Bonaire Travel Guide

Bonaire is an island in the Netherlands Antilles. It is part of the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles along with Aruba and Curaçao. There are several languages spoken including Dutch, Papiamentu, Spanish, and English.

Bonaire is world renowned for its excellent scuba diving and snorkeling. It is consistently rated among the top shore diving and Caribbean diving locations in the world. The island is ringed by a coral reef which is easily accessible from the shore along the Western and Southern sides. Furthermore, the entire coastline of the island has been declared a marine s… read moreanctuary, preserving local fish life.

Just off the coast on the west side of the island is Klein Bonaire. Snorkeling and scuba diving there are incredible as it is very well preserved.

Bonaire is also famed for its bright pink flamingo populations and its donkey sanctuary. Flamingos are drawn to the brackish water, which harbours shrimp they feed on. Starting in the 1500s, the Dutch raised sheep, goats, pigs, horses and donkeys on Bonaire. The descendants of the goats and donkeys roam the island today and many are at the donkey sanctuary which is committed to keeping them save and healthy.

As small as Bonaire may be, only 113 sq. miles, it offers excellent food, drink and company!

The only generally recognized towns on the island are Kralendijk and Rincon. Kralendijk is located in the middle of the island on the west coast. Ricon is on the northern part of the island close to the national park.