Bonaire

[Nikole]

What else is there to do besides diving?
I like to travel and get to know other cultures as well (eating their food, dance, shop...) I did a little research it does seem a little secluded..lol

Also has anyone tried flying to Venezuela or island hop over to Curaçao while there?

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Better to post this in the Bonaire thread in the Dive Travel subforum. Lots of Bonaire veterans monitor that and will give you all of the info you coiuld possibly want.

 

[diversteve]

Bonaire Activities & Events - Bonaire Official Tourism Site

or island hop over to Curaçao while there?

I haven't but it would be easy enough - just not particularly cheap. b4 you ask - there's no ferry.

http://flydivi.com/Flight_Schedule/BonaireToCuracao - about $70 ea. way but small planes so make a reservation.
From the Curacao Airport to downtown is around $40 via taxi so rent a car - it's probably cheaper.

Or Insel Fly-InselAir.com – Reaching Higher! for about $200 r/t. Insel pressurizes so no-fly after diving rules apply one way.

From the U.S. - some flights stop in Curacao first so see if you can extend your layover by a couple days on either end. I believe many of the Insel flights out of MIA or CLT do.

Curacao is like a bigger version of Bonaire in many ways. Much easier dive entries and once you're out of town, about as remote in any of the small towns to the west.

Goat is popular at some of the local restaurants...Bonaire Dining - Bonaire Official Tourism Site
Rincon is probably still mostly unspoiled, you might try the Rose Inn for native food preparation.

 

[drrich2]

Kite boarding off the west coast, down around the Atlantis dive site I believe. Looks fun (if you're fit and athletic, I imagine).

Wind Surfing off the east coast, in Lac Bay, an area call Jibe City, IIRC.

Drive through the Donkey Sanctuary.

Take the long way tour through Washington-Slagbaai Park up north - hilly to mountainous. Take the receipt for your marine park tag; when I went, it saved the $10/person entry fee. There's a little museum at the entrance. Get out at Playa Chikitu and watch ocean waves pound the east coast. A fairly scenic area for outdoor wide-angle natural photography, if you're creative. You'll see some interesting rock formations.

Follow the coastal road along the west, south & up the east coast. Drive across and around the island a bit; hilly up north, very flat down south, arid, scrubby, and up north huge numbers of thorns.

If you're into bird watching, there are some to see.

Shop around the capital; little jewelry store called Jewel of Bonaire is a personal favorite, such as for sea turtle pendants with a beautiful opal, and while they don't give them away, a couple of nice ones were outrageously expensive, either. They've got pricy stuff if you want it, but you can get a nice memento without getting ridiculous.

Some people hike or bicycle; be mindful that while arid, it's hot and very sunny. Speaking of which, I haven't done this, but I recall a parrot rescue related to the yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot native to Bonaire, and a search turned this up - EchoBonaire.org, and looks like they do tours. Any they've got volunteer opportunities, if that interests you.

Another approach to take is go to a cruise ship website and look at their excursions section for Bonaire and see what they offer. Or Trip Advisor's 'Things to Do' for Bonaire. That'll show you some options.

Richard.

 

[wwguy]

What else is there to do besides diving?
I like to travel and get to know other cultures as well (eating their food, dance, shop...) I did a little research it does seem a little secluded..lol

It is secluded, which is a major reason why we enjoy returning year after year. We usually stay for 3 weeks over the winter holidays and enjoy non-diving activities too. Here's our Bonaire bucket list of things to do besides diving:

• Kite surfing (lessons and rentals available on the island)
• Wind surfing (lessons and rentals available on the island)
• Explore the national park occupying the northern 3rd of the island. (I can't believe it took us 15 years to get around to that.)
• Kayak and/or snorkel the mangroves.
• Take a horseback ride through the kunuku (rural country) or along Lac bay.
• Visit the donkey sanctuary.
• Learn few words and phrases in Papiamentu (the local language).
• Pack a picnic lunch and find a great spot to enjoy it. (Nukove is one of our favorites.)
• Explore some of Bonaire's 400 caves (guided tours are available.)
• Rent mountain bikes and ride on your own or take a guided bicycle tour.
• Enjoy a sunset cruise and onboard BBQ with Captain Wim & crew on The Compass.
• Tour the Cadushy distillery in Rincon.
• Drive up to Sera Largu and take in the panoramic view of the southern part of the island.
• View Arawak Indian inscriptions in the caves near Boca Onima.
• Take a self-guided walking tour of Rincon or Kralendijk.
• Rent a motorboat and enjoy a leisurely afternoon exploring and snorkeling the leeward coast and Klein Bonaire.
• Explore the Bara Di Karta hiking, biking, and driving trails.
• Bring binoculars to watch flamingoes, parrots, and other interesting Bonairean birds.
• Relax with a massage at one of several spas on Bonaire.
• Enjoy some downtime with your favorite book without obsessing over "what's next?" on your vacation to-do list.
• Watch the sun set over the sea with a cool drink in hand. It never gets old.
• Take time to meet some of the warm and friendly Bonairean people.

