Here are some brief facts and background on Bonaire courtesy of the Caribbean Travel Magazine website
HIGHLIGHTS
- Visiting the forlorn slave huts at Rode Pan
- Learning to wind surf at Jibe City
- Night diving at Kralendijk's Town Pier
- Picnicking among the birds at Washington-Slagbaai Park
- Dancing and drinking at Karel's
OVERVIEW
A visit to Bonaire is really a visit to its surrounding waters. The Bonaire Marine Park, which encompasses the entire coastline down to a depth of 200 feet, boasts countless dive sites, many reachable from shore, and more than 70 sites with boat moorings. Bonaire and satellite Klein Bonaire together are one of the most popular dive destinations in the world due to the variety of sea life and ideal diving conditions with dependable 100-foot-plus visibility. Shore diving is the order of the day, every day, and as you drive around the island you'll regularly see scuba enthusiasts traipsing in and out of the water at dive site entry points marked by yellow-painted stones.
After spending enough time underwater to make your fingertips wrinkle, check out the flamingo colonies that clock to Goto Meer, a saltwater lake in the north. The salt flats at Rode Pan are another favorite hangout of the shrimp-pink birds, which can number up to 15,000. The slave huts in the background are somber reminders that even little Bonaire was tainted by slavery.
Bird-watchers will delight in Bonaire's Washington-Slagbaai National Park. Quite a few of the 130 bird species have been spotted at the two observation areas. Dirt roads crisscross the more than 13,500 protected acres of the park, making getting around easy.
If you've had enough of Bonaire's relaxed pace, venture to Jibe City on the western shore to watch world-class wind surfers rocket across the shallows where annual pro competitions are held. You may even want to take a lesson yourself.
There is little nightlife on Bonaire, and though the food is good, the restaurants will not herald kudos from Wolfgang Puck. Bonaire is an island for naturalists and divers.
GEOGRAPHY
Topography: Flat and rocky in the south with low rolling hills in the north and a desert climate. Bonaire, from an Amerindian word meaning "low country," has one of the most pristine ecosystems in the world, including a notable reef system. The waters surrounding the island and Klein Bonaire, the uninhabited island a quarter-mile offshore, are designated as a marine park.
Climate: Very stable year-round. Dry and sunny with a constant breeze and temperatures in the 80s during the day, 70s at night. The so-called rainy season is November through March; the island averages just 22 inches of rainfall annually. The average water temperature is 80? F
HISTORY
In 1499, Amerigo Vespucci landed on Bonaire. It was not long afterward that the Spaniards stripped the island of its divi-divi trees, prized for their red dye, and the residents, the Arawaks, who were exported to Spain as slaves.
In 1634, Dutch settlers took over the island. The Dutch West India Company was established to control economic ventures such as corn harvesting and cow rearing. For a short period in the early 1800s, the British controlled Bonaire, but by 1816, it was Dutch again. In 1954, Bonaire became a self-governing partner, along with Aruba and Curacao, in the kingdom of the Netherlands.
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Photo: Laura C.S. Walker
