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🇧🇶 ABC Islands · Special Municipality of the Netherlands

Bonaire

The “B” in the ABC islands, in the southern Caribbean Sea just north of Venezuela and east of Curaçao — a diving paradise with a protected marine park circling the entire coastline, and one of the Western Hemisphere's largest flamingo breeding sanctuaries.

114 sq mi island Kralendijk capital +599 7 calling code
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🏛️ Capital: Kralendijk 👥 Population: ~26,600 💵 Currency: US Dollar (USD) 🕐 Time zone: AST (UTC-4) 🚗 Drives on: the Right ☎️ Calling code: +599 7
Get to know it

A Special Municipality of the Netherlands

Bonaire is the “B” in the ABC islands, alongside Aruba and Curaçao, in the southern Caribbean Sea just north of Venezuela. Unlike Aruba and Curaçao, which are semi-autonomous constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bonaire (together with St. Eustatius and Saba) is a special municipality of the Netherlands itself — governed directly from The Hague, with a locally elected Island Council. View map →

The island's entire coastline has been a protected marine park since 1979, making it one of the world's top-rated diving and snorkeling destinations, and its southern salt flats host one of the largest flamingo breeding populations in the Western Hemisphere. Read the full fact sheet →

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Bonaire at a Glance

Nationality: Dutch (Bonairean, locally) · Size: 294 sq km (114 sq mi), plus the small uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire

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Bonaire
🧭 Tourism

Bonaire

Bonaire Tourism From the depths of our pristine waters to the height of our tallest peak, Brandaris, you will feel Bonaire's magic wash over you from the moment you arrive and throughout the days as you become attuned to Bonaire's unhurried pace. You will find that, here on Bonaire, there is a peaceful ambiance for daily life, without the hassle of traffic lights, hustle and bustle, or normal, day-to-day worries. Your only concern will be how to spend each new day you have on Bonaire. Nowhere else is vacationing as easy as on Bonaire, as our warm, friendly people welcome visitors from around the world.

★ Cool factor: An ‘Eco-Friendly’ destination Visit site
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💻 Website Solutions

gandor.tv

gandor.tv specializes in creating, maintaining, hosting and promoting websites in the Caribbean. They are known for their customer service, maintenance packages, fast response, e-commerce, booking systems and social media magic and creation of advertisments.

★ Cool factor: They create, maintain, host and promote websites. Visit site
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire
🌱 Sustainability

Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire Their mission is to ensure that Bonaire's sea turtles have a secure future, and to connect people to sea turtle conservation in ways that inspire caring for nature.

★ Cool factor: They rescue sea turtles Visit site
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📍 Bonaire

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Coolest Carib promotes Caribbean Islands and their tourist services. Advertisers who benefit the most from our services include car rentals, catamaran tours, kitesurfing schools, water-sports rentals, scuba diving centers, beach resorts, hotels, restaurants, scooter rentals, boating excursions etc. The website is mostly viewed by Caribbean travelers and tourists. For more information about our rates and exposure scope view our advertising page.

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Bonaire Tours & Activities

These Bonaire tours or activities are independently operated. After booking, the tour operator will contact you directly with your reservation details.

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Beyond the beaches

5 Fun Facts About Bonaire

The stories behind the postcard — a few things worth knowing before you go.

1

Diving Paradise

Bonaire is consistently rated among the top diving destinations on Earth — crystal-clear water and excellent visibility for both divers and snorkelers, with shore diving accessible almost anywhere around the island.

2

Flamingo Sanctuary

Home to one of the largest flamingo breeding populations in the Western Hemisphere — the salt flats in southern Bonaire are a designated sanctuary where the birds gather by the thousands.

3

Kralendijk, the Capital

A charming, colorful town known for its pastel Dutch colonial architecture, waterfront restaurants and a relaxed pace — easily walkable, with historic sites right along the water.

4

Underwater Marine Park

Bonaire's entire coastline has been protected as the Bonaire National Marine Park since 1979, with strict conservation rules that make it an eco-tourism destination as much as a diving one.

5

Windsurfing Haven

Lac Bay on the island's east side is a hotspot for windsurfing — shallow, warm water and consistent trade winds make it ideal for beginners and experienced riders alike.

Don't miss

Top 10 Things to Do

Ranked by locals — the Bonaire essentials.