I'm sure there are probably more that I'm missing. I'm always amazed at how many people visit Bonaire just for the diving and miss all of these great opportunities.

Also has anyone tried flying to Venezuela or island hop over to Curaçao while there?

There are no direct flights between Bonaire and Venezuela. You'd have to connect via Curacao, which also means clearing customs there too. Insel Air has the most flights between Bonaire and Curacao, but their service and reliability is notoriously awful. Local residents and frequent visitors often refer to Insel as "Insult Airlines" and avoid it whenever possible. Divi Divi Air is your best bet for island hopping between Bonaire and Curacao.

Regarding Venezuela, we've never met tourists brave enough to travel there (from Bonaire or anywhere else.) According to Wikipedia "Venezuela has a high crime rate, and was ranked the most insecure nation in the world by Gallup in 2013 with the United Nations stating that such crime is due to the poor political and economic environment in the country. The country's murder rate is also one of the highest in the world, with 82 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2008, polls indicated that crime was the number one concern of voters. According to Venezuela's Prosecutor General’s Office, 98% of crimes in Venezuela do not result in prosecution."

 

[Doctorfish]

In addition to all the activities listed above, there is a Taste of Bonaire event once a month where all the local foods are highlighted. There are also traditional bands and dance groups performing.

I agree with wwguy re Venezuela. Way too dangerous.

 

[diver0008]

What else is there to do besides diving?
I like to travel and get to know other cultures as well (eating their food, dance, shop...) I did a little research it does seem a little secluded..lol

Also has anyone tried flying to Venezuela or island hop over to Curaçao while there?

As you are someone who is not yet certified, according to your profile, I would not suggest Bonaire as a travel destination until you have some experience.

Rather, I would suggest getting some dives under your belt post-certification in another location or two, or three, where you can dive from a boat with a guide in a group. You can also get your culture fix at many of them.

Then, your skills and addiction will be far more appropriate for the dive, dive, dive ethos of Bonaire.

Bonaire is a small desert island, rich in diving, but slim on culture, in my opinion, and I love it. I will be there for the 5th time next week.

 

[Doctorfish]

I disagree completely with Murky. I can't think of a better place for a new diver to go. Clear warm current free water, lots of fish and outstanding dive operations to take you through an open water referral, or to go out by boat or house reef with a newbie. We took our daughter there for certification and it was an outstanding experience. You can tell I'm a Bonaire fan.

 

[wwguy]

As you are someone who is not yet certified, according to your profile, I would not suggest Bonaire as a travel destination until you have some experience.

Rather, I would suggest getting some dives under your belt post-certification in another location or two, or three, where you can dive from a boat with a guide in a group. You can also get your culture fix at many of them.

Then, your skills and addiction will be far more appropriate for the dive, dive, dive ethos of Bonaire.

Bonaire is a small desert island, rich in diving, but slim on culture, in my opinion, and I love it. I will be there for the 5th time next week.

Wow. I respectfully disagree with several aspects of your reply.

Reading through the OP's post history she appears to be OW certified with at least 17 dives, has an interest in AOW certification, is exploring options for quality dive gear, has already done a few shore dives, and all of her favorite sports involve being in the water. She also comes across as intelligent, enthusiastic, and self-confident. This sounds exactly like how my wife and I were when we made out first trip to Bonaire many years ago (except for maybe the intelligence part. LOL.) Bonaire is the perfect predictably awesome warm water location properly trained self-confident new divers to continue gaining new experience.

As an OW instructor my goal has always been to prepare my students to dive unsupervised at the completion of their OW training if they desire to do so. As an OW diver I learned this previously from my instructor. The majority of my students left my OW course with the knowledge, confidence, and experience to dive independently and unsupervised in conditions similar to their training environment. IMHO anything less reflects negatively on my abilities as an instructor. Granted, some people aren't ever well-suited for unsupervised diving but I don't see anything in the OP's posts that reflects this. In fact I see exactly the opposite.

I'm not sure what you mean about "the dive, dive, dive ethos of Bonaire". If that's your thing you can certainly do it, but there's no pressure to do so. We've enjoyed hundreds of shore dives on Bonaire and we typically only dive a couple of times a day, sometimes less, and some days not at all. The whole point of her post was to identify alternative activities to diving.

Finally, your myopic statements that "you can also get your culture fix" at some other unnamed destination and that Bonaire is "slim on culture" reflects how little you apparently understand about Bonairean culture. My suggestion would be for you to step back from your "dive, dive, dive ethos", look around a little bit, and engage the local population and culture with a little more interest and sincerity. They're great people.

 

[diver0008]

Reading through the OP's post history she appears to be OW certified with at least 17 dives

Her profile says "not certified". That is what I was going on.

how little you apparently understand about Bonairean culture. My suggestion would be for you to step back from your "dive, dive, dive ethos", look around a little bit, and engage the local population and culture with a little more interest and sincerity.

I don't need to be judged, thank-you very much. To each his own.