Further up the Commewijne River, on its right bank, Frederiksdorp was founded in 1747 as a coffee and cocoa plantation. In the 20th century it became a police post, then fell into decay, and was rescued by a private restoration that turned the plantation house, the doctor’s house and the old police buildings into a small heritage hotel set in gardens.
On the opposite bank is its counterpart: Mariënburg, once the largest sugar estate in Suriname, where the roofless factory and its machinery have been rusting since production stopped in the 1980s. Seeing the two together is the best history lesson in the country.
Top things to do: Frederiksdorp & Mariënburg
Tour Frederiksdorp
Walk the grounds between the white wooden buildings, the old cells and the canal system. Day visitors can usually have lunch on the terrace; staying the night gives you the plantation at dawn, when the birds take over.
Walk through Mariënburg
A sugar factory was built here in 1882 and worked largely by contract labourers from Java and India. In 1902 a strike over wages ended with soldiers shooting workers dead; a monument recalls them, and another marks the arrival of the first Javanese immigrants in 1890. Former employees often act as guides and their stories are the point of the visit. Go carefully — the ruin is unstable in places.
Boat to the coast
From this part of the river, boats thread a canal through swamp forest to the Atlantic shore at Matapica, where sea turtles nest roughly from February to August, and to old plantations such as Johanna Margaretha and Bakkie. The swamp is superb for birds: scarlet ibis, herons and kingfishers.
Cycle the river road
Quiet lanes link the surviving plantations on the right bank. Bikes are available at Frederiksdorp.
How to get to Frederiksdorp & Mariënburg
- Drive or cycle through Commewijne to Mariënburg (about 45 minutes by car from Paramaribo), then take a small boat across the river to Frederiksdorp — a crossing of a few minutes.
- Many Commewijne day tours include both; the coffee and plantation tour on our tours page covers the district.
- Cyclists usually combine it with Peperpot and Fort Nieuw Amsterdam in one long day.
Insider tips
- Book ahead if you want to stay the night: there are only a few rooms.
- Turtle trips to Matapica run at night and depend on the tide and the season; arrange them in advance.
- Bring repellent for the swamp and the gardens at dusk.
- At Mariënburg, tip your guide — for many this is their livelihood.
Tours: Frederiksdorp & Mariënburg
GetYourGuide lists only a handful of Suriname tours. These are the real, bookable ones most relevant to Frederiksdorp & Mariënburg:
Day trip from €200 Commewijne Coffee and Plantation Heritage Tour, All Inclusive
A relaxed six-hour introduction to the plantation district across the river. The day starts with breakfast, continues with the history of Commewijne and a visit to the Katwijk coffee plantation for a tasting, and ends with a local lunch. Small group, with free cancellation at the time of writing.
- Breakfast at a café before crossing to Commewijne
- Katwijk coffee plantation with tasting
- Local lunch included, small group
Guided tour Suriname: Peperpot Nature Park Tour & River Sunset
A short afternoon outing to Peperpot, the old coffee and cocoa plantation that has become a nature park just across the river from the city. You walk among the plantation remains, look for monkeys and birds in the regrown forest and finish with sunset on the river. A new listing with a small group size — check the live price before you plan around it.
- Forest trail on an 18th-century plantation
- Wildlife spotting with a guide
- Sunset over the river, pickup available
