Bonaire

[Nikole]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that... Especially the situation going on over there lately


QUOTE="wwguy, post: 7832362, member: 190987"]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.



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."[/QUOTE]

 

[Nikole]

I do have a coworker that lives in the USA but studies med school in Curaçao and she flew over to Venezuela. She is from Colombia.

Maybe I should go over to.Colombia, I do know people that have been to cartagena and Barranquilla and said that it was touristy, which is good for a female solo traveler like me.

I haven't reserved a spot for Bonaire yet, I have actually just found out bait the trip a week ago, my shop is going to Africa and I'll be in November and a tirp in May just sounds perfect. We will be going in may, 1 week, I probably won't have time to fly anywhere else considering the no-fly rules to diving.



QUOTE="wwguy, post: 7832362, member: 190987"]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.



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."[/QUOTE]

 

[Nikole]

Yeah I did see pictures on the salt field, and wow, slave huts.


QUOTE="diverrex, post: 7832723, member: 69176"]Surprised that not yet mentioned is a drive down south to see the slave huts, salt fields and lighthouse. An interesting part of Bonaire's history with scenic views and prime photo ops.

Though I will say we are making our fifth trip to Bonaire in December and I do wish there was a little more to do topside.[/QUOTE]

 

[Nikole]

I have been to Machu Picchu. AMAZING.!!!!
And the little town at the bottom of that mountain had the warm spring ohhh yesss. I went there on a study abroad trip in college. I'm repaying that trip as we speak. Student loans helloooo! SO worth it. And there were wolves walking around. Or they looked like wolves. Memories!!!! Also went to Lima and the Amazon (Puerto Maldonado)

QUOTE="diverrex, post: 7832940, member: 69176"]Are you sure? What about the Obelisks? Are they more or less boring than the slave huts?

Have you ever been to Tikal or Machu Picchu? Extensive restorations. Probably two of the best places I have ever travelled to.[/QUOTE]

 

[Jersey]

Plenty to do beyond diving and other have offered great suggestions. I love the Donkey Sanctuary (we adopt a donkey every year) bring them some carrots and have friends for life. Spend an afternoon on the self guided Tanki Maraka tour. Bonaire played a crucial rule in WW II with the first large scale radar array installed in the Caribbean. The Gulf theatre contained fuel the Germans wanted and the Allies wanted to protect. Some interesting artifacts and descriptions.

I'll second great food - local and international. At Sea, Wine Barrel, Cuba Compagnie, Capriccios, Mona Lisa, head into Rincon for The Rose Inn goat stew or Mi Banana in Kralendjik. The Iron Order biker bar. There is nightlife - salsa dancing at Cuba Compagnie, a kind of 70's bar that my brother likes next to WattaBurger, Little Havana, Karels. I'm too tired.

Kayak the mangroves, caving, sunrise hike up Mt. Branderis, head south at night with binoculars to watch stars and contemplate the universe - the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye. Birdwatching. Rent bikes or scooters and see the island from two wheels - try some of the off road trails. The goat farm! Head over to the stadium to watch a football (soccer) match. The people! We have met many people and made many friends on our trips. Maybe it's the common theme of diving, but I've been on other trips to other places and it's not the same.

 

[lunula]

We love the donkey sanctuary, as well. We also did a long drive up north through Washington-Slaabal National Park and stopped a few times along the way. Drove into Rincon and stopped at a random, local restaurant (don't even remember the name) and had a nice chat with some people and ate good food. Also visited Cadushy Distillery.

You might also want to take a look at the Sea Turtle Conservation group. They organize clean-ups on the island and you can also help with the "debris free" movement and keep an eye out for trash while diving or just out and about. We made it a goal to keep an eye out and we ended up grabbing 4-5 items on dives and a few other items on beaches and depositing them at a Dive Friends location. Nice to feel part of the community while there, I think.

This year we are planning on attending the special flea market the Bonaire Animal Shelter is sponsoring and also go kayaking.

It always does kind of make me wonder about the huge cruise ships that dock in Bonaire - there are definitely things to do, but it doesn't really jive with the cruise-ship culture, IMO. I would love it because I would dive for the day, but for those used to other Caribbean ports where it's typically all about shopping, the beaches or island tours, I imagine they must be bored in Bonaire.

 

[KeithG]

giffen, I was talking about from It Rains Fishes up to near Pasa Bon.

Understood. We do not frequent that road, seems like way too much traffic?

From the Divi we mostly stick to the shoreline as we walk into town. Once or twice from It Rains Fishes we have headed away from town and then cut up to Kaya Gob... but is seems very pedestrian unfriendly.

We used to walk to Bistro de Paris (and so saw a little more of that area), but it has gone way downhill since it moved to the Harbour Village. We do not go any more.

 

[boat sju]

Honestly, I've been to Bonaire six times now and we stay away from any kind of nightlife anyway. We stay up at Caribbean Club and go into town for groceries and maybe hit Bobbejan's or get a pizza at Pasa Bon now and then and that's enough for me. Guess I'm getting old.