Bonaire is the least developed and until recently the lessor known of the ABC-islands. Over the past two decades
Bonaire's reputation has spread far and wide as an "out-of-the-way", arid, friendly, sunny island that has dynamic coral
reefs within a short swim of the coral rock shoreline. Bonaire's coral reefs are regularly ranked among the top 10 of the world's dive destinations.
The "Flamingo Island" has an unspoiled scenery which is exemplified in the "Washington Slagbaai National Park",
covering about one fifth of the island. Klein, "Little Bonaire", is nestled in the bosom of the "boomerang" shaped Bonaire
and not only creates a natural barrier reef effect, but offers excellent snorkeling and diving as well as one of the most beatiful beaches you can imagine. LOCATION
- Bonaire is one of the ABC islands: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao and is located outside the hurricane belt 50 miles north of Venezuela and 86 miles east of Aruba. TIME ZONE
- Antlantic Standard Time (AST) November to March: Eastern Standard Time April to September. DRESS CODE Casual, informal, beach attire. Dress for casinos. CURRENCY
- Antillean Guilder. USA currency and major credit cards are accepted most everywhere. PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS - Proof of citizenship and a return ticket. LANGUAGE
- Many languages are spoken: Dutch, Spanish, English and Papiamentu which is the local language. Most people in Bonaire are multi-lingual. AVERAGE TEMPERATURE - 82 degrees year-round. WEATHER
- One of our best natural resources. Sunshine 365 days per year! FLIGHT TIMES - From Miami it's only 2 hours 45 minutes, from Atlanta it's 4 hours, from Aruba it's 30 minutes,
only 15 minutes from Curaçao and from New York (Newark) it is 4 hours and 50 minutes. WHAT TO DO - Besides our most favorite sport, SCUBA DIVING, Bonaire is blessed with an environment that
lends itself to many other activities: birdwatching (Bonaire has 160 species of birdlife), bicycling, spelunking, deep-sea fishing, sailing, windsurfing, swimming, tennis and para-sailing are some of the many activities offered.
PEOPLE - 11,500 inhabitants live on Bonaire. Its population is mixed due to its rich historical past. The official
language is Dutch, but the language spoken locally is Papiamentu, a mix of Spanish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, African and Indian. HISTORY
- Bonaire was originally inhabited by the Arawak Indians. Spanish seafarer Americo Vespucci discovered Bonaire in 1499. It was a word from the Arawak Indian language - Bojnaj, meaning 'low country', that gave the island its name.
From 1527 to 1633 Bonaire was a Spanish colony. In 1634 the Dutch took it over and established a military stronghold. It was mainly used for salt mining meaning and slaves were transported to Bonaire from Africa as well as
the neighboring islands. During the early 1800's the British briefly occupied the island, which also suffered from the activities of the French and
British pirates, but in 1816 the Dutch regained control. Slavery was outlawed in 1863. In 1951 the Netherlands Antilles were granted self-rule.
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