BONAIRE
Bonaire is one of the three ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. It has been a special Dutch municipality since 2010, which has led to an invasion of Dutch people building holiday homes. Since 1980, large aircraft have been able to land at the airport. Hotels have been built in recent years and cruise ships occasionally pass by. Because almost everything is imported, the cost of living is high, while social services are poor.There has never been an oil refinery on Bonaire, like on Aruba and Curaçao, and the number of inhabitants (about 25,000) is much lower than on the other ABC islands. Papiamento is spoken, and Dutch is a school language for most residents. The island has been popular with snorkelers and divers since the 1960s.
Bonaire has some of the most beautiful diving locations in the world, nowhere in the Caribbean is the underwater world so well preserved. The sea around the island and Klein Bonaire has been a nature reserve since 1979: the Bonaire National Marine Park. There are 60 diving locations, diving schools and strict rules of conduct for divers. Klein Bonaire is a protected nature reserve, where hotels are not allowed to be built. The beaches are a nesting place for sea turtles. A trip to Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited island, is an experience.
On Bonaire you can enjoy water sports, by swimming, sailing, windsurfing, shore diving and snorkeling. Football, volleyball and baseball are also popular.
The capital Kralendijk is small, but atmospheric and has a shopping arcade and several bars and restaurants. Bonaire does not have a vibrant nightlife. In the evenings it is pleasant at the hotels. There are a number of monuments around Plasa Reina Wilhelmina. Fort Oranje (1639) is the oldest structure. All lighthouses are also monuments. The Terramar Museum (700 years of history and archeology of Bonaire) is located in a typical Antillean house from 1860. The small stone slave houses (1850) in the are well-known. salt pans. Country houses are reminiscent of aloe plantations and livestock farming (goats and donkeys).
The oldest settlement on Bonaire is the village Rincon(1525) which was founded by Spaniards. The traditions of Bonaire have been preserved here, in terms of musical instruments, dance, folklore and traditional dishes. The kitchen works with local products: goat meat, corn, iguana and cactus are prepared as stews (stobá) and soups (sopi). Side dishes include rice, beans, fried potatoes, funchi, fried banana, beetroot and peas. Fresh fish is plentiful, except when the sea is too rough to sail out. Refreshing drinks are prepared with lamunchi (lime), tamarind and soursop. Snack and food trucks are available for small snacks.
Typical celebrations on Bonaire are Maskarada, beginning of the year, Dia di Rincon (April 30), San Juan (June 23/24) and San Pedro (June 28/29). Well-known instruments are barí (drum of a wooden barrel) and wiri (rebar that is grated with an iron bar), kwarta (cuatro, mini guitar), bamba (bamboo sticks), kinkon (large shell) and a small hand organ. Tambú was considered an immoral dance and has long been banned.
Because Bonaire has a small population, a relatively large amount of nature has been preserved. To keep it that way, the Washington Slagbaai National Park nature reserve (6,000 hectares) was founded in the north of the island. It consists of hills, cacti, low shrubs, sand dunes, bocas (bays), mangroves, pos (water springs) and saliñas (salt lakes). The Bonaire Museum is located at the entrance of the park. You can walk in the park, there is a motorway and there are mountain bike trails. The beaches are nesting places for sea turtles and red flamingos nest in the salt lakes. Caves provide shelter for bats and Indian petroglyphs can be seen.
Various types of cacti are planted as hedges. Stray donkeys and goats were everywhere and they devoured everything. That is why there are few trees. The kibrahacha (breaks the axe) is bare when it bears bright yellow flowers. Gourd trees used to provide kitchen utensils (bowls, bottles, spoons) and medicines were prepared with them. Animals in the wild are mainly hundreds of species of birds and reptiles (lizards, iguanas). The richest animal life can be found in the mangroves, salt lakes and in the sea, where there are 60 species of coral and 350 species of fish.
Bonaire, the flamingo island, has one of the largest populations in the world. 2000 to 7000 flamingos nest in the Pekelmeer. Tours to the south of the island also often visit the Donkey Sanctuary, a sanctuary for donkeys. A donkey can live for 40 years! There are now about 800 donkeys roaming a large area south of the airport. Donkeys were once used to transport salt bags, tons of water or firewood, and as mounts to cover long distances. They have now been replaced by cars and trucks and caused many collisions on the roads. At the shelter, the donkeys are cared for, fed and given drinking water.
Lac Bay is a shallow lagoon on the east coast, with mangrove forest and coral reef. Here you can take a kayak tour through the mangroves. It is a resting place and breeding area for birds and fish. The seagrass off the coast is food for the green sea turtle.
Would you like to see this with your own eyes? Bonaire, a relaxed island with beautiful coral reefs and small-scale tourism, welcomes you!
| Capital | Kralendijk |
|---|---|
| Population | 25.133 |
| Language | Dutch and Papiamentu |
| Currency | American dollar |
| Visa required | www.visum.nl |
| Vaccination(s) | no |
| Voltage | 127 V |
| Traffic | Right-hand traffic |