  • 11000 Steps Beach (see beaches below)
  • 2The Butterfly Garden
  • 3The Donkey Sanctuary
  • 4Snorkeling at Klein (Little) Bonaire
  • 5Kayak the mangrove forest at Lac Bay
  • 6Visit the pink salt lakes & the slave huts
  • 7Windsurf at Sorobon's shallow waters, or kitesurf at Atlantis Beach
  • 8Terramar Museum
  • 9Hiking at Washington Slagbaai National Park
  • 10Tour the limestone caves
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Plan your trip

Map, Weather & More

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Static Perspective
Bonaire's position in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela and east of Curaçao
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National anthem

“Tera di Solo y Suave Biento”
(Papiamentu: “Land of the Sun and Soft Breeze”)

The serious facts

Bonaire Fact Sheet

Nationality
Dutch — residents are Dutch citizens; locally, people often identify as Bonairean.
Capital
Kralendijk
Geography
Bonaire proper, plus the small, uninhabited islet of Klein Bonaire (Little Bonaire) just offshore.
Size
294 sq km (114 sq mi).
Population
26,552 as of 1 January 2025 (Statistics Netherlands/CBS) — up sharply from the roughly 18,900 recorded in 2015.
Currency & credit cards
US dollar (USD), officially adopted in 2011; major credit cards widely accepted.
Government
Special municipality (public body) of the Netherlands, part of the “Caribbean Netherlands” (BES islands) alongside St. Eustatius and Saba — not a constituent country like Aruba or Curaçao. Governed directly by the Dutch government, with a locally elected 9-member Island Council and a Crown-appointed Lieutenant Governor.
Autonomy history
Until 10 October 2010, Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles. When that entity dissolved, Curaçao and Sint Maarten became separate constituent countries, while Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba were absorbed directly into the Netherlands as special municipalities.
Time zone
Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4) year-round — no daylight saving.
Drives on the
Right
Calling code
+599 7
Religion
Roman Catholic, roughly two-thirds of the population.
Lingo
Dutch and Papiamentu — the widely spoken creole language of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao), derived from African and Portuguese roots with Spanish, Dutch and English influences. Bonaire's own variety is sometimes called Papiamen, distinct from Aruba's Papiamento and Curaçao's Papiamentu.
Climate
Warm, dry and windy — average temperature around 81.5°F (27.5°C), with nearly constant easterly winds averaging 12 knots (22 km/h). Bonaire lies outside the hurricane belt.
Food
Local specialties include kabritu stobá (goat stew), galiña stobá (chicken stew), bakiou stobá (salt codfish stew), keshi yená (cheese and chicken) and funchi (a cornmeal side, similar to polenta) — usually with rice, moro (rice and black beans) or tutu.
Plants
Cacti including candle and prickly pear varieties, plus brasilwood, mesquite acacia, calabash and divi-divi trees; flowering plants include orange flamboyants, bougainvillea, oleander and aloe.
Brief History

Prior to 2010, Bonaire was part of the Netherlands Antilles — a semi-autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising Curaçao, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Saba, governed as a parliamentary democracy modeled on the Dutch system, with free elections held every four years.

On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Curaçao and Sint Maarten became their own constituent countries within the Kingdom, with broad internal autonomy. Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba took a different path: the government of the Netherlands assumed direct public administration of what's now called the Caribbean Netherlands (or BES islands), and the three islands became “special municipalities” — formally part of the Netherlands itself, rather than semi-autonomous partners within the Kingdom.

That distinction still shapes daily life on Bonaire today: residents vote in Dutch elections, use the US dollar rather than a Caribbean-specific currency, and see the island's affairs set largely in The Hague — even as Papiamentu, kabritu stobá and the annual flamingo migration keep Bonaire's own Caribbean identity firmly intact.

Pick your pace

Bonaire Beaches

🏖 1000 Steps

Below a limestone cliff (nowhere near 1,000 actual steps) — coral sand, great snorkeling and diving right off the shore, with a scenic viewpoint just up the road.

🏖 Wayaka 2

A secluded beach inside Washington Slagbaai National Park, with soft sand that sometimes takes on a pink tint and coral steps leading straight into good snorkeling.

🏖 Boka Kokolishi

A small bay named for the kokolishi (conch) shells scattered across the sand, with fossilized shells visible in the surrounding cliffs — a scenic stop inside the National Park.

🏖 Bachelor's Beach

Centrally located, with fine sand and bright turquoise water good for diving and snorkeling — check the tide first, since sand is only exposed at low tide.

🏖 Te Amo Beach

Easy, central access near the airport — soft sand, calm water and a popular spot to meet up for paddleboarding or kayaking tours.

From a local

Caribbean Tip of the Day

Look out when buying bananas in grocery stores or food stalls in the Caribbean - you may actually bite into one and realize it's actually a plantain! Plantains are much better-tasting when cooked, fried or roasted!

Tips by Liz Strauss, an experienced traveler and piano entertainer. www.lizpiano.com · Disclosure

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