Welcome to Bonaire

Bonaire is one of the three ABC islands near Venezuela and together with Saba and Sint Eustatius (Statia) are part of the new Dutch Caribbean islands with direct ties to The Netherlands. After Curaçao, Bonaire is the largest of the 6 islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba and Curaçao are the most visited islands of the Leeward Islands for its beaches, attractions and diving. Although Bonaire does not have many tourists (about 112.000 tourists in 2012), it is a paradise for water sport like scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing and water-skiing. All cars at Bonaire have license plates with DIVER'S PARADISE.

Like most other islands in the Caribbean, they have a rich history because of different owners. For the same reason, Bonaire has its own history.

The name Kralendijk (Crawl-en-dike), capital of Bonaire, is an old Dutch word for 'Koralendijk' (Coral dike), but locals call it 'Playa' (beach). At the west side of Bonaire, there is a drop-off covered with many coral where you can see a huge variety of coralfishes. The second town of Bonaire is Rincón and means 'corner' in Spanish. Rincón is nestled within a valley in the north-west of Bonaire.

People who like nature, could visit Washington / Slagbaai National Park. There are several routes here to drive by a rented car. At Washington / Slagbaai National Park you can see a lot of birds, pink flamingos and iguanas . You can also see these flamingos at Salt Lake.

For a general impression of Bonaire, it is possible to see Bonaire by car. A northern route will lead you to Washington / Slagbaai National Park and Rincón. A southern route will lead you to Salt lake, a firehouse and mangroves near Lac Bay.

Bon Bini na Boneiru - Welcome to Bonaire