Pristine Bonaire

When headed to the ABC islands from the DR, we were not originally planning on stopping in Bonaire and went directly to Curacao. However, many cruisers we met highly recommended we visit so we decided to set sail 38 miles to our final destination travelling East. Although the trip took us a mere 18 hours to do in a transit overnight, it was worth every minute. 

Bonaire is known as one of the top three places to dive in the world due to it's many colourful coral reefs and protected marine life. You are not able to anchor in Bonaire as the entire island is a protected Marine sanctuary. We got lucky in finding a mooring ball in high demand directly in front of the town. The water here was crystal clear so much so that you could dive or snorkel directly off the boat and see beautiful marine life. Multiple times a day we would find ourselves in the water as it was too beautiful to pass up. 

The town itself was much better then what we were expecting. Littered with quaint waterfront restaurants and shops, there was always something to see or do, All restaurants and bars offers and amazing happy hour from 5pm-7pm and you could get the COLDEST draft Heineken beer on tap while watching the sun set sink into the horizon. There was also many delicious culinary treats from freshly caught seafood to authentic dutch cuisine to please any pallet. 

We decided to rent a pickup truck to explore the island and national park. The park was basically a giant dessert full of cactus, protected birds including the pink flamingo and exotic parrot along with wild goats and donkeys. We took a hike to the highest mountain in Bonaire where we could get an incredible view of the island. Our adrenaline was pumping when we found a cliff to jump off of! We also snorkelled in some beautiful clear waters and spotted many large and colourful parrotfish. We ended the day with exploring the only other settlement of on the island and went to a local restaurant for a traditional  locally prepared dish. 

On our final night, we attended a sea turtle conservation gathering where we learned a lot about the creatures we have come to love all over the Caribbean, Turtles come to Bonaire to hatch their nests and you can see them set up all over the beach. Ask us more if you would like to learn about these beautiful reptiles. 

Sadly out time in Bonaire has ended and we will be making the 120 mile downwind trek to Aruba. We will forever remember our time here and have once again gained a true appreciation for nature!