Bonaire is a paradise for divers. So if you are looking for an ideal place to take your first steps in the underwater world, if you want to learn, or just dive in wonderful conditions, this island is for you.

Besides diving Bonaire has so much more to offer! The wonderful, colorful capital city of Kralendijk with the most beautiful sunsets, Rincon with many interesting facts about Bonaire and island life and the salt pyramids are just some of the attractions that Bonaire.

This is the second largest of the three ABC islands has to offer. It is located 96 km from the cost of Venezuela in the central Caribbean.

Bonaire is an island that takes great care of its coastline and there is an absolute ban on anchoring. Thanks to these measures the coral reef can be seen practically ashore, so if you are not a fan of diving you can snorkel ashore and be sure that you will see an amazing underwater world.

In this post you will learn about ten places on the Bonaire that you must visit during your stay on this amazing island.

Bonaire is the second largest island in the ABC Caribbean archipelago, and the second island we visited during our tour of these amazing islands. We will surely remember the beautiful sunsets and the numerous donkeys that inhabit the island.

This island is also in our opinion the wildest one of the ABC-Islands, so if you do not like crowds and prefer a more local vibe, Bonaire will surely make you happy.

#1 Kralendijk

Visit the charming capital of Bonaire. It is full of colorful buildings, souvenir stores, bars, galleries and several restaurants and ice cream shops. The city center is quiet, you will not see crowds of tourists here.

Kralendijk is basically one main street going through the center of town and another street right by the sea with an interesting promenade from which we were able to admire the most amazing sunsets.

Stroll through the colorful buildings, admire the beautiful murals, buy souvenirs for your loved ones, eat the best ice cream while admiring the sunset. Time passes slowly in this amazing place.

#2 Rincon

Discover Rincon, the oldest settlement in the remote interior of the island. The village was created by the Spanish in the interior of the island for a reason, to protect it from pirate attacks.

Go to the Magazina di Rei for an amazing exhibition about the rich heritage of Rincon, and admire the oldest house on the island. Admission is only $5 and we were alone for the entire stay, so we could easily delve into the history of this amazing town and its people.

#3 Old Slave Huts

These are huts that were used as a place to sleep and store the personal items of slaves who worked in the salt ponds. The huts were a kind of camping, as every Friday the slaves would go to their family homes in Rincon to spend the weekend together.

The cottages stand right on the seashore, so they make an amazing backdrop for photos, despite their terrible history. With their existence they remind us of the repressive past.

#4 Salt Pyramids

At the southestern end of the island you can admire even from afar the salt pyramids, which are 99.6% pure salt, and each pyramid is over 15 m high. In addition to the pyramids you can also see the pink salt pans where salt is produced.

At one time Bonaire was the center of the Dutch trade in salt. And in these salt ponds worked the slaves living in slave huts. Salt pyramids are one of the attractions on the island and even from a distance they look amazing.

#5 Pink Beach

This is a tiny beach, with only a few meters of sandy entrance to the sea. Because the beach is so small, it is not very popular among tourists, so you can be sure that you will be here alone, except maybe a few lizards, which are very fond of this place.

We found this beach by accident, driving to the Old Slave Huts we noticed a row of palm trees at which we wanted to take a picture.

Entrance is free, there are no toilets or other facilities here.

#6 Bachelor Beach

It’s hard for us to even call this place a beach, because it’s more like a cliff with small steps that lead down to the beach, which is completely covered by the waves time after time.

Nevertheless it is one of the most beautiful places on the island and should definitely be on your list. In addition to its incredibly photogenic nature, this place has some of the most beautiful waters on all of Bonaire.

Take a few minutes to relax in the incredibly turquoise and crystal clear waters.

The entrance is public, there are no restrooms, no stores and no bar, but there are a few tables for a picnic.

#7 Donkey Beach

It’s divided into two areas, one where you can easily camp, sunbathe and get into the water. And one where it’s easier to admire the place from the shore because to enter the water can be difficult due to the rocky coastline.

Whichever option you choose, you can be sure of unforgettable views.

Entrance is free, but there are no toilets on site. There is a food truck at 11 AM from Monday to Friday, at the place where access to the water is difficult.

#8 Te Amo Beach

This is the only beach on Bonaire with such a large, sandy shoreline. This place is loved by tourists, but you don’t have to worry about lack of space. On this beach is enough space for everyone. The water, as in every place on Bonaire, is incredibly blue and very clear.

Access to the beach is free, there are no toilets or other facilities here.

#9 Lac Cai Beach

At the very entrance to this beach it may not look very appealing, mainly because of the rocky shore and very strong waves. However, go further inland, past the souvenir and food stalls and the beach looks more promising.

If you go through the shallow water just a little bit further, you will see a small island ideal for resting and taking a dip in the water.

The place is practically empty, besides us on the spot we met only a few people. Entrance to the beach is free, there is a toilet and a bar.

Before you leave this place be sure to take a close look at the incredible pyramid with huge Queen conch shells that were home to large sea snails. Remember that collecting or taking these shells is strictly forbidden.

#10 1000 Steps beach

Don’t let this number scare you, it only takes about 80 steps to get to this beach. After a little effort, you will arrive at a beach that consists entirely of coral reefs and rocks, and beautiful turquoise water.

This place is perfect for snorkeling, because even from the shore you can see huge fish, and the water is completely clear. On the left side there are amazing cliffs, but the view from the top is unforgettable.

Entrance to the beach is free, but there are no toilets or other facilities here. Parking on site is very limited.

Due to our budget we often cooked our own meals and shopped at the great store Van Den Tweel. Nevertheless, we did not miss the opportunity to visit a few local restaurants.

• El Mundo | Delicious Mexican food
• Exito | Affordable lunch
• Karels | Romantic sunset dinner
• Luciano‘s | Delicious ice cream

Unfortunately Bonaire does not offer a public transportation, so the only solution to explore this amazing island is to rent a car. We rented one from a small, local company and were very happy with our choice. Prins Car Rental was uncomplicated and the prices were very transparent.

Uber doesn’t work there either, so if you want to save money arrange a shuttle with an Airbnb host, or hotel you’re staying at to get from the airport.

The best time to visit Bonaire is from January to September. But form May to October are fewer crowds, and the prices are lower, so consider these option for your dream vacation. Bonaire is located outside of the hurricane belt so don‘t worry about that.

We weren’t happy with our Airbnb, so we can’t recommend you a decent place. We did have the opportunity to spend a few nights at the Hotel Central in the city centre and it was pretty decent.

A standard visa is valid for all 6 islands and allows multiple entry for a maximum period of 90 days within 180 days. The maximum uninterrupted stay in one of the individual countries is 30 days.

To stay as mobile as possible on the road, it is important to have a SIM card with which you can have internet almost everywhere.

We used the Digicel offer and were very satisfied with it. You can buy an appropriate SIM card at the airport directly after passport control and get online right away. You can check the latest offers online at Digicel .

In our experience, Bonaire was more expensive than the neighboring islands of Aruba and Bonaire, especially for accommodation. This may also be due to the smaller offer. The prices are per person and Taxi (host airport pickup), except for the accommodation, Taxi and car, which we rent for 2 people.

Accommodation: $71 / night

Restaurant: $9 – $33 / meal

Pleasure: $3 – $9 / event

Car: $42 / day

Taxi: $14 / ride

Activity: $5 / event