Above the Water Line in Bonaire

The island's capital, Kralendijk, is known for the brightly colored gabled buildings that reflect its Dutch colonial influence.

Most scuba divers in the Western Hemisphere know Bonaire as a bucket-list underwater destination. Conditions are also excellent for windsurfers; the island is home to the Caribbean’s first kiteboarding school. But when I told friends I was heading there, many had no idea where it was. One even asked me if I meant a town in Georgia. Um, no. I traveled to Bonaire with no dive or surf intentions, wondering if the little island would be worth the time beyond its two best-known activities.

A Dutch Island

It’s the B in the ABC islands, along with Aruba and Curaçao. (Though from left/west to right/east, they’d actually be the ACB islands.) Just 24 miles long and 3 to 7 miles wide, Bonaire is midway between the two others in size and farthest out to sea. That’s under 60 miles off Venezuela’s northern coast. It’s a municipality of the Netherlands. While Dutch is the official language, the lingua franca is Papiamentu, a language soup of Spanish, Dutch, English, Portuguese, French, Caribbean Indian, and various African languages. English and Spanish, however, are also widely spoken and understood.

All of Bonaire’s surrounding waters, from the high-tide mark out to a depth of almost 200 feet, are protected by Bonaire National Marine Park. The organization that maintains the parks, STINAPA (Stichting Nationale Parken), charges a fee for all visitors who enter the water, whether snorkeling, swimming, or merely wading along the shore. It also applies to the landlubbers exploring Washington-Slagbaai National Park in the north.

Jibe City is known for its excellent wind conditions, making it a popular destination for windsurfers. Courtesy of Tourism Corporation Bonaire

The island's capital, Kralendijk, is known for the brightly colored gabled buildings that reflect its Dutch colonial influence. Courtesy of Tourism Corporation Bonaire

I checked into Delfins Beach Resort, a collection of studios, apartments, and townhouses situated along the calmer western shore, minutes from the airport. With a beach, pier, and an onsite dive shop, the resort has direct access to the celebrated waters. As I walked to my room through lush landscaping, iridescent orange sparks flitted past—hummingbirds. Along the sand and stone beach, thatch palapas shaded guests lying out with books or drinks. Pelicans sat like decorative statues at the end of the pier. Some floated in the crystalline water, where divers periodically surfaced from shore dives and climbed the pier’s ladder. All as expected.

The Wild Side of the Island

So much of Bonaire’s conservation work goes into protecting the waters and reefs, so I was surprised by the amount of protected land it has as well. According to the STINAPA website, Washington-Slagbaai National Park comprises roughly 16 1/2 square miles of ruggedly beautiful terrain—about 17 percent of the island. Much of it is thick with cactus and tenacious brush thriving in what looks like a slice of Arizona.

The dirt roads are rough, best suited for four-wheel-drive and mountain bikes. They encircle the park and pass overlooks of brackish lagoons, where I saw large flocks of Caribbean flamingos wading for their meals—decidedly not Arizona. Coming out from the low-lying mountains, I could see the terrain open up a bit along the northern shore, where a long plateau of reef limestone rises above the land. There are places to stop along the coast and watch the rough east and north coast seas rush into the jagged coastline, sending up spray and occasionally spouting through holes in the rock. At one point, I stopped between a large iguana sunning itself high up in a cactus, its spiny back blending in with the needles, and a caracara, a large native falcon, similarly perched across the road, perhaps looking for a meal.

The ruby-topaz hummingbird is the larger of Bonaire's two hummingbird species. It's known for its a ruby-red crown and bright orange chest. Kevin Revolinski

Bonaire is a major breeding ground for flamingos, hosting one of the largest flamingo colonies in the Western Hemisphere. Courtesy of Robb Leahy/Tourism Corporation Bonaire

Short spur roads grant access to the shore. Where the road turned south along the western coast, there are a couple of sheltered coves. I swam and snorkeled there, hoping to see one of the four species of sea turtles that return to the park’s beaches to lay their eggs. Boca Slagbaai (Slagbaai Bay) surprised me. A long beach ran alongside a couple of ochre-yellow, red-tiled roof buildings, creating stunning color contrast with the aquamarine sea. A footpath up the seaside ridge leads to a 20-foot jumping-off point into clear waters. Across the road, behind the buildings, were more flamingos in a lagoon. They lifted their heads from the water en masse and eyed me warily when I walked as far as the posted keep-out sign for a better photo.

The rest of the island has local critters, too. Wild donkeys appear here and there along the roads, and tourists often stop to take selfies with the ones that aren’t too skittish. You can even visit a sanctuary home for hundreds of donkeys if you don’t get your fill. Lagoons and the bright white-and-pink saltpans attract flamingos. Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary at the southern end of the island is home to hundreds. These birds and the yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot are part of a long list of species that make Bonaire popular with birdwatchers.

