Bonaire

December 2015

Bonaire is a very small island. The population is just under 20,000. The currency used is US Dollars (very similar to other Caribbean islands) and the weather is sunny and hot all year round.

My first glimpse of Bonaire was from being sat on the back of a truck taking us on an excursion to the mangroves. The truck took us on dusty sand lanes, past small houses and random donkeys. The donkeys aren’t native to Bonaire but were apparently brought here hundreds of years ago by the Spanish.

There is a donkey sanctuary on the island. Maybe worth a visit?

We also passed flamingos…

The short ride filled us with excitement at the thought of getting on a small boat out on a lagoon. What may we see!! We pulled up at a beautiful setting. The water was all different colours…green, blue and clear. We hopped on a small eco dinghy and sailed into the mangroves. I was slightly disappointed. We saw no turtles or any wildlife. I think my expectations were too high.

The lagoon was beautiful though and we saw maybe another 4 other people by the lagoon. Two people were on horseback riding into the water and another two were snorkelling. It was like something out of a film set in paradise.

Bonaire is great for water sports. Get your snorkel on and go spot that marine life!

We had the chance to ‘chill out’ for a short while and we were advised that we could swim in the water and there was a potential to see turtles.

Next to the water we also spied millions of empty shells discarded. We were told that they were kept there as a reminder of the impact of overfishing.

The guides told us about the island and how small it actually is. One of our guides had come over from Holland for a gap year and he had only been here for a few months. He was finding it difficult, as the island was quite isolating.

Also, we were informed that the one and only Richard Branson likes to holiday here…if it’s good enough for RB…it’s good enough for me!

If I had more time on the island I would definitely hit the beach, go snorkelling and have a relaxing day. There isn’t much to do on Bonaire. However, it is like paradise. A little hidden caribbean gem.

Until next time Bonaire…