

On the way back we make a short stop at Bakkie or Alliance, where we can use the toilets and stretch our legs before sailing back to Alkmaar and continuing by bus to Paramaribo.

Extra information:

– Because of the changing tides there is no fixed departure time for the creek trip.
The departure time on day 2 may vary between 6:00 and 10:00 am.
– Depending on the departure time, lunch on day 2 is served at Bakkie or at Alliance.
– For this trip it's best to wear light-coloured clothing, preferably long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt against the mosquitoes
(and plenty of mosquito gel).