If you’ve never heard of the island of Bonaire, well don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone. The island only receives about 150,000 visitors per year – which is nothing compared to some of its neighboring Caribbean islands. It’s home to only 18,000 residents and stretches 112 square kilometers in the Atlantic Ocean, sitting just 50 miles north of Venezuela.
Up until 2010, Bonaire, along with neighboring islands Aruba and Curaçao, was part of the Netherlands Antilles. In 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and Bonaire became a legal “municipality” of the Netherlands, while Aruba and Curaçao became autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This is my favorite Caribbean island that I’ve ever traveled too. No one else embodies “island living” more than Bonaire and it’s vibrant and friendly locals that call it home.
Geography
The island of Bonaire consists of a core of volcanic rocks with overlaying carbonate rocks and fringing coral reefs. The entire structure was uplifted approximately 90 million years ago when volcanic activity caused by the Caribbean tectonic plate pressing against the South American plate forced the ancient seafloor to buckle and rise above the surface of the Caribbean Sea.
As the land uplifted, coral reefs formed in the shallow waters the surrounded the rising island. As those reefs broke the surface, newer reefs on the edges of the island replaced them. Over millions of years, these ancient reefs became part of the topography of the island. These vibrant coral reefs that cover the west side of the island is what makes Bonaire the shore-diving capital of the world.
Languages spoken: Dutch is the official language of Bonaire. Papiamentu is the local language. English is widely spoken, especially on the tourist side of the island.
Currency: United States Dollar ($USD)
Conservation
Conservation is at the leading front of all things Bonaire – the island takes pride in its beautifully protected reefs and conservation programs that safeguard the natural beauty of the island. The reefs around the island are protected by the Bonaire National Marine Park. There are more than 300 species of fish living in these waters and almost every single species of hard and soft coral can be found along Bonaire’s shores. All of the water surrounding Bonaire is protected, making it incredibly important for divers to be mindful of their buoyancy and not touch anything on the reefs.
To snorkel or dive in Bonaire, everyone is required to purchase a Marine Park tag that must be worn on your mask or BCD at all times. The cost is $45 USD for scuba divers or $25 USD for snorkelers. This entrance fee is the main funding source for sustainable management and protection of Bonaire’s marine life.
The island works to protect its land-dwelling creatures too, sheltering iguanas, donkeys, and flamingos inside Washington Slagbaai National Park, which covers 20% of the island. Over 1/5 of the island’s land surface is protected by Bonaire’s conservation policies.
There is an additional fee to enter Washington Slagbaai National Park, ranging from $15 USD to $40 USD, which is also part of the main funding for supporting Bonaire’s ongoing conservation initiatives.
Some countries require a visa to enter Bonaire. Canadian citizens only need to obtain a visa if they’ll be staying on the island for longer than 30 days.
Be sure to check your own country’s visa requirements well in advance.
Climate
Bonaire is blessed with one of the gentlest climates in the Caribbean. The island lies well outside of the hurricane belt, so the likelihood of experiencing a tropical storm here is very, very low. Temperatures in Bonaire are mid-80’s year-round with very little rainfall – meaning this tiny island is hot and dry, so pack accordingly. Remember reef safe sunscreen and a reusable water bottle to hydrate often.
The island also experiences a prevailing trade wind that provides a consistent 15mph breeze. This trade wind is also one of the coral reefs best friends and a major reason that these reefs are among the most prolific in the world. When the wind blows continuously in the same direction, one side of the island experiences rough water conditions, while the other is almost always calm. Since Bonaire lies at a 90-degree angle to its trade winds, the island’s western side, where most of the shore diving and snorkeling takes place, is always calm and protected.
Although Bonaire is a small island, renting a car is necessary to really enjoy the island – especially if you plan on doing some diving! It’s fairly easy to drive in Bonaire. They drive on the right side of the road and there are no stop lights on the island, making it a pretty quick and easy going drive. You can drive around the entire island in about 3-4 hours. I wish that I had known about the rental car situation before my first trip to Bonaire – which is why I’ve dedicated an entire section to it in this post!
Manual cars are the most common and a lot less expensive than automatic cars, so if you can’t drive stick, I suggest you learn before your trip! It’s also best to rent a pickup truck or an SUV. The small cars without four-wheel drive are limited to one main road in which they can drive on, which leaves a lot of the island inaccessible to you. A pickup truck can navigate the windy and bumpy dirt roads, including those in Washington Slagbaai National Park. You won’t be able to enter the park unless you have a vehicle with four-wheel drive, so keep that in mind when planning your trip.
Also keep in mind that some of the larger car rental companies like Avis, won’t rent cars to people under the age of 25. We ran into this problem trying to find a place that would rent us a car at 23-year olds. I recommend looking at some of the smaller rental companies and staying away from the big chains. These places don’t have such strict age policies in place and are usually a bit cheaper – I recommend XL Rental Car or AB Car Rental. A lot of the dive shops and hotels also offer dive/car packages, so check to see if your dive resort has any sort of option to rent a car through them!
Things to do
Bonaire is known as a divers paradise; for that reason, the island caters mostly to scuba divers. While there are other things to see and do on the island, there’s definitely not enough to keep you occupied for an entire week. In addition, Bonaire doesn’t have very many sandy beaches. Most of its coastline is rocky, made up of fringing corals, which is perfect for shore diving, but not so much for laying out in the sun. If you don’t dive, you may be hard-pressed to find ways to stay entertained for an entire week, but for the non-diver, I still that Bonaire is worth a one or two-day visit! Perhaps an island hopping adventure may be in your best interest to see the beautiful beaches of Aruba, the culture of Curaçao, and the stunning reef system in Bonaire.