Bonaire's wild donkeys are descendents of those brought to the island by the Spanish in the 16th century. Courtesy of Tourism Corporation Bonaire

Sunsets, Sundowners, and Supper

When you have Caribbean downtime, sunsets become your daily moment of zen. On my first night, I admired one from a rooftop bar. A light breeze chased away the day’s heat as I sipped a cocktail with a local cactus and lime liqueur made by Cadushy Distillery (which also produces Rom Rincón and is open for visits). When the horizon faded to embers, I headed downstairs to Zara’s Bonaire for a six-course chef’s tasting menu at the counter and watched the staff do the delicate work of prep and presentation right over the bar.

Founder Dutch chef Janos Vermaat put in time as a pastry expert at Michelin-starred restaurants before moving to Bonaire and opening Zara’s in 2023. The restaurant faces SACA, a modern center for the arts, across a central garden space. Above is a towering pergola built of long curving white slats that recall the ocean waves. Besides frequent gallery exhibits, SACA hosts classical music performances in the courtyard.

Biña is another gourmet all-star. I strolled along the walk at the edge of the sand in front of Chogogo Dive & Beach Resort for another gorgeous sunset—tedious, I know—and took a table under the restaurant’s white canopy. I tucked in for another chef’s menu experience with wine pairings and meticulous service.

Salt Pier Beach is a popular spot for diving, snorkeling, or walking on the shore. Courtesy of Tourism Corporation Bonaire

Cabanas provide an intimate and relaxed atmosphere, perfect for enjoying the sunset. Courtesy of Elliott Howell/Tourism Corporation Bonaire

For breakfast one day, I took a class at Nature Cooking School where owner and instructor Saeed Lourens cooks with local ingredients and promotes local agriculture. “The island imports 95 percent of its food,” he said. “Everything that we want to eat can grow around us. We try to plant more fruit trees.” The bananas, avocados, eggplant, passionfruit, and more were all grown on the island, some of it just steps from his open-air dining space. He taught us how to make pancakes with banana puree rather than imported flour. Then we sat down and ate a truly Bonaire meal.

Little Bonaire

I took a local ferry to “Little Bonaire,” the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire, tucked into the curve of the western side of the main island. Arawak Indians, known as Caiquetios, first came to the island from what is now Venezuela about 1,000 years ago and were able to live off the resources already here. When Europeans arrived interested in what could be taken, they left this little island bare. In 2020, only 25 adult Sabal palm trees, endemic to the area, existed on the main island. But by 2023, the Klein Bonaire Reforestation Project, a STINAPA project coordinated with Elsmarie Beukenboom, a local birding expert and guide, had planted 1,000 here on Klein Bonaire.

I was there on Earth Day 2024 to meet Beukenboom and witness a celebratory planting. Clever closed planters set into the sand provide a protected water source so the young trees are well watered as they grow roots. A row of small trees down the sandy path amid scrub brush are testament to the project’s efforts. The larger palms hint at how the area will change in just a few years. “As the island plant life re-establishes, more birds will come back,” Beukenboom said.

That’s not to say the island is desolate. The white sand beach is gorgeous, sloping into a band of turquoise. The water turns deep blue less than 100 feet out, where the sea bottom angles down into coral and abundant schools of fish. This is a popular spot for snorkelers. But even in the knee-deep shallows, I saw a small sea turtle waving its flippers as it slipped along, unimpressed by the gawking humans watching from above the waves.

Surrounded by stunning natural scenery, including cliffs and saltpans, Wayaka provides a picturesque setting. Courtesy of Tourism Corporation Bonaire

Setting Sail

On my final evening, I joined a group onboard an old Turkish gulet, a type of sailing ship that once plied the waters of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. The sails remained furled and we moved thanks to engine power, skirting the shore with its modest marinas, beaches, and resorts. I sipped Prosecco and enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and small plates while great frigatebirds floated in place above as if perched in the sky. The sun settled into the horizon. To the east, a lighthouse blinked at the southernmost point of the island. Right along the shore, piles of sea salt stood like peaks in a snow-covered mountain range. The white salt briefly turned rosy and then faded into dusk as the boat returned to harbor.

Bonaire offers a variety of private boat charters for exploring the island's coastline and marine life. Kevin Revolinski

Bonaire's calm waters and abundant shore access make it an ideal destination for beginner divers and snorkelers. Courtesy of Tourism Corporation Bonaire

If You Go

Pay the STINAPA national park fee online before leaving home to avoid an extra line at the airport. You’ll receive a plastic medallion on arrival. It’s valid for the entire year in which it is purchased.

While U.S. citizens don’t need a visa, all nonresidents aged 13 and older must pay a visitor tax of $75 per visit to Bonaire.

Bonaire uses the U.S. dollar for currency.