Bonaire - A More Sustainable Travel Guide
Bon Bini!
The Island of Bonaire is a true piece of paradise in the Dutch Caribbean. As an island girl myself, I was living my best life there. Bonaire has the best of many worlds, an immersive ocean full of reefs and numerous diving activities, pristine beaches, and a semi-arid, tropical mainland under sunny skies!.
The island is primarily known for its world class scuba diving, luxury villas, and having some of the bluest waters in the world.
I visited Bonaire as part of the Earthonaut program, a green tourism activity sponsored by the island of Bonaire. I was able to explore a plethora of the island's wonders, many of which are not as well known as its expansive reef system or its pristine beaches. This was a sustainability driven trip with the mindset of helping the local community and learning new skills that could benefit the various ecosystems of the island. I learned so much from the locals about what you can do to help the island community and environment while still having fun! Anybody can become a sustainably conscious traveler – it is all about being mindful of the environmental, economic, and social impact that you have when visiting a place. Sustainable travel means being able to respect and help the local community while still exploring and enjoying the destination, without causing any harm to the environment.
There is no bad time to visit the island as the average temperature stays around 85 degrees. The island was not previously known for having much rain, but changing global climate conditions have led to two consecutive rough rain seasons in the months of October and November.
Something important to know before you go is that you have to pay the island’s entry tax fee. This is a $75 tourist tax fee that every non-resident 13 years or older needs to pay. This collection helps the development of the island, education, and environment. This is collected at entry so you don’t have a tourist tax with every purchase you make during your trip. You can prepay this before you go or upon arrival at the airport. I recommend you do this online and keep the QR code to quickly scan upon arrival.
Without making you wait any longer, here is what I recommend you do in the island as a sustainable traveler:
EXPERIENCE LOCAL CULTURE AT THE CULTURAL PARK MANGAZINA DI REI
$10 entry fee, you can ask to volunteer with the community and buy gifts
Right outside of the town Rincon, Mangazina Di Rei lives in a historical building that was built in 1820. The location holds a strong history since this was the only building of provisions for government slaves. The males had to walk miles uphill every Sunday to gather the week’s provisions for them and their families, and their history is not forgotten. Today, Mangazina Di Rei has turned into a place that keeps local heritage alive, with the older generations passing their knowledge and experience to the young that are able to learn and hone their skills. This is also a great place for travelers to learn about the local culture with Exhibition Rincon, which tells the history of the island. Aside from that, they are always looking for volunteers. Most volunteers tend to help with activities for children and other events, with promotions and even teaching.
I was fortunate to have met Danilo, who immediately broke the ice by playing local melodies with wonderful handmade and natural percussive instruments. We then attempted to learn beats of our own and immersed ourselves in the experience. We continued the fun by dancing the local Baile di Sinta. I felt at home because the ‘baile’ is very similar to merengue which is one of my cultural dances and I learned that they both come from the same historical background.
We volunteer at Mangazina Di Rei by helping with syntropic farming. The syntropic farming on Bonaire is mainly focused on food forestation for the island. Syntropic Farming is an innovative approach to regenerative agriculture which allows you to create dynamic, economically viable ecosystems that restore degraded soil biodiversity. Syntropic Farming’s goal is to imitate the natural regeneration of forests and provide a harmonious integration of our food production systems. I personally worked with the topsoil collection directly from the land as well as planting seeds.
2. DISCOVER REEF RENEWAL DIVE
$85 +
Did you know that you can help the reefs in Bonaire? Yes, you can dive and take cute photos of colorful fish and beautiful turtles, but you can also make a positive impact during your dive. We met with Lucia at Captain Don’s Habitat and she gave us a presentation of everything that The Reel Renewal Foundation does in Bonaire. This is a non-profit organization that works to protect and restore coral reefs through active large-scale programs. They are always looking for volunteer divers to help with the program. Some activities you can do are: outplanting threatened coral reefs, clean corals within nurseries.
This is a growing program and since 2013 they have outplanted more than 40,000 corals back on Bonaire’s reefs, restoring degraded reels and rebuilding colonies that have restarted their natural process of recovery. If you are in the island for a lengthened time, you can do a series of courses in order to help with the Reef Renewal Program in many different areas.
3. STINAPA
$45 park tag (valid for 1 month, can be used for Marine park and Washington Park)
One of my favorite activities was at Washington Slagbaai National Park. STINAPA is dedicated to manage and share, protect and restore, promote and educate the resources, biodiversity and values of Bonaire’s nature. Washington Slagbaai National Park is a protected area.
We helped by digging holes for the Festival di Planta Palu where kids got to plant endangered trees. They have many activities and volunteer options throughout the year that you can help with. While you are there, you can explore the National Park’s wonders by camping in Slagbaai, mountain biking, hiking, or just taking a refreshing swim after your hard work!
4. KLEIN BONAIRE
$25 roundtrip taxi
Klein Bonaire, a beautiful uninhabited protected area just a water taxi away. I had the honor to meet Elsmarie Beukenboom and her volunteers. She was the first board representative and former Director for STINAPA. She set up and ran the Bonaire Tourism Training Centre and was Director of the Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) for many years. We were able to walk through the protected area of Klein and we helped with tree pruning.
This Island is the home of “no name beach” with the whitest, softest sand accompanied by the most refreshing blue waters. I enjoyed a refreshing swim after our activity at Klein.
5. THE DONKEY SANCTUARY
$10; most likely free if you volunteer
Right before catching my flight home I visited the Donkey Sanctuary (don’t be like me and show up at the airport right after, I recommend you do a full morning volunteer activity with them). I had been looking forward to meeting these Donkeys my entire trip. Unfortunately this is where I got to see the biggest impact of global warming on the island, since the sanctuary was flooded with the excessive rain they received this season.
I got to meet baby Lola, a donkey born a couple of days before my arrival. I decided to be her first human through the Donkey Adoption Program.
If you want to help and volunteer with the Donkeys you can reach out to them and help with a variety of activities including feeding them or joining a 6-week internship program. Also, don’t forget to stop by their gift shop which has the cutest donkey gear!
6. PINK BEACH
$ N/A
Pink Beach is a long beach strip right across from the salt pans that is mostly known for picnics, beach days, diving, and sightseeing. But did you know that it also holds a community of mangroves? Also, on strong sunny days, right behind you the salt pans appear to be Pink.
We met a group from Mangrove Maniacs with whom we spent the morning. We learned about the 3 types of mangroves on the island, and we worked specifically with the Red Mangroves. We were able to plant baby mangroves across the beach and it was really cool to see the mangrove biodegradable stands that they use to ensure that the mangroves don’t fall with the wind or waves.
Something you can do on any island to help the environment, the sea creatures, the birds and so much more, is to participate in beach clean ups (at least you still get your tan, right?).
Another location where there is a high density of mangroves is Lac Cai, it is a great place to help with the mangroves as well as ending your day with kayaking around them.
Foodie finds:
The dining atmosphere in Bonaire is unmatched. You can have an intimate waterfront dinner, a laid back lunch on the beach, a variety of food choices from local restaurants, and so much more. I am a vegetarian and most places had great vegetarian options as well!
The local food is known as “krioyo” which to my surprise is almost the same as the typical Dominican food which is “Criollo.” These dishes are based on rice, beans, moro, maduros and different types of stews.
The local spot I went to: Posada Para Mira
I loved that they were playing live music and even better it was salsa. I ate moro (if you know me you would have guessed)
My favorite lunch spot: The Beach
This place was awesome because aside from the food being delicious, I was able to enjoy a drink and walk down the stairs for a swim.
My favorite Dinner spot: Mezze
This place had the most amazing service, food, and drinks. We wanted to order everything on the menu, so we ordered as much as possible and shared it with the table. Here, I learned that most restaurants in the island don’t let the food go to waste, they actually mix the leftovers and give them to local livestock.
Best coffee and Gelato: Gios
Other places I tried and I really enjoyed.
Rum Runners
Ingridients Restaurant
Sebastian’s Restaurant.
I hope that you get to visit this beautiful island, but most of all I hope that on your next trip, you keep in mind to do something for the betterment of the local environment.