Bonaire is a Caribbean island just north of Venezuela, politically part of the Netherlands. Along with its neighboring Dutch islands of Aruba and Curaçao, it forms the ABC Islands, though it is much quieter. It is a mostly flat, riverless coral island renowned for diving, windsurfing, and bird watching (particularly flamingos). Lacking many sandy beaches – it instead has lush coral reefs – it is less visited by cruise ships.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Geographically, Bonaire is part of the Netherlands Antilles, which is comprised of the ABC Islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. These islands in turn are part of the Leeward Antilles, which also contains numerous islands that are part of Venezuela. Politically however, Bonaire is part of the Caribbean Netherlands, with Sint Eustatius and Saba, and is a "special municipality" fully integrated in the Netherlands proper but does not have the same laws. Bonaire uses the US dollar as its currency. The climate is tropical marine with little seasonal temperature variation. Temperature is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean, with averages of 28°C (82°F).
Driving is on the right, and the island does not have any stoplights. Maximum speed in urban areas is 40 km/h (25 mph), and outside of town it is 60 km/h (35 mph). Automobiles can be shipped to Bonaire and rental cars are available at the airport and at selected hotels. Reservations are strongly suggested as, especially during peak times, all vehicles may be rented. You can drive around the entire island in a couple of hours! There is an informal bus system on the island that utilizes vans. There are a small number of medium sized tour buses on the island as well. The island has a small fleet of cabs to service cruise ships and the airport.
Lizards, birds, corals, reef fish, sea turtles Historic Slave Shelters Fort Orange built 1639 Indian Rock art Salt flats Mangrove forests Soroban beach, popular with windsurfers 1 Washington Slagbaai National Park, Near Rincon (a car tour takes about 2 hours). a large nature park covering most of the north of the island, featuring dramatic scenery. The 34 km of roads in the park are rough: you will need an offroad vehicle or mountain bike (challenging ride).
Caribe Watersport's Water Taxi, ☏ +599 700 8080. To 09:15/10:15/11:15/12:15/13:15/14:15, From 10:45/11:45/12:45/13:45/14:45/16:45. Catamaran from Karel's Beach Bar to Klein Bonaire. If you are not coming from a cruise ship, you are required to purchase a nature tag (updated Nov 2025) Bonaire is renowned among divers as one of the top shore-diving locations in the world. The reef along the western side of the island has been protected for years and is in excellent condition, offering visitors the opportunity to literally wade in from the beach in front of their hotel and experience an amazing underwater world.
Bonaire has many restaurants and quite varied cuisine given the overall island population. "Aki ta Bende Kuminda Krioyo" will inform a visitor that local-style food is available, generally heavy on soups, stews, fried foods and fish. Traditional foods that may be found on the menu include conch, cacti, wahoo and rock lobster. Much of the fish is caught locally by line fishermen in season. Though traditionally eaten, iguana is not generally served in restaurants. Bonaire has little in fast food, though there is the "smallest KFC franchise outlet in the world" in a shopping plaza by Kralendijk and a Subway sub shop. Check out "Swiss Chalet", a local favorite serving Fondu.
There is little serious crime on Bonaire; however, 911 can be used for emergencies. Secure your bicycles and scooters. Never leave anything of value in your car while diving as break-ins are common. Tap water on the island is perfectly safe for drinking, although bottled water is readily available for those who want it.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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