What is unique about Bonaire?

Bonaire is a diver's paradise and it also boasts some of the best shore diving on the planet. Night diving is also popular. Bonaire's reefs are so healthy because of strictly enforced protective protocols. This island was way ahead of the curve in environmental protection long before it was fashionable.

What makes Bonaire unique?

Bonaire is a Caribbean experience unmatched in its distinct qualities. A vacation on an island paradise where sun, sea and seclusion are abundant. Imagine quiet beaches surrounded by craggy cliffs. Stunning scenery of unusual plants and trees cooled by the constant trade winds.

What is Bonaire most known for?

Bonaire has been widely recognized for many years in the diving community as one of the world's best shore diving destinations. Bonaire's Marine Park offers a total of 86 named dive sites and is home to over 57 species of soft and stony coral and more than 350 recorded fish species.

Why is the water pink in Bonaire?

The Salt pyramids of Bonaire can be seen when arriving either by sea or by air, each of those is roughly 50-feet high and contains approximately 10,000 metric tons of 99.6% pure salt. As you drive along south road, you will notice the different colors of the water, turning into an intense pink color.

Does Bonaire have fresh water?

The island depended for centuries on only rainwater and well water. But because there is not much rainfall per year, the island has no natural freshwater sources and the population continued to grow, a water scarcity arose in the 1960s. Since then, drinking water has been extracted from seawater.

The Facts You Never Knew about Bonaire

What is Bonaire famous food?

Do people speak English in Bonaire?

Languages & Population

There are four languages spoken on Bonaire today. While Dutch is the official one used in government and legal transactions, Papiamentu is used in daily exchanges and commonly spoken under the locals. English and Spanish are also common.

Are there flamingos in Bonaire?

Pools appear pink against the white salt flats because an abundance of tiny rosy brine shrimp live in the water. The Sanctuary is located on the vast salt pans at the southern end of the island and home to over ten thousand flamingos.

How is salt made in Bonaire?

When the brine reaches between 25 percent and 30 percent salinity it is moved into crystallizer ponds. As the evaporation of water increases the salinity beyond 37 percent, the salt begins to crystallize and precipitate out of the brine solution. Eventually it will form an 8 to 10-inch layer of virtually pure salt.

Why are the salt flats in Bonaire pink?

The Pink Salt Lakes

Salt is a major industry in Bonaire and it's this industry and the process of evaporating sea water that has resulted in the pink lakes. Known as the Salt Pans, the pink lakes are located on the southern side of the island.

What is the island of Bonaire like?

Bonaire is a diver's paradise and it also boasts some of the best shore diving on the planet. Night diving is also popular. Bonaire's reefs are so healthy because of strictly enforced protective protocols. This island was way ahead of the curve in environmental protection long before it was fashionable.

Is Bonaire bigger than Aruba?

Bonaire is a little larger than Aruba in terms of size. It has a width of 3-7 miles and is 24 miles long, but only a little over 15,000 people live there. The main city is Kralendijk. Location Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire are all located in the South Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela.

Who owns Bonaire Island?

Governance. Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba are part of the Netherlands, which is one of four countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The islands are special municipalities of the Netherlands. Unlike normal municipalities, the islands are not part of a Dutch province.

Is Bonaire a nice island?

Nowhere else is vacationing as easy as on Bonaire, as our warm, friendly people welcome visitors from around the world. Next to other activities as, kite surfing, windsurfing and snorkeling, Bonaire continues to be recognized as one of the top destinations worldwide for its sustainable tourism.

Does Bonaire have mountains?

The Brandaris is the highest peak on Bonaire, 241m (784 ft.) high, situated in the Washington Slagbaai National Park.

What is the main industry in Bonaire?

The most important sector of Bonaire's economy is and remains tourism. Many people work in tourism or one of its contributing sectors. Bonaire is seeking to diversify its economy by committing to agriculture and the service sector. Economic activity on Bonaire is growing by an average of 2.8% annually.

Can you bring food to Bonaire?

Not a problem with Customs in Bonaire if you are bringing food for personal consumption. Make sure you check with your airline though if you are planning on packing the food in a cooler.

Where are the salt pyramids?

Bonaire is a tiny 112 square mile island in the Leeward Antilles of the central Caribbean. It lies about 60 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

Why is salt in pyramids?

The unique pyramid shape of the Pyramid Salt is created through the process of solar evaporation of sea water where the water is channeled into a chain of shallow ponds or lagoons and then into large pans where the water is gradually heated, forming the pyramid shapes of the salt.

Can flamingos fly?

Flamingos travel at approximately 35 miles per hour (mph) over short distances, but they can fly upwards of 40 mph during long-distance flights with supportive winds. When flamingos fly, they hold their legs and necks out, often with their bills tipped upwards.

Which Caribbean island has flamingos?

About 10 minutes by boat from the island of Aruba, there is an island owned by the luxury Renaissance hotel chain where flamingos like to roam, and vacationers are able to take a dip with the pink, feathery creatures.

Where is the best place to see flamingos?

They are relatively easy to see in the Bahamas, Aruba, and Cuba, as well as along the coasts of other Caribbean islands and the adjacent coasts of Central and South America. Regular wild vagrants travel as far north as Florida and are often sighted in Everglades National Park or elsewhere in southern Florida.

How safe is Bonaire?

There is violent crime amongst members of the illegal drugs world, but this rarely affects tourists. The main tourist areas are generally safe, but you should take normal precautions. Avoid remote areas at night. Don't take valuables to the beach.

Is tap water in Bonaire safe?

Can you drink tap water in Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao? The answer is yes. Tap water on these former Dutch Antilles islands is distilled from sea water. It is perfectly safe to drink, meeting the highest quality standards of the World Health Organization.

Is Bonaire affordable?

The average price of a 7-day trip to Bonaire is $1,537 for a solo traveler, $2,760 for a couple, and $5,175 for a family of 4. Bonaire hotels range from $72 to $327 per night with an average of $136, while most vacation rentals will cost $20 to $440 per night for the entire home.