Most known for its 80 plus shore diving sites, Bonaire is considered the Shore Diving Capital of the World. Making up the Dutch Caribbean ABC Islands with its more popular neighbors Aruba and Curacao off the coast of Venezuela, Bonaire is quieter and more nature focused with 20% of its land and 100% of its surrounding waters falling under STINAPA National Park protection. In fact a now simplified fee of $40 per person (less for cruise ship passengers) is required to enter the water (aka Marine Park) but will also allow entry into the Washington Slagbaai National Park. Additionally, a $75 per visitor entry tax must also be paid before or upon arrival to the airport which supports local initiatives. Pay only on the official Entry Tax Page as there are reports of imposter sites out there. Bonaire offers a blend of cultures from the Afro-Portuegese/Upper Guinea Creole language known as Papiamento to the Dutch influence of the many visitors and ex-pats. The US dollar is the official currency, and English is widely spoken.
Getting there is becoming easier with more flights from the US available, especially during the Christmas and New Years season. While many go through Aruba first, direct flights from the US include Atlanta (Delta), Miami (American), Houston and Newark (United). There are of course direct flights from Amsterdam on KLM and TUI. We traveled just after New Years and found the flight from Atlanta less expensive than many others we had been considering.
Once there, renting a car is a must. Some of the larger resorts offer their own vehicle rentals while the major companies operate out of the airport and smaller local companies exist as well. Most rentals on the island are 4 wheel drive trucks meant to accommodate divers heading to the more remote locations. We ended up renting from the small Tropical Car Rental so we could guarantee a 4x4 allowed in the National Park. Oddly, the recommendation from the rental car companies is to leave the vehicles unlocked when diving with no valuables inside. We experienced no issues with crime, but the Bonaire Reporter publishes a bi-monthly newsletter including crime reports which appear minor. Cruise ships are also common in port, and you can check the schedule online (though it differed between the Cruise Mapper and Bonaire Info sites). I use this to choose activities based on avoiding the crowds, and some tour companies even refuse to work with cruise ships due to their negative environmental impact. Surprisingly, I did not feel the extra few thousand visitors affected us mostly because we don’t typically do tours.
You won’t find large resorts or high rise condos here as the buildings are limited to 3 floors. There are very little internationally recognized chains here (I saw one Courtyard by Marriott and one KFC), and the local hotel and short term rentals offer something for all budgets including some all-inclusives. We chose the very welcoming 6 unit family run Aqua Viva Suites at $96/night on Expedia for the studio. While the location just south of the downtown cruise port turned out to be excellent, I must give props to the marketing team which made the photos look much nicer than it actually was. Considering we only slept there (and took cold showers there) while spending our days out in nature, it was more than adequate including a fridge and kitchenette to save money on meals. We shopped at the impressive Van Den Tweel Dutch market but there are many local (ie less expensive) markets around.
The most popular activity on the island is of course scuba diving, but you don’t need to be a certified diver or even dive at all to enjoy Bonaire. There are numerous dive shops concentrated on the west coast, and we chose Toucan Diving out of the Plaza Resort for our Discover Scuba course ($99/person). This was my third and my husband’s first dive, and neither of us are certified. After filling out our medical and liability forms ahead of time, we met with our instructor for a brief review of the concepts, equipment, and safety guidelines. Then we practiced important skills in the water before enjoying a shore dive at their on-site reef 18th Palm. A few days later, we joined a small group for 2 boat dives ($125/person for Discover students, $100/person otherwise) around Klein Bonaire, the small uninhabited island off the coast. Our instructor continued to guide just the 2 of us around the dive sites South Bay and Leonora’s Reef while the dive masters lead the experienced divers to greater depths. Discover dives are limited to 40 feet, but the reefs here are so incredible even at shallow snorkeling depths. There are dive and snorkel site maps available but they can be spotted along the island’s west coast with the yellow painted rock markers. Entry/exit sites are also often highlighted the same way to protect the coral and safety of the divers.
We also spent quite a bit of time snorkeling, using Coral Nomad's blog as our guide. Our favorite spots were Tori Reef in the south for the most fish including a huge moray eel, Karpata in the north for the best coral, and Bari Reef in the center for the cool crumbled concrete structure. Night dives and snorkels are also popular for an exhilarating albeit frightening new experience, but we ultimately didn’t try it out this time.
The east coast of the island is more windy and known for wind-surfing and kite-surfing, with lessons being offered for both. The calm Lac Bay is home to mangrove kayak and snorkeling tours reached by a bumpy drive out towards the remote Lac Cai Beach. We didn’t take the tour but enjoyed spotting flamingos and walking along the beach. There’s a small cash only beach bar here that’s probably only open when a cruise ship tour is there (a bus with a small group of people were present when we visited). Around the other side of Lac Bay lies Sorobon Beach, home to the windsurfing schools and beach bars such as Jibe City, Sorobon Beach Resort, and Sebastian’s Beach. One day we saw 3 empty buses heading down this way which we assumed were picking up cruise ship day tours, but we personally never saw much crowds here. It’s a great place to watch windsurfers while enjoying a drink, bite, and relaxing. There are yoga classes and massages available too. While the west coast is often made up of rocky shoreline and fossilized coral that sounds like broken glass as you walk on it, the east coast has more sandy beach to enjoy.
