Shore Excursion: North and South Sides of Bonaire

Discover Bonaire’s beauty on a guided tour of its North and South sides. Capture stunning photos and learn about local wildlife and landmarks.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Kralendijk - After cruise pick up, we will drive through the capital of Bonaire, Kralendijk, towards the North side. We will visit some of the island’s most famous landmarks.
  • Flamingo Viewing - Of course we will make some extra stops when we spot flamingos. Best is to stay silent otherwise we might scare them away
  • 1000 Steps (16) - 1,000 Steps is a site of white sand and bleached chunks of coral, and the cove is surrounded by limestone cliffs. It’s great for both diving and snorkeling, as turtles are often found in the shallow, turquoise waters.
  • Karpata (9) - Country house Karpata
    The Karpata country house is located along the coastal road from Kralendijk towards Lake Goto. The Karpata Country House is located on the plantation of the same name. The plantation first bore the name Borneo; the large landowners often named their plantations after countries. Later this name was changed to Karpata. Karpata is a particular shrub species that was grown on the plantation and made into a laxative.
    Of course the tourguide will tell you more about this highlight while taking photo’s of the country house
  • Goto Lake - A saltwater lagoon near the island’s northern end and it is a flamingo hangout. Bonaire is one of the few places in the world where pink flamingos nest. Sometimes you can spot the flamingos very close. Apox 1 meter from you
  • Rincón - The oldest village on Bonaire. Additionally, it is the oldest in continual existence within the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. Originally settled by the Spanish in the early 1500’s, Rincon was strategically nestled within a valley to ward off impending danger from pirates and other threats.
    Of course the tourguide will tell you more about this highlight while taking photo’s
  • The Cadushy Distillery - In this traditional distillery, you can see how the world’s only cactus liqueur is made right on the premises, and of course, we invite you to sample some for yourself!
  • Please know that we will visit either the Cadushy Distillery or the Chichitan Museum. We do this in consultation with the guests
  • Museo Chich’i Tan - A beautiful house aproximately 200 years old has turned into a museum and has a beautiful collection of old music instruments, tools, old pottery. You can see how they have been living back then in the 1800s
  • Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary - THE SALT PYRAMIDS OF BONAIRE
    (Translated to english Pekelmeer is ‘Salt flats’.
    One of the most notable features that greet arriving visitors, both by sea and by air, are a distinctive line of white salt pyramids at the southeastern end of the island. Each pyramid, roughly 50-feet high, contains approximately 10,000 metric tons of 99.6% pure salt. Depending on the time of the year, there can be upwards of 200,000 metric tons of salt neatly stacked in long rows awaiting shipment
  • Slave Huts at White Pan - On Bonaire many black slaves from Africa are employed in the salt pans (on the coral island are eighteen salt pans) and on the plantations. In 1863 slavery came to an end, in that year slavery was abolished in the Antilles
  • Willemstoren Lighthouse (61) - Willemstoren, also known as Lacre Punt, is a lighthouse on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean Netherlands. It was the first lighthouse built on this coral island. It is not accessible to the public.
  • Sorobon Beach - We will have a quick stop here, in case you would like to stay here, we will advise you how to get back.
What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Driver/guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information

Explore Bonaire with us! This tour covers both the North and South sides, giving you a comprehensive view of the island. Your local guide will lead you to various attractions such as Goto Lake, 1000 Steps, the vibrant salt flats and salt mountains, slave huts, and much more. Capture stunning photos of Bonaire’s wildlife, including flamingos, goats, iguanas, and donkeys. We’ll make photo stops and discuss the sights along the way. Feel free to ask questions at any time.

