Jodensavanne & Redi Doti
For anyone who wants to look further than Paramaribo
Fifty kilometres south of Paramaribo, on the Suriname River, lies a place most people never find. Redi Doti is an Indigenous village in the middle of the forest, walking distance from the river and cycling distance from one of the most remarkable historic sites in Suriname. Here you don't learn history from a book. You walk through it.
Day 1 — Arriving and getting your bearings
Arrival in Redi Doti, lunch and time to settle in. You stay at Eco Resort Miano — simple, surrounded by nature and exactly right. The resort is small and still taking shape, but that's what makes it what it is. The quiet you hear is real. Seven minutes on foot takes you to the river, past plants that smell and colours you won't come across in Paramaribo. Opposite the resort there's a village shop, and around you people simply getting on with their day. You're not a tourist here, you're a guest.
The afternoon is given over to the excursion to Jodensavanne. This was once the heart of the largest Jewish plantation community in the Americas. Portuguese Jews fleeing the Inquisition built a brick synagogue here in 1685, in the middle of the jungle. After a fire in 1832 the community left and the forest slowly took the place back. What remains are ruins, a cemetery, and stories a local guide tells in a way that stays with you. Jodensavanne has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023.
Day 2 — Pineapples, honey and a juice factory
After breakfast you visit Uncle Ferdinand on his pineapple plantation in Pierre Kondre. He shows you how the pineapple grows, when it's ripe and how to peel it. If you're lucky you'll eat one on the spot. Then a visit to Coöperatie Asajaka Weno, the local juice factory. How they process the fruit, what happens to it afterwards, and why this cooperative means what it does to the village. After lunch you head back to Paramaribo.
Included: Transport, all meals, one night in Eco Resort Miano, local guides and all excursions.
Not included: Personal expenses and drinks outside the programme.
The order and content of the activities may vary depending on weather or other conditions on the day. Your guide adjusts the programme where needed, always with your safety and experience in mind.
Highlights
Jodensavanne
UNESCO World Heritage Site and the oldest Jewish settlement in the Americas
Uncle Ferdinand's pineapple plantation
Seeing up close how the land works
Village walk in Redi Doti
Life among the local community, seven minutes from the river
Coöperatie Asajaka Weno
A local juice factory with a story behind it
A night in the middle of nature
Simple, quiet and exactly right
Photos
Grietjebie tip: Long clothing and insect repellent for the walk. And don't skip the pineapple at Uncle Ferdinand's, it doesn't taste like that anywhere else.
Prices
Ready for the Suriname that isn't in the guidebook?
Practical Info
Address
Redi Doti, Para
Atmosphere
Cultural and historical
Duration
2 days / 1 night
Departure
By arrangement
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