Continuing our outdoor adventures, we spent a day in the north’s Washington Slagbaai National Park. There are bathrooms at the visitor center and far around at Boka Slagbaai, but otherwise no food or water so bring your own (and toilet paper for that matter), packing out what you bring in. Four wheel drive is recommended here, but we never ended up using it. The usual two counterclockwise one way long and short routes were adjusted during our visit due to the entire southern return loop being closed due to road conditions. Entry to the park is not allowed after 2:30 pm, and the map indicates what time to leave each site to get out by the 5 pm closing time (times were adjusted due to the road changes for us). After checking out the flamingos at Salina Matjis, our first destination was to hike the highest point in Bonaire, Subi (Mount) Brandaris at 784 feet. It’s recommended to arrive at 8 am when the park opens to avoid hiking out in the open during the hottest part of the day. The hike is located along the interior short route so it would be difficult to also drive the long route on the same day, but with the road closure and the short route being temporarily two way it may be possible right now. The 2.2 mile out and back trail starts in the shaded woods along an overgrown path ending on the exposed, sometimes loose, rocky ledges. Aside from many goats and lizards, we were the only ones on the trail. Reaching the summit requires some shear rock climbing I wasn’t comfortable with, but the views along the way and near the top were still incredible especially with the refreshing cross breeze.
From there we continued to the popular Wayaka II snorkeling site and then on to explore Boka (bay) Slagbaai and Salina (lake) Slagbaai. “Slagbaai” refers to the goat slaughtering houses located there, but the now bright yellow buildings offer a shaded picnic area. We walked up to the cliff diving site for views back over the bay as well as along the edge of the lake watching the flamingos. Ultimately we did not get to experience the coastal long route in the park due to time constraints.
There are a few other activities on the island we didn’t get a chance to try like land sailing ($30 for 30 minutes, $50 for 60 minutes) and guided underground wet and dry cave tours ($55). Water taxis go out to Klein Bonaire for $25/person to enjoy No Name Beach and a popular drift snorkel. There’s a donkey sanctuary in the south and a Cadushy cactus distillery in the main local town of Rincon. We did enjoy just driving around viewing the coastal cactus lined desert landscape of the north, historical slave huts in the southwest, and the driftwood and washed up item sculptures along the rugged southeastern coast. There is a flamingo sanctuary in the south and another beautiful viewing area at Goto Meer in the north, but we saw more flamingos in the mangroves of Lac Cai and the lakes of the national park. The salt flats, while appearing amazing online with pink waters against white salt mountains, were far off and less impressive in person.
One of our favorite experiences was the sunset dinner cruise with Melisa Sailing ($100/person). We boarded at Harbour Village Marina at 5 pm and were greeting with a welcome drink. Seating is on comfortable pillows around the boat deck. We were then treated to a delicious multi course menu and unlimited wine as we sailed along the coast into the the sunset, turning so all guests can enjoy. We ended under the stars and full moon at 9 pm.
While we heard much about the amazing food of Bonaire, we did not really find that to be the case. Reservations were pretty much required everywhere and be sure to check hours as most close a couple days per week. When the scenery is the highlight and you’re trapped on an island, it seems the food can get away with being over priced and over rated. Menus were limited and basically slightly different versions of the same things despite the restaurant’s theme (ie no tacos at La Cantina or Cuban sandwich at Cuba Compagnie). Here is what we did enjoy:
Best Dinner Food: It Rains Fishes
Best Lunch Food: Jibe City
Best Views: Sebastian’s Ocean Front
Best Experience: Melisa Sailing
There are some high end restaurants such as the Michelin rated Brass Boer or intimate chefs table at Chefs Bonaire. We didn’t see the Cactus Blue food truck at Donkey Beach famous for their lionfish burgers or try the other food trucks parked at Te Amo Beach. Breakfast at the avocado themed Boudoir had us competing with flies for our food. We enjoyed the views at Ocean Oasis and Rum Runners, but left both after appetizers. We skipped the recommended Joe’s and Capriccio for their lack of views, but maybe that explains why their food is reportedly better. Another recommendation for local food and countryside views we didn’t get to try is Posada Para Mia in Rincon. The gelato was yummy and reasonably priced at both Luciano and Gio’s. Overall I have to give Bonaire dining an A for atmosphere but an F for food.
Bonaire had been on my radar after loving our trip to Aruba just before the Covid pandemic. I spotted a recent Amateur Traveler podcast and began the research before even listening, though I eventually did. The focus on activities in nature got me hooked. While it doesn’t move up to a coveted top spot on my list, we greatly enjoyed the laid back less touristy vibe of the island. Their respect for conservation has maintained the reefs while so many others around the world are dying. If you like snorkeling and diving, this is some of the best in the world. So grab your reef friendly sunscreen and bug spray, and get to Bonaire!
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