MI GUDU RIVER CRUISES SURINAME
Five day journey Paramaribo (or vice versa)
This five day inland journey across the rivers to or from Nieuw Nickerie, takes you to such places as Batavia, Wageningen and the Amerindian villages of Corneliskondre and Donderskamp. We pass a hand-controlled floodgate meander through the narrow and mysterious Arrawarra kreek.
Search for monkeys and other wild animals in the green riverbanks. And let yourself be surprised by the variety of birds, such as the red scarlet (flamingo), the toucan and several types of macaws. Enjoy the comfort on board and the mesmerizing surroundings. This exclusive journey is one of the most beautiful riviercruise trips one can make in Suriname.
An unforgetable experience.
To give you an impression of this journey, we have made the following day to day description for you:
Day 1
In the morning we pick you up in Paramaribo for a minibus drive to the Kweeklust plantation, just outside Groningen. This is where you are welcomed by the friendly and helpfull crew before embarking the ship Mi Gudu. The journey begins. We navigate the Saramacca river where you can admire the city people’s country houses, amidst the rich vegetation of grown over plantations. The river gradually becomes wider, when we approach Coppename punt; the seamouth of the Atlantic Ocean. Here you will have a great view and chances are we’ll see dolphins swimming. We make a left turn to enter the Coppename river, where we pass a colony of red scarlets. Next we will ride at anchor at Batavia.
In the afternoon we visit this Catholic place of pilgrimage, where once the leper’s settlement lead by the canonized priest Petrus Donders was housed. We visit his former grave (the remains of the late Petrus Donders were moved to the Cathedral in Paramaribo) aswell as the small chirch. The Royal palmtrees, in which the monkeys and macaws live, are Batavia’s natural decoration and make it a beautiful place. If the weather’s right, we take our cool-box with drinks and snacks to the creek, to enjoy the natural scenery. This is where we spend the first night. Approximate sailing time: 6 ½ hrs.
Day 2
After a substantial breakfast buffet, we continue our journey.
It won’t be long before we turn right, to proceed across the strongly meandering Wayombo river. Immediately you will see that this river is much more narrow. This leads to a much bigger chance to spot the birds or monkeys. Most of the day is spent on board of the ship, so it’s a perfect day to be idle, go through our books or go sunbathing. In the middle of the afternoon we moor at the Amerindian village of Corneliskondre (with approximately one hundred inhabitants). We go ashore to take a walk through the village with local guide Ruben. To get a real taste of the atmosphere of this small village you will be introduced to the captain, and meet a few residents.
It is being kept in good repair and filled with blossoming plants. Following onto the walk through the village, we scout the adjacent jungle, while Ruben informs us about the various plants and the often medicinal ways they are still being used in the village. After dinner you can attend in a night of authentic cultural dances. In their enthousiasm the dancers can hardly be stopped; if they could they would love to go on until dawn.
Approximate sailing time: 6 hrs.
Day 3
Our next destination is the Amerindian village of Donderskamp, which we will reach after approximately 3 hours of sailing. Once again we are warmly welcomed. Patrick, the local guide, takes you on an extensive walk through this long stretched village of 300 inhabitants. You will meet a few of them while being introduced to the Suriname-Amerindian way of life; you might see an old man weaving baskets, or a child helping its mother to make cassava bread, it all depends on what the villagers’ activities are that day.
It is recommended to browse through the products at the women’s center, especially when you’re looking for a nice necklace, some pottery or a colorful pareo with frails.
Then we are ready to sail on. After crossing the floodgate near Venlo, we sail across the narrow, winding Arrawarra creek, with its 52 curves. It connects the Wayombo river to the Nickerie river. Due to its extraordinary atmosphere, the Arrawarra creek is one of the highlights of the trip. At the end of the afternoon we ride at anchor at the three-forked stream of this creek and the two branches of the Nickerie river. Approximate sailing time: 6 hrs.
Day 4
In the early morning we make a short stop at the small village of Tapoeripa, inhabited by 60 Amerindians. Not so long ago the school was build, and it is now attended daily by 24 children. Next we navigate further across the Nickerie river. Like all five days, thisone is all about fine dining, relaxing and enjoying the virgin nature surrounding us. We ride at anchor on the Nickerie river at a good spot to really enjoy the sunset. In the late afternoon we can make small trips in the dinghy to experience nature from close by.
Approximate sailing time: 7 hrs.
Dag 5.
Shortly after departure you will notice the surroundings becoming more and more agricultural; slowly we return to the inhabited world. In the morning we visit the once lively village of Wageningen. We take a look in the closed down rice factory and we walk to the ‘center’ of the town, where the residents do their groceries at the local supermarket plus a few market stalls. Next we sail alongside the ricefields towards Nieuw Nickerie, where we will arrive in the afternoon.We festively close the journey with a drink and say goodbye. Approximate sailing time: 6 hrs.
