Bonaire Tourist Places to Visit in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, America

Bonaire Tourist Places to Visit in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, America

Bonaire is an island as well as a special municipality of the Netherlands, located in the Caribbean. It was earlier a part of the Netherlands Antilles along with other five islands (Aruba, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten). It became a special municipality within the Netherlands when Netherlands Antilles was disbanded on 10^th October 2010. Kralendijk is the capital and the largest city of Bonaire.

Geography of Bonaire:

Bonaire is located west of Curacao Island between latitude 12°11′ in the north and longitude 68°15′ in the west. It occupies an area of 294 sq. km.

History of Bonaire:

Bonay was the original name of Bonaire, taking from the Caquetio people. Later it was changed as Bojnaj and finally its name was changed as ‘Bonaire’ during the colonial period of Spanish and Dutch. The literal meaning of Bonaire in local language is ‘Good Air’.

How to reach Bonaire?

Bonaire is served by Flamingo International Airport which is located in the capital city Kralendijk with scheduled flights to and from Amsterdam, Curaçao, Atlanta, Miami, Aruba, Las Piedras, Houston and Newark. FIA is catered by Arkefly, Delta Air Lines, Divi Divi Air, EZAir, United Airlines and many other renowned airlines.

Currently there are no scheduled ferries operating between Bonaire and nearby islands but tourists can use water taxis to reach Bonaire.

Some boat tour operators include:

Bonaire Pirate Cruising
Oscarina
Bowalie
Woodwind

Taxis and rental cars are highly available at the airport and major hotels on the island.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Bonaire:

Creole language, Papiamentu is a widely spoken language all around Bonaire, followed by Spanish and English. Dutch is the official language.

Bonaire is home to 3 departmental stores, a jewelry, an electronic shop, 3 flower shops and plenty of cloth stores. The prominent food corners in Bonaire are as follows:

Gio’s Gelateria & Caffe
Cactus Blue on the Beach
Between 2 buns
Pasa Bon Pizza

Things to do in Bonaire:

Windsurfing
Kite boarding
Sea Kayaking
Mountain Biking
Scuba Diving
Snorkeling
Fishing

Tourist Attractions in Bonaire:

Washington Slagbaai National Park:

The Washington Slagbaai National Park is one of the major identities of Bonaire having the mountainous Brandaris which is the highest point of the island pointed at a height of 240 meters. The park is situated on the north side of Bonaire and was the first nature preserve of Netherlands Antilles when it was established in 1969.

Lac Bay:

The Lac Bay or Lac Cai is renowned for wind surfing activity, located on the eastern side of Bonaire. It receives a large number of wind surfers including both locals and tourists during peak tourist season.

Atlantis Beach:

Atlantis Beach is one of the eminent beaches as well as kite surfers paradise in the Caribbean, situated on the western part of Bonaire. It can be reachable by taxi or scooter.

Other places of interest in Bonaire include:

Bonaire Marine Park
Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire
Klein Bonaire
Bari Reef
Hilma Hooker
Bachelor’s Beach
Cultural Park Mangazina di Rei
Lac Cai
Witte Pan
La Machaca Reef
Flamingo Sanctuary
Lake Gotomeer
Fort Oranje
Bonaire Kiteschool
Bolivia Caves
Rooi Lamoenchi

Best time to visit Bonaire:

From October to November will be the best time to visit Bonaire while the weather will be supportive and hotel rooms will be cheaper.

Accommodation options in Bonaire:

Bonaire houses several reputed accommodation centers ranging from large resorts to small privately owned houses. Splurge resorts charge around $100 per day. A list of the major hotels and resorts in Bonaire include: