Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port is perhaps the most “chilled” of the cruise ports in the ABC islands. Known as the “Diver’s Paradise”, Bonaire has pristine reefs and abundant marine life close to the shore, so are perfect for snorkelers as well. So in this guide, I’ll share the top things to do near Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port, as well as those slightly further afield, such as snorkelling in Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited island. If you’re interested in nature, then you’ll meet flamingoes, iguanas and lizards. Or see the salt flats, still actively producing sea salt today for locals and for export.
Note: Bonaire, part of the so-called “ABC Islands“, with its neighbours Aruba and Curaçao were part of the Netherlands Antilles. The Netherlands Antilles (aka Dutch Antilles) was officially dissolved in 2010. I see lots of online guides still referring Bonaire as part of the Dutch Antilles but it technically doesn’t exist anymore! Unlike Aruba and Curaçao, Bonaire is not a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire is a “special municipality” of the Netherlands. Bonaire largely self-governs though.
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Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward
Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port is right in the middle of Kralendijk’s town centre itself! Here’s why I rated a DIY excursion 😎😎😎😎 Straightforward:
- Walking Distance to Kralendijk: Kralendijk itself is a stone’s throw from the cruise port. What’s to see in Kralendijk are all within walking distance to each other, so you can easily do a DIY walking tour in Kralendijk.
- Water Taxis to Klein Bonaire: If you’re a confident snorkeler, there’s water taxis to Klein Bonaire, one of the best snorkelling and diving sites in the Caribbean.
- 3 Minutes to Beach: If you just want to swim, then the ChaChaCha beach is literally next door to the cruise port. You can literally disembark and (almost) jump straight into the crystal clear turquoise waters!
I didn’t rate it Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port as 😎😎😎😎😎 Easy Peasy for DIY cruisers because the most famous things to see on Bonaire aren’t easily accessible unless you rent a car for the day or join a tour. Granted, Bonaire is a small island but nonetheless, I’m surprised that besides organised tours, there’s not more sustainable means of transport to ferry the daily stream of cruise passengers around the same sights. There’s not even a hop-on-hop-off bus. So when I talk about the top things to see and do in Bonaire, I’ll be talking about what tours you’ll be expected to find as well.
Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need to Know
- Currency: Official currency is USD$
- Language: Official language is Dutch but most widely spoken languages are English and Papiamentu, with some Spanish also spoken
- Official Website: Official tourism board is Bonaireisland.com
- Taxis on Bonaire: Tourism board recommends official taxis at Bonaire Taxi, which can easily be booked online. The taxis do not operate on a meter but based on a fare zone. You can use the app to find out how much a taxi will cost.
- Visitor Entry Tax: If you see this mentioned elsewhere online, don’t be alarmed! Since July 2022, all cruise passengers visiting Bonaire need to pay a US$10 tax. Your cruise line is responsible for collecting and paying the tax, so you would already have paid it, bundled into the “fees and charges” line, when you paid for your cruise. For non-cruise passengers, the fee is US$75. If you read the $75 number online, it doesn’t apply to cruise passengers!
- eSim for roaming in Bonaire: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout – if you’re on a Caribbean cruise, then buy the Island Hopper, valid in 27 Caribbean Islands!
Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port Map
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Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port: Top Things to Do
1. Explore Colourful Kralendijk
The historic centre of Kralendijk is known for its colourful Dutch colonial buildings, quite similar in style to Willemstad Curaçao (also a former Dutch colony) nearby. The Main Street, Kaya Grandi, is the first cross street if you walk straight ahead after disembarking off your ship. It’s lined with shops, restaurants and historic buildings.
If you’d like to do a DIY Walking Tour of Kralendijk, there’s more details in a separate section below – “Kralendijk Bonaire DIY Walking Tour“
2. Dive or Snorkel in Klein Bonaire
Klein Bonaire (“Little Bonaire”) is a small, uninhabited island just off the coast of Bonaire. (It’s close enough that you can see it from your ship, when it’s docked at Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port.)
Klein Bonaire is known for its pristine beaches, world-class diving and snorkelling with vibrant marine life, all easily accessible from Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port. The water is crystal clear, with visibility up to 100 feet. There’s very little current and minimal wave action, so it’s an ideal spot to snorkel, even if you’ve never snorkelled before. There’s a lot to see underwater! From parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, and barracudas, to Spot turtles, eels, rays and sometimes even a harmless reef shark.
Got your own gear and experienced snorkeler? Then you can just catch a water taxi from the cruise port and get dropped off by Klein Bonaire. And off you go! Don’t want to bring your own gear? If you don’t want to bring your own snorkel and fins on holidays (and take up so much space in your luggage), then I would suggest joining a snorkelling tour, even if you’re an experienced snorkeler. I found that local rental prices for mask, snorkel and fins to be about US$20. Add on the return water taxi (US$25 per person), the difference to joining a tour is rather marginal. Plus, you’ll be taken to the best spots for snorkelling straight away and usually beverages are included.
Snorkeling Tours leave just outside the cruise port. Not a confident swimmer? Then try snorkelling with a sea-scooter! You’ll be given a life vest and the sea-scooter will propel you through the water and help you swim. They’re very easy to use, so you can explore underwater without having to actually do any work!
3. See the Pink Beach
The Pink Beach on the southwest coast of Bonaire, is known for its unique rosy sand. The pink hue on the beach front does vary depending on the time of year. The pink colour comes from tiny marine creatures called foraminifera, which have red shells and when they die, the shells wash ashore and mix with the white sand, creating the pink tint.
You’ll see a beautiful beach with exceptionally clear water with lots of marine life. But as you can see from the drone footage above 👆, the beach is that wide. Unfortunately, the much of the pink sand was washed away during Hurricane Lenny in 1999.