We recommend you to at least stay for one night in a Nieuw Nickerie hotel, to enjoy the rest and tranquility you have experienced during the trip. The next day you can use the opportunity to visit Zeedijk or explore the Bigi Pan nature reserve.
[The format of this trip and the navigation will depend on the waterlevels and the tide.Therefore times and program may be subject to change.]
[N.B. The Paramaribo-Nickerie and Nickerie-Paramaribo journeys are both one way trips.Transport overland to or from Nickerie is not included. Of course we can always assist in arranging this trip for you.]
This five day inland journey across the rivers to or from Nieuw Nickerie, takes you to such places as Batavia, Wageningen and the Amerindian villages of Corneliskondre and Donderskamp. We pass a hand-
An unforgetable experience.
To give you an impression of this journey, we have made the following day to day description for you:
Day 1
In the morning we pick you up in Paramaribo for a minibus drive to the Kweeklust plantation, just outside Groningen. This is where you are welcomed by the friendly and helpfull crew before embarking the ship Mi Gudu. The journey begins. We navigate the Saramacca river where you can admire the city people’s country houses, amidst the rich vegetation of grown over plantations. The river gradually becomes wider, when we approach Coppename punt; the seamouth of the Atlantic Ocean. Here you will have a great view and chances are we’ll see dolphins swimming. We make a left turn to enter the Coppename river, where we pass a colony of red scarlets. Next we will ride at anchor at Batavia.
In the afternoon we visit this Catholic place of pilgrimage, where once the leper’s settlement lead by the canonized priest Petrus Donders was housed. We visit his former grave (the remains of the late Petrus Donders were moved to the Cathedral in Paramaribo) aswell as the small chirch. The Royal palmtrees, in which the monkeys and macaws live, are Batavia’s natural decoration and make it a beautiful place. If the weather’s right, we take our cool-
Day 2
After a substantial breakfast buffet, we continue our journey.
It won’t be long before we turn right, to proceed across the strongly meandering Wayombo river. Immediately you will see that this river is much more narrow. This leads to a much bigger chance to spot the birds or monkeys. Most of the day is spent on board of the ship, so it’s a perfect day to be idle, go through our books or go sunbathing. In the middle of the afternoon we moor at the Amerindian village of Corneliskondre (with approximately one hundred inhabitants). We go ashore to take a walk through the village with local guide Ruben. To get a real taste of the atmosphere of this small village you will be introduced to the captain, and meet a few residents.
It is being kept in good repair and filled with blossoming plants. Following onto the walk through the village, we scout the adjacent jungle, while Ruben informs us about the various plants and the often medicinal ways they are still being used in the village. After dinner you can attend in a night of authentic cultural dances. In their enthousiasm the dancers can hardly be stopped; if they could they would love to go on until dawn.
Approximate sailing time: 6 hrs.
Day 3
Our next destination is the Amerindian village of Donderskamp, which we will reach after approximately 3 hours of sailing. Once again we are warmly welcomed. Patrick, the local guide, takes you on an extensive walk through this long stretched village of 300 inhabitants. You will meet a few of them while being introduced to the Suriname-
It is recommended to browse through the products at the women’s center, especially when you’re looking for a nice necklace, some pottery or a colorful pareo with frails.
Then we are ready to sail on. After crossing the floodgate near Venlo, we sail across the narrow, winding Arrawarra creek, with its 52 curves. It connects the Wayombo river to the Nickerie river. Due to its extraordinary atmosphere, the Arrawarra creek is one of the highlights of the trip. At the end of the afternoon we ride at anchor at the three-
Day 4
In the early morning we make a short stop at the small village of Tapoeripa, inhabited by 60 Amerindians. Not so long ago the school was build, and it is now attended daily by 24 children. Next we navigate further across the Nickerie river. Like all five days, thisone is all about fine dining, relaxing and enjoying the virgin nature surrounding us. We ride at anchor on the Nickerie river at a good spot to really enjoy the sunset. In the late afternoon we can make small trips in the dinghy to experience nature from close by.
Approximate sailing time: 7 hrs.
Dag 5.
Shortly after departure you will notice the surroundings becoming more and more agricultural; slowly we return to the inhabited world. In the morning we visit the once lively village of Wageningen. We take a look in the closed down rice factory and we walk to the ‘center’ of the town, where the residents do their groceries at the local supermarket plus a few market stalls. Next we sail alongside the ricefields towards Nieuw Nickerie, where we will arrive in the afternoon.We festively close the journey with a drink and say goodbye. Approximate sailing time: 6 hrs.
We recommend you to at least stay for one night in a Nieuw Nickerie hotel, to enjoy the rest and tranquility you have experienced during the trip. The next day you can use the opportunity to visit Zeedijk or explore the Bigi Pan nature reserve.
[The format of this trip and the navigation will depend on the waterlevels and the tide.Therefore times and program may be subject to change.]
[N.B. The Paramaribo-
For questions, remarks and reservations you can contact us via this Internet site or call us on the following number: + (597) (0) 8607720