2025! Happy New Year!

Westjet now offers a direct flight from Toronto!! A seat sale made it even more affordable so Laura and I jumped on it. We arrived Dec 31, 2024. Our checked bags took a good 1/2 hour which reinforced to me why I usually just use carry on. Recent rain meant lots of massive puddles. No obvious transportation choices so we decided to walk as it’s only 2 km. However there are no sidewalks and water everywhere. Plus it’s the busiest road on Bonaire.  A nice couple in a pickup asked if we wanted a ride. He threw our heavy bags in the back and we hopped in. Great choice as our road was flooded

Eventually we got into our room at The lodge and walked to town for food. A nice guy pointed out a way we wouldn’t have to walk down the flooded street

Fireworks were going off in random places. At first we jumped every time. They sound like gun shots!

We were the last guests at the Jasmine before they closed for the night of festivities. There was live music in Kralendijk. Streets were closed to cars. People everywhere yet it was calm. Just fireworks! Everywhere! kids were lighting bottle bombs with cigarettes. It was fascinating to watch.

At midnight it came to a peak of exploding fireworks in all directions. By 1 am all was peace and quiet

Klein Bonaire

We took the Caribe water taxi to Klein Bonaire and spent the day snorkeling, hiking and swimming. The beach is beautiful but the snorkeling was disappointing. The coral is mostly dead and there aren’t a lot of fish.

We did the Duchi trail which follows the shore line. It’s a challenging in some places if you’re not wearing good shoes as you’re walking on coral which can be a real ankle twister

Back in Kralendijk we walked back to our room, cleaned up and went looking for dinner. I’d brought cheese and crackers from home just in case as it was New Year’s Day. But we were HUNGRY! Luckily we found Bon Wokki open. Perfect! A bowl of noodles for me, rice for Laura.

 

Washington Slagbaai National Park and Night Snorkeling

We packed a lot into today. At 7.45 am Eddie with adventure makers Bonaire picked us up in a 4×4 and drove us through Washington Slagbaai national park park. We learned a lot about Bonaire and I highly recommend the tour. A full day in the park with several stops including a fantastic snorkel stop. I saw 2 turtles! The included lunch was delicious too

He dropped us off and we relaxed for a couple hours. A feast of nut bars, cheese and crackers was dinner before Greetje Kooistra picked us up for night snorkeling. Both Laura and I were pretty nervous. I love the sea but it’s scary in the dark! Greetje provided strap on flashlights which we covered with our fingers so as not to startle nocturnal creatures. We saw many creatures including a large octopus. Afterwards Greetje provided snacks and dropped us off at The Lodge
Find info on Greetje here: https://www.aquacoaching.nl/about-me

Jibe City, Salt Flats and old Slave Houses

Our host had reserved a car for us First Bonaire’ car rental picked us up promptly at 9. After asking, we were told we could go anywhere on the island EXCEPT the national park. After our tour the previous day, we understood why! We sorted out the details and Laura drove the little Suzuki on the day’s adventure.  We were surprised to discover a manual transmission.  Good thing Laura knows how to drive one!

As we headed south it started to pour. We stopped a couple of times and got soaked. Then we decided to drive the whole boulevard. We planned to come back for sightseeing and snorkeling. The road narrows to one lane. The shoulders drop off making it dangerous for our little car to leave the road in places. Apparently the unwritten rule is that the biggest vehicle gets out of the way. Most of the time that happens

By the time we got to Jibe city the sun had come out. Watching the various wind powered craft in the water was fascinating

The donkey sanctuary is currently home to over 800 donkeys. Bonaire has an interesting history of dealing with goats and donkeys. Google it if interested

We turned around for a different perspective of the same road. Twas a good decision as there were many things we’d missed

Dinner was tacos at the Sugar Thief. The owner and another customer engaged in conversation and we learned a lot about local life. Perfect combo of good food, a yummy margarita and good conversation

Saturday Jan 4

1000 Steps, Karpata and Rincon

Today we explored the north end of the island. Starting with a visit to some caves then snorkeling at 1000 steps. A woman there suggested Karpata so we snorkeled there as well. Every location is different

We carried on and stopped at all the viewpoints. Flamingos are bright pink in Bonaire and they’re everywhere.

Since we were in Rincon anyway we stopped at the Cadushy distillery. They offered samples of the cactus liqueurs and a tour. Tasty and very potent!

We carried on, stopping everywhere that looked interesting The Northern coastline is rugged, intense and beautiful!

Mangrove Sanctuary

One day we booked a kayak and snorkeling tour of the mangroves. Getting there is an adventure. Apparently the road is graded once a year, just before Easter. The little Subaru was fine. Laura was a little frazzled!
https://www.mangrovecenter.com/

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Kralendijk

Kralendijk is the capitol and has a lot to offer tourists. There’s lots of history and you can do your own walking tour following an online map. Most days there’s a massive cruise ship in the harbour but when they leave it’s much more pleasant.

We enjoyed many good meals on Bonaire. One of our favourites was at the Surinam restaurant right at the Lodge. Another was the food truck on Te Amo beach. We brought chairs and enjoyed the sunset with a burger.

Snorkeling Everywhere

Snorkeling was my main reason for coming to Bonaire. I was disappointed by the recent die off of the coral. However, we spent lots of time in the water enjoying the sea life. Conditions weren’t great as it was windy the whole time we were there. However, the water clarity was still pretty good. We still saw lots of turtles and even an octopus.

Summary and Tips

Should you choose to visit Bonaire, bring your snorkel gear and good water shoes. Those that fit in your fins are best as getting in and out of the water is the hardest part.

It’s an expensive destination as it’s an island where pretty much everything is imported. The currency is USD which is hard on us Canadians. Reasonable accommodation CAN be found. You don’t have to stay in a resort. We stayed at the Lodge and our room had a kitchenette. Preparing our own breakfast and lunch helped keep costs down.

There are many public places to snorkel and lots are within walking distance of Kralendijk.

ENJOY!