Bonaire

Bonaire is the quietest of the ABC islands and a special municipality of the Netherlands. It is famous among divers: the entire coastline is protected by the Bonaire National Marine Park, created in 1979, and you can walk straight off the beach onto healthy coral reefs at dozens of marked sites. Even the island's license plates say "Diver's Paradise."

Inland, the south of the island is covered with bright pink salt pans, small stone slave huts from the salt trade, and one of the Caribbean's largest flamingo breeding sanctuaries at Pekelmeer.

Photo: Bgabel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Bonaire has direct flights from the US and the Netherlands, and short connections from Curaçao and Aruba. From Jamaica, you will usually connect through Curaçao, Miami or another regional hub.

Check entry requirements for your passport before you go.

Bonaire is nothing like Jamaica. It is dry, flat, very small and very quiet, with a population of around 25,000 people and no big resorts or nightlife. The whole island is built around nature, especially the ocean.

Instead of beach parties, you will find divers loading tanks into pickup trucks and driving to marked sites along the coast. Lac Bay, on the east side, is known for windsurfing and kiteboarding. Papiamentu and Dutch are spoken, along with English and Spanish.

Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

• Shore dive or snorkel at marked sites like 1000 Steps.
• Visit the flamingos at the Pekelmeer sanctuary and nearby salt flats.
• Windsurf at Lac Bay, even as a beginner.
• Explore Washington Slagbaai National Park by car.
• Take a water taxi to Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited island with a beautiful beach.
• Visit the Donkey Sanctuary, home to hundreds of rescued donkeys.

Bonaire is good all year, with dry weather and low hurricane risk.

Most hotels and dive resorts are along the west coast, north and south of Kralendijk, where you can dive right from the property's own dock. Apartments and villas with kitchens are popular, because many visitors dive all day and cook in the evening. Sorobon, on Lac Bay, is the choice for windsurfers. Staying in or near Kralendijk puts you within walking distance of restaurants and the waterfront. Renting a pickup truck is the classic Bonaire way to haul your dive gear.

• Currency: US dollar
• Languages: Papiamentu and Dutch, with English and Spanish widely spoken
• Driving: right-hand side; watch for wild donkeys and goats on the roads
• Best for: divers, snorkelers, windsurfers, birdwatchers and people who want peace and quiet

All divers and snorkelers must pay a nature fee that supports the marine park. Washington Slagbaai National Park in the north has rugged trails, lagoons and more flamingos.