The “Warappacreek” is varied day trip filled with history, culture and nature. The Warappacreek is a natural creek of Commewijne river which have been cultured around 1740 by settlers as sugar, cotton and coffee plantations founded. The last part of the creek, the slave by hand dug out up to the Atlantic Ocean.

After the abolition of slavery, almost all plantations abandoned along the warappacreek. With time, this creek silted up and was more than 100 years unnavigable. In 2007 Marcha Mormon went looking for her roots. Which were found to be on a plantation along the Warappacreek.

Together with her husband Bas Spek they went there, and if they found out that the Warappacreek was actually no creek, but was overgrown with mangrove trees mostly. With a strong team, they have the 9 km long creek in about six months dug out.

While digging, they encountered many miraculous things that a search for the roots went completely out of control. Bas and Marcha have established a foundation: “Warappa” This foundation focuses on the deployment of sustainable tourism and educational activities.

On this trip there are several departure times. This has to do with the tide, which per day varies with one hour. At low tide, the creek is in fact dry. You can expect us to go somewhere between 6 am and 10 am in the direction of Alkmaar. This is an old plantation in the district Commewijne. At Alkmaar we take a covered boat and go by boat to the Commewijne river.

The boat trip will take about an hour. When we arrive we go to plantation Reynsdorp, popularly known as “Bakkie”. Also, there is also located the Warappa foundation. We drink a cup of tea or coffee on Surinamese soil. We chat and walk at the plantation where the national herbarium has a botanical garden. We can see what kind of herbs, plants and flowers grow and walk to a small museum where all the precious pieces are seen as old pistols, bottles and maps.

You also get to see an old African bench that brought the colonists to the crossing from Africa. We also see original receipts from 1863 of slave owners. They were given only a compensation for the abolition of slavery and much more. Then we take the boat to the Warappacreek.

We go by boat through a tunnel of mangrove trees where the guide will tell you about the old plantations that are abandoned and where almost nothing can be seen. Occasionally we see in the jungle ruins of a sluice, pillars and see one of the plantations is even the ruin of a James Watt steam engine from 1830.

With a little luck, we can spot during the journey also many birds like the red ibis, the crab buzzard, the black-headed stork, the red spoonbill and many more. Monkeys, caimans, turtles, otters and even jaguars are animals that live in the area and have been spotted. (There are also special bird tours on request with an ornithologist.) We go by boat the creek all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and when the water level permits, we go on land for a breezy walk and visit a birdwatching hut where you can spot at low tide many birds.

Now we go back again and will enjoy lunch on plantation Alliance. This is a citrus plantation and one of the few plantations which is still in operation. Basically, we take a dip into history and see the beauty of nature and experience the culture.

Price: € 75, – p.p
Duration: +/- 10 hours Incl: guide, transportation, extended lunch, non-alcoholic, snack, fruit