Top Things to do in Bonaire
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What to do and see in Bonaire, Bonaire: The Best Places and Tips
Are there more flamingos than people on Bonaire? It's possible, and it's part of this unspoiled island's appeal. Bring your binoculars and your scuba gear to make the most of Bonaire's natural charms: more than 200 different species of birds live here, and the island itself draws divers from around the world to its reef-lined coast, a National Maritime Park.
Restaurants in Bonaire
1. Mangrove Information Center Kayak & Snorkel Excursions
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
The Mangrove Information Center is an excursion center. Visitors to the center learn about the mangroves, one of the most unknown and most endangered environments on our planet. The Mangrove Information Center offers guided kayak and solar boat tours through the beautiful mangrove forest of Lac Bay on Bonaire's western coastline. Meet the enthusiastic and knowledgeable crew who will take you out on a guided tour by either kayak or solar boat. The center has single or double "sit-on-top" kayaks, easy to handle, especially for beginners. The solar boat has an electric-driven outboard so there's no noise and no pollution! Elly Albers
Reviewed By Bill99F - Montreal, Canada
We enjoyed the kayak tour of Lac Bay's mangrove forest. Snorkling on the edge of the mangroves and seeing the juvenile fish was different and fun. We got a good feeling for the ecology, the importance of mangroves and seagrasses to the ocean cycle of life. Thank you Lucky Luke.
2. Bonaire National Marine Park
Overall Ratings
5 based on 1 reviews
Popular area that boasts countless dive sites, many reachable from shore, and more than 70 sites with boat moorings.
Reviewed By Barry S
It’s a park... yes it has dive sites, if they are open as on our visit all diving and snorkelling was closed down, take the visitor guide with a pinch of salt as it over sells the area big time, a must see beach to have a picnic on was definitely not a must see and don’t bother taking a beach umbrella!
All that said it’s worth seeing the park if you are into nature but take a SUV or 4x4 we had a minivan and it struggled to cope with the terrain.
3. The Cadushy Distillery
Overall Ratings
5 based on 484 reviews
Open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and on Cruise ship days. Have you ever tried drinking a cactus? Don’t miss this special experience when you’re on Bonaire! The Cadushy Distillery produces something you would have never imagined: excellent liqueur, made out of cactus. Entrance to the Cadushy Distillery including a tour with explanation of the process and including the tasting of their liqueurs is entirely free! The only thing you need to bring is your good mood ;-)
Reviewed By FloridaFolks55 - Florida
We were thinking about the Cadushy Distillery tonight. It has been 9 months since our visit while on a cruise. The bottle we bought and brought back is almost empty and we would like more. We would only serve it for special occasions. It is as delicious as it was when we first opened it. We drove there in a rental car and it was worth it.
4. Klein Bonaire
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 727 reviews
Surrounded by reefs, it's a popular picnic spot and jumping off point for dives.
Reviewed By Andrew R - Langley City, Canada
Came in on a cruise and took the earliest water taxi we could find over to the island. We hopped in to the drift snorkel immediately, and then enjoyed the beach & water for a couple hours thereafter. Easily the nicest beach I've ever been to.
By around 1:30pm, the floods of people started arriving, so we headed off to explore the town.
5. Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 765 reviews
In 1993 Dutch Nationals, Marina Melis and her husband Ed Koopman, established a donkey sanctuary on Bonaire for sick, wounded and orphaned donkeys: Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire. The primary objective of Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire is to offer a sheltered, protected life to all the donkeys of Bonaire. Our information about the lives and experiences of donkeys is also raising awareness amongst the local community, schools and tourists. At this moment there are more than 400 donkeys living in Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire. They are provided with food, drinking water and medical care and have plenty of room and freedom. When a report arrives about a live wild donkey in distress, volunteers are sent to the rescue. Sick and wounded animals are nursed and, where necessary, a vet is called upon to give medical attention. Orphaned foals are raised with a baby bottle. All stallions that arrive at the sanctuary are castrated to avoid expansion of the numbers of donkeys in care. Once the animals are recovered, they are lucky enough to spend the rest of their lives lovingly cared for at Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire. In all the years Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire has been active, a lot has already been achieved. Hundreds of donkeys were saved from the streets in miserable condition and were given a safe life in the sanctuary. Too bad there were also many donkeys that suffered from so severe illness or injuries, that they could not be cured. Donkey Sanctuary Bonaire paid for these animals the cost of putting them to sleep by a vet, so at least they were released from suffering any longer.
Reviewed By jackelv - Scotland
A wonderful place to visit which is not well advertised by the Tour Operators enough at the Port, if you visit Bonaire on a Cruise. However if you request a visit, they will include it. You can incorporate a tour of the sanctuary, the flamingos and the sea salt Mountains (this was what we personally requested rather than the normal tours.. We went with Voyager Bonaire and they were excellent. Remember to purchase the carrots prior to the tour. It is truly a wonderful place to visit with a lovely, good quality gift shop, with unusual gifts to help support the upkeep of the donkey. If you love animals, this is the place for you. They donkeys re extremely tame and my two young daughters and 4 adults would have been happy to stay here for the day. We should commend the wonderful work this lady has done for the donkeys. A great day out and you will do something of benefit at the same time. Please visit.
6. Terramar Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 141 reviews
Terramar Museum is a new historical museum on Bonaire. Let us take you on a journey through time and experience history like you never have before! Inside you will find a spectacular exhibition guiding you through 7,000 years of Caribbean and Bonairean history. Enter a world of fascinating artifacts, listen to long forgotten tales, and discover the past from a different perspective.
Reviewed By bolster_11 - Cannington, ontario, Canada
We visited the Terramar Museum in early February as part of our two week stay in Bonaire. We learned a great deal about the early history, slave trade, shipping history, and colonial development of Bonaire. We especially liked the section on coral reef preservation and restoration in Bonaire. This is a first rate local museum and great contributes to a wider understanding of the whole Bonaire experience.
7. Bari Reef
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 369 reviews
Great place to spot exotic sealife.
Reviewed By A-JJonassen - Cottingham, United Kingdom
Lots of marine life round the sunken pier and we landed in the midst of a baitball being herded by giant tarpoons
Better snorkeling than described anywhere
We saw barracudas, moray eel and the tarpoons as well as an abundance of the most common reef fish of Bonaire
8. Lac Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 896 reviews
Mangroves and a small fishing village on the eastern part of the island.
Reviewed By sasscats - Grafton
Great place for those who windsurf, like shallow water, cant swim well, geriatrics,typical beach boy hang out, and limited. I wish the tourist site mentioned this is not the place to go to for swimming. More than half the water is over taken with the windsurfers. I guess it was a let down for me.....no real place to swim
Nothing like the picture shown on the Bonaire website. Yes the water is breathtaking beautiful, warm,calm and shallow. Yes they mention windsurfing and it is the place to go to if you want to learn or do it. If you don't you are limited on how far to go out. Even though they tell you can.........but who wants their head cut open on a board fin?. You can rent chairs but get their early. You can easily walk in the water it is sandy but there are rocks as well. You can eat and drink there as well.
If you like Lobster get it! well worth it. It is the place to be and to hang out if that is your thing.
9. Salt Pier
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 197 reviews
Dive site that requires a local divemaster with Harbor Master's permission.
Reviewed By Elaine W - Scotland, United Kingdom
Driving along the road that divides the pier from the salt flats, is spectacular, it’s like huge fields of varying shades of pink with the salt Crystals glistening and twinkling like a hard frost in Scotland very unusual and pretty, then the Mountains of harvested salt, on the opposite side is the pier, basically a huge conveyor for loading the salt on to ships.
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