What you do see are the pink salt flats close to the beach. Bonaire’s salt flats have been in operation for centuries, producing salt for local consumption and export. The process involves pumping seawater into shallow ponds, where it evaporates, leaving behind salt crystals. The slave huts nearby have been preserved. Join a 3-hour tour from the cruise port or you’ll need to rent a car for the day. If you’d like to stay to use the beach, note that there’s no facilities at Pink Beach.
4. Discover Bonaire’s Natural Wonders
Besides the Pink Beach and the salt flats, there’s lots of other natural wonders in Bonaire. Many cruisers who want to explore further afield rent a car for the day, and you’ll find a few rental car shops just outside the cruise port. Otherwise, there’s a huge choice of third party local tour operators, if you don’t see any cruise line excursions that you like. Here’s the most popular natural wonders in Bonaire, all are less than 30 minutes’ drive away:
- 1,000 Steps: Don’t worry, despite its name, the staircase has only 67 steps! 1,000 steps is a picturesque beach and dive site located on the west coast of Bonaire. The limestone staircase winds down a cliffside and you’ll find a secluded cove with white sand and crystal-clear water at the bottom. Tours to 1,000 steps will also take you to the nearby GotoLake, with a chance to see flamingos 🦩. Otherwise, you can also see Flamingos at the south side of the island (see below).
- Washington Slagbaai National Park: Covering a fifth of the island, the Park is perfect for off-road driving. There’s a network of dirt roads and you’ll see loads of iguanas, lizards, flamingos, herons and pelicans. There’s secluded beaches for swimming and snorkelling. Full day tours’ itineraries here.
- Flamingo Sanctuary: The Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary is home to a large population of flamingos 🦩. “Pekelmeer” means “salt lake” in Dutch. So you’ll see them in a large salt lagoon surrounded by mangroves. You can’t go into the lagoon itself but there’s elevated observation deck where you can easily see them.
Kralendijk Bonaire DIY Walking Tour
1. Fort Oranje
Built in 1639, Fort Oranje is the oldest structure on Bonaire! It was originally constructed by the Dutch West India Company to protect the island from pirates. It looks relatively new because significant renovations have been made, with a lighthouse tower added in 1932.
Today, Fort Oranje houses the Public Prosecutor’s Office but you can walk around the fort and see the cannons, which are actually British, savaged from a British warship that ran aground in the early 1800s!
2. Bonaire Museum of Natural History
The museum is housed in a beautifully restored 19th century plantation house called “Casa Rosada”, about 15 minutes walk from Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port. The museum is small and I would visit more to look at the plantation house, rather than the museum’s collection.
No grand plantation houses remain on Bonaire in the way you might find on other Caribbean Islands. Bonaire’s main crops were dye wood and salt and did not generate the kind of concentrated wealth that sugar cane plantations generated elsewhere in the Caribbean.
- Opening Hours: Open 10am – 4pm when a ship is docked. The museum is free to enter.
3. Terramar Museum
The Terramar Museum, about 5 minutes walk from Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port, is all about Bonaire’s history. Terramar covers both Caribbean and Bonaire history.
The first inhabitants of Bonaire were likely nomadic tribes skilled in fishing and hunting, from South America. The Caquetio people, an Arawak tribe, established permanent settlements on Bonaire around 1,000 AD. They developed agriculture, growing crops like maize and created distinctive pottery and rock art. So there’s lots of archaeological artefacts, including pottery, tools and skeletal remains, on display at the Terramar.
The museum also explores the impact of European colonisation on Bonaire, with exhibits on the slave trade, the plantation economy and how island life has changed since Alonso de Ojeda claimed the island for Spain in 1499. (The Spanish largely ignored Bonaire. It wasn’t until the Dutch West India Company took possession of Bonaire in 1636 that a plantation economy developed.)
- Opening Hours: Officially Monday to Friday from 9am to 2pm. If you’re visiting on weekends on a cruise ship, the museum is usually open.
- Tickets: US$10 adults. Free for kids under 12.
4. Bon Sea Semi Submarine
The Bon Sea Semi Submarine is a semi-submersible that takes 12 passengers around the reefs close to Bonaire cruise port. I put this as part of the DIY walking tour as the submersible departs just a short walk away from Bonaire cruise port. It’s kids friendly and perfect for those who want to see the marine life around the Bonaire coast without getting wet!
- Opening Hours: Hourly tours from 10am to 2pm when cruise ships are docked
- Tickets: US$25 adults – prebook online as there’s only room for about 60 cruisers at full capacity
5. Bonaire Arts & Crafts Cruise Market
Reserve your souvenir shopping at the Bonaire Arts & Crafts Cruise Market, straight ahead once you’ve disembarked from your ship! It’s open-air market style. Typically, you’ll find handcrafted items made locally, from jewellery, pottery, textiles to woodwork. There’s also Bonaire’s specialties such as sea salt, aloe vera products and spices. Even if you’re not interested in shopping, stop by as there’s usually live music!
6. Chachacha Beach ⛱️
Chachacha Beach is the closest “beach” to Kralendijk Bonaire Cruise Port, just a few minutes walk. You’ll see it on your right, as you disembark from the ship. The beach is small and it’s not a wide sandy beach. There’s a short platform from which you can launch yourself into the water. It’s a good swimming spot, because the water is crystal clear and the water is shallow.
Featured Image at Washington-Slagbaai National Park, courtesy of BonaireIsland.com & Robb Leahy
If you have an upcoming cruise to the ABC islands, then I hope that this guide has helped you plan your time in Bonaire! Bonaire is probably the least visited of the ABC islands by cruise passengers but it’s getting more popular. The atmosphere is quite chilled, so I hope you’ll have a wonderful time there. Drop me a line below if you have any questions! Have a great cruise!
