Are you the one who loves to travel and want to explore new and unique places? Let's add to your list an island that you might not have heard of but makes one of the best tourism destinations. Bonaire! The dream place to spend your vacations on one of the beautiful islands of the Caribbean. Do you wonder where is Bonaire in the Caribbean? And why you haven't heard of it yet? Well, it is located 50 miles in the North of Venezuela. It is not as popular as other islands, but the popularity is increasing gradually due to the extreme beauty it got. This island is stretched on the area of 112 square kilometres having more than 18,000 residents, and around 80% of these residents are Dutch Nationals. This island is able to welcome approximately 150,000 visitors per year. The number is increasing as the tourists get hosted by friendly and vibrant residents and get a chance to see many scenic places. This article will provide you with all the necessary information about Bonaire that you need to know before planning your trip. Including what cities travel to Bonaire, how to get to Bonaire and much more.
Bonaire and Tourism
Bonaire island was uplifted as a result of volcanic activity of the Caribbean tectonic plate more than 90 million years ago. Therefore most of the island contains volcanic rocks, carbonate rocks and the amusing coral reefs. These coral reefs covering the whole island at the shore and in shallow water are the reason behind Bonaire being declared as the world's shore diving capital. The effort from the government's side to preserve all this is worth mentioning as they are able to conserve all the natural beauty for the memorable experience of the divers. However, diving is not all about Bonaire tourism. Apart from diving and natural beauty, the warm welcome from the natives also contributes much towards the increase in tourism activity over the island. You can easily get the local help to explore the best places in Bonaire and tourism spots situated in:
- Rincon
- Bara di karta
- Kralendijk
So the island is able to attract a large bulk of tourist as it possesses the Bonaire beaches and marine life, the preserved reefs and natural beauty of the island. Fascinated by this complete package, the visitors cannot wait to spend the best time to travel to Bonaire and make this island an ever-crowded place.
Climate of Bonaire
Out of all the Caribbean islands, Bonaire is blessed with the most pleasant weather. The bonus point is that you are going to enjoy the same sunny warmth almost throughout the year. This makes this place most suitable to enjoy Bonaire beaches, diving and all tourism activities at any time of the year. Also, the island is located outside the hurricane belt, and the chances that a tropical storm might hit this place are very low as compared to other islands. Still, the chances increase in October, November and December as the weather becomes windy and humid. Apparently, there is no threat of storms, but still, you must schedule your trip as per the best time to travel to Bonaire to avoid any unforeseen situation. As the temperature here is usually hot, you don't have to take your warm clothes along even if you are visiting in winter. But to avoid the hot and dry winds, don't forget to pack your skincare products when you travel to Bonaire. Also, hydrate yourself after every while to avoid the harsh effects of the weather.
How to get to Bonaire
If you are an American National, you don't need a visa to get into the Bonaire Island. The same no visa entry policy is applicable for many other countries, yet you need to show your passport at the entrance, and it must be valid for the duration of your stay on the island. If you want to travel to Bonaire, you will be happy to know that you can get a visa for as long as 90 days. This is more than enough to see the best places in Bonaire. As Bonaire is not much-developed island yet, you will find the Bonaire International Airport here, also known as Flamingo International Airport. It is fully functional and receives non-stop flights to Bonaire from Miami, Atlanta, Houston and Newark. You can also avail the regional flights to and from Bonaire to travel to the remaining Caribbean islands. Also, air travel is not the only answer of how to get to Bonaire? In fact, to enjoy the true spirit of your journey, you must travel through the Caribbean cruises to reach the Kralendijk port to enter Bonaire from what cities travel to Bonaire. Although these cruises don't offer the travelling services from November to April to any island including Bonaire yet, you can reach the Kralendijk port through personally chartered boats.
What to do in Bonaire?
Talking about Bonaire, the first thing that comes to your mind at the top of the list of what to do in Bonaire is diving. Certain reasons make this island most suitable for diving among all the Caribbean islands including:
- The diverse variety of Marine life with 350 fish species
- The Blue seawater holding coral reefs you will never get a chance to see elsewhere
- The below water experience makes you feel like exploring some other world
The importance of diving and water sports on this island can be understood from the fact that most of the tourism revenue revolves around scuba diving and other water-based activities. For that purpose, you don't have to wait for the best time to travel to Bonaire, as it is an all-time of the year activity. However, this is not all that you can do on the island to have fun. You can also avail the opportunities of windsurfing, snorkelling, water skiing and also boating once you hit the Bonaire beaches. If you are a nature enthusiast, you must also visit the trails of Washington Slagbaai National Park to get a chance to interact with the marine life. The other most adventuring and worth exploring places to visit in Bonaire include:
- Mangrove glass-bottom Kayak and snorkel tour
- Tour to Cave
- Donkey Sanctuary Tour
Make sure to take the guidance of local native to visit these best places in Bonaire. Also, you can enjoy many dine-in facilities while floating in the locally hired ships and yachts. So just book your flights to Bonaire to avail the luxury.
Shopping in Bonaire
Even if you pack your bag with all the things you might need during your stay at your destination, there are still always some local things that grab your attention. You can never skip buying them no matter how heavy your backpack already is. Summarizing the information about Bonaire about the things to be shopped we would like to tell you about 7 local things you should buy there:
- Evaporated sea salt and its by-beauty products
- Bonaire Liquor is rich in flavour and ideal for cooking
- Bonaire sweets and desserts are the best gifts you can take back for your family
- Aloe based beauty products
- Handmade jewellery made from the washed-out shells and pebbles
- Driftwood handcraft that makes the best souvenir to remember Bonaire
- The local colourful artwork made with bright colours perfect to be displayed in your living area
You can also enjoy the colourful architecture and food display while passing by the Kralendijk as soon as you reach there. The market set up by the locals is the attraction for all due to a number of local products crafted by the natives. The official currency of Bonaire is U.S dollar, so don't forget to exchange your money before reaching Bonaire.
Facts About Bonaire
As it is not possible to know all about Bonaire, therefore, you must know the most common facts about Bonaire to help you figure out much about the island. The top facts include:
- The Washington Slagbaai National Park plantation once produced salt, coal and goats that were supplied to Europe.
- The island owns 22 beaches that keep on appearing and disappearing depending upon the tides.
- Bonaire water filtration system is so much reliable that you can drink water from any tap.
- Not all the sites are safe for diving, and you get guidance about where to dive through the yellow painted rocks.
- It's not only the diving heaven, but you can also hike here. In fact, North Bonaire has got several suitable trails among the finest places to visit in Bonaire.
- Bonaire ranks number one shore diving destination of the Caribbean for the last 24 years.
So these facts hopefully provide you with much information about Bonaire about what to do in Bonaire. So now knowing all about the island, including where is Bonaire in the Caribbean, places to visit in Bonaire and the much-known facts about Bonaire you are all set to explore the wonderful land. All you need to do is look for the flights to Bonaire and book the one for you. Or make a list of what cities travel to Bonaire and plan the cruise trip to get to the island. And enhance your travelling experience by being at one of the most amazing naturally occurring tourism sites in the world.