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Info Bonaire
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Bonaire is one of the three ABC-islands off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean.It's part of the Netherlands Antilles and is out of reach of the Hurricane Belt. Apart from Curaçao, Bonaire is the largest of the five Netherlands Antilles islands. It's shaped like a boomerang, in the hollow of which lies Little Bonaire,an uninhabited islet of a mere 6 km2 Of the three Leeward Islands, tourists will go to Bonaire for an aquatic holiday: it's pure paradise for sailing, diving, snorkeling, kayaking and wind and kite surfing. Bonaire is also known as Divers Paradise, because of its wonderful, natural coral reefs and underwater world. Bonaire is unique in that you can reach many of the coral reefs straight from the beach. Bonaire is also noted for its many flamingo's and wild donkeys. It adds one roadsign to those familiar to the Dutch: "Caution: donkeys on road!"   Bonaire has a rich historical past. Kralendijk, Bonaire's capital, is a derivation of "Koralendijk ("Coral dike)". The second and oldest town is Rincon, meaning "uithoek (outpost)" in Spanish. This town is located in the higher regions of the north-west. Kralendijk has several historic buildings, e.g. Fort Oranje, the Bestuurskantoor and the Marktgebouw. In the town centre you will find Kaya Grandi, the main street, with shops mainly in souvenirs. There are also a few supermarkets at hand, where you won't find Dutch products for the wanting. Taking a stroll along the sea-side on the Kaya Craane, you will come across several little restaurants and bars. Here you will also find scores of sailing boats anchored off the boulevard. If you follow the boulevard you will come to the Harbour Village Marina, a beautiful yacht facility just short of a secluded and beautiful stretch of beach harbouring "Bongo's", a really great beach tent  Een mooie jachthaven met iets verderop een intiem en mooi strandje met een zeer leuke strandtent genaamd Bongo's. For nature lovers there's the Wahington Slagbaai National Park. You'll have a wonderful view from the hills in the north of the park. A number of routes has been set out for you to explore by car, but there are also routes for hiking and climbing as well. Maps and guides are available at the entrance to the park. The park offers you a large number of iguana's and birds (amongst which the said flamingo's) to admire, as well as beautiful bays and beaches At the south of the island you'll find the renowned slave huts; still in original state, unaltered. They are located by the saltpans. Which is also where you'll find Lac Bay, a bay with a beautiful beach where the locals tend to go and where there's a lot of surfing. A real must is the "Mangrove Info and Kayak Center" on Lac Bay. A beautiful stretch of nature where you can embark on a guided kayak tour.  Bonaire has a very agreeable climate all year long, with average temperatures of 28 to 31 degrees. Thanks to the relatively low humidity and the east wind, there's always an airy, non-oppressive feeling to the weather. On average the water temperature is 27 degrees. The high sun can be a real hazard to the skin, so take care and rub on that sun screen. |
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