  • May be operated by a multilingual guide
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • A minimum of 4 people per booking is required
  • At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(153 Ratings)
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741vanesm
Mar 2, 2024
The best we've ever had - We had an amazing tour with the best tourguide ever Vanessa, she was really helpful, gave us lots of information and a lot of fun! By far the best tour we've ever had
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connie_a
Aug 29, 2023
Tours guide were very... - Tours guide were very knowledgeable and tours showed beautiful parts of the island. Would recommend tour
Review provided by Viator
401bevr
Jun 13, 2023
Great tour of the island - We were wallking along the streets of Bonaire near our cruise ship when we saw a tent advertising this cruise. It was an instant yes for me-on;y $25 ( I think) and with the high probability of seeing flamingos. Our tour guide Myrna was adorable. She was funny and had a lot of info to pass along. We did everything on the itinerary, stopping at the salt mines and a few other stops along the way to see the flamingos. The sun was setting so the driver stopped at a place w/ lots of flamingos and stayed until the sun set, which was beautiful btw. I got great pictures of flamingos against the sunset.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel_b
Jun 5, 2023
Excellent tour of Bonaire - My husband and our 4 boys had a fantastic northern and southern tour of Bonaire. Our tour guide was fabulous and we really got to see a lot of Bonaire with quick photo ops along the way to briefly explore some of the highlights!
Review provided by Viator
Elyse_r
Aug 23, 2023
Great history of a beautiful island - We were told air conditioning which it did not have at all. Otherwise it was a great tour . If you are saying to leave at 7:45 then leave. If people aren’t there too bad
Review provided by Viator
Don_p
Sep 18, 2023
Multiple challenges, but I was still able to enjoy majority of my tour. - I arrived early (8:30) for my 9:00 tour, ensuring I'd not be late and also confirm location for official check-in. I was advised the tour would depart at 10:00. I showed the ticket stating 9:00, and was again told, "Yeah, it will begin at 10:00", so I went back on the ship due to the heat. At 9:45, the gentleman advised we were to wait across the street in front of a restaurant (Pablo's) for further instructions of boarding. Multiple people standing there were all discussing a totally different tour by a different provider, so I continued a bit more and noticed the tour vehicle with proper labeling. It was an open-air vehicle with long benches facing each other. Tour guide Myrna took my ticket, and I was seated at the back next to the stairs. Myrna sat in the front half of the group and used a wireless microphone transmitting to two old box speakers, the one in the back not working at all. If we were quiet, we could hear most of what came from the front speaker. A few in the vehicle had a bottle of water (which was supposed to be provided) but most did not. I never received mine. It was very hot outside, but the moving vehicle created enough breeze to be OK. It didn't take long at all for the gratuities hint to be delivered by our guide, but I do understand it's been a hard season for them all. Our driver was VERY safe throughout, and the few stops were mostly enjoyable (the one with the pay restroom was an odd choice). At the first stop two in our group arrived by taxi, as they'd waited at the restaurant where I was also told to stand and watched us drive by. A bit after the midpoint of the tour, the microphone used by our guide lost all connection, so there was no dialogue to hear at all. That was resolved later, due to the assistance of some divers who loaned tools to fix the wiring. The stop at the slave quarters (one of two we saw) was definitely eye-opening. We only witness one of the wild donkeys, but that was still pretty cool. A flock of flamingos in their nesting area could be viewed in the distance. Most in our group chose to claim some salt during our stop there, so that was a plus for them. Some oddly incorrect information delivered about the village of Rincon and its future anniversary celebration, but that was OK too. There was far too much disorganized communication throughout for me to easily recommend this tour to others. You may go and have a fantastic time, and I hope you do. I just expected it to be smoother and better. I've had great success with Viator in the past and will definitely continue to use their tour services. I think this was an odd exception, which can certainly happen.
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_m
Jun 30, 2023
Van broke down - I’d give 4 stars, our guide did a good job. The van we were in broke down, we sat on the side of the road for 45 minutes and weren’t able to stop at the souvenir stand b/c driver had to make up for lost time. We should have been offered a partial refund.
Review provided by Viator
V6820chjuliah
Feb 19, 2024
Look after!! - Scammers! Never rent your car/scooter here. Damage is made up that was never on the scooter & you are being ripped off in front of you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathy_b
Jul 2, 2023
Went to the meeting point... - Went to the meeting point and the guide did not show up. I tried calling the company and only got vm. They eventually emailed and said they would refund my money. Wasted my time and I couldn't get another tour that short of notice.
Review provided by Viator
Sherri_w
Jun 5, 2023
Bait and switch - When we arrived to our check in site 15 minutes prior to tour time. The tour operator had our name on his board. We where thrilled we where good to go. NOT SO! We where then told it would be between an hour to hour forty five minute wait in the hot sun so he could attract others. That is not what we signed up and paid for. When I said it was unacceptable he paid a taxi driver who already had another couple to shove us in a small car. Take it or leave it he told us. Reluctantly we went because we where on a time frame based on ship schedule. The taxi driver was pleasant and knowledgeable however the ride was cramped hot and NOT WHAT WE PAID FOR.
Review provided by Viator
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September 2024
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