Suriname: Rust en Werk

Rust en Werk is a village located along the Commewijne River – you can only get here by boat, there are no roads. Rust en Werk means “rest and work” in Dutch, and it’s a farming community with long history dating back to colonial times. The area encompasses around 5,600 hectares (about 13,800 acres) of land, making it one of Suriname’s largest agricultural operations. Established around 1750 by Dutch Governor Wigbold Crommelin, Rust en Werk was originally a coffee plantation. By the late 1800s, it shifted to sugar production, hosting the largest sugar factory in South America at the time. Sugar production declined in the 1930s. Today, it’s mostly cattle farming – the “Cattle Capital of Commewijne,” with over 5,600 cows, 550 sheep/goats, 40 buffalo, and 20 horses. It’s traditional and rural as it gets, and you get to see a lot of birds.