eSIM for Caribbean Netherlands

Bonaire has two mobile networks, Digicel and Flow (the former UTS, still branded Chippie locally), and this eSIM connects to the UTS network on 4G LTE. Signal is solid around Kralendijk and the west coast, patchy inside Washington Slagbaai National Park and absent on uninhabited Klein Bonaire. There are no SIM cards on sale at Flamingo Airport.

A week for snorkellers, shore divers and anyone who likes a quiet island with a pick-up truck: west-coast reefs, the rugged national park in the north, uninhabited Klein Bonaire, the salt pans of the south and windsurfing on Lac Bay.

Length

7 days

When to go Bonaire sits below the main hurricane belt and is dry and windy all year; the trade winds are strongest from May to August, which suits windsurfers at Lac Bay, while October and November are the calmest months on the reef.

1. 01

   Day 1 Kralendijk

   Arrive and walk Kralendijk

   → The airport is about 5 minutes' drive south of Kralendijk.

   Land at Flamingo International Airport, pick up your hire car or truck and buy the STINAPA Nature Fee online if you have not already, since you need it to snorkel, dive or enter the national park. Walk the seafront in Kralendijk, Kaya Grandi and the small Fort Oranje by the harbour. Finish with a first easy snorkel from the shore along the town waterfront.

   Signal This eSIM uses the UTS network on 4G LTE, which is strong at the airport and around Kralendijk; there are no SIM cards sold at the airport, so make sure the eSIM is active before you fly.

2. 02

   Day 2 Kralendijk

   Shore snorkelling on the west coast

   → 1000 Steps is about 15 minutes' drive north of Kralendijk.

   Drive north along the coast road, following the yellow-painted stones that mark the shore dive and snorkel sites. Snorkel at 1000 Steps, which in fact has about 70 limestone steps down to the water, then at Karpata further north. Look for sea turtles, parrotfish and tarpon over healthy coral. Return via Gotomeer, a saltwater lagoon where you often see flamingos feeding.

   Signal 4G usually reaches the coast road north of town, but it weakens towards Karpata and Gotomeer as the hills close in; download an offline map of the island before leaving.

3. 03

   Day 3 Kralendijk

   Washington Slagbaai National Park

   → Rincon and the park entrance are about 30 minutes' drive north of Kralendijk. The park is closed on Mondays, and last entry is at 2.30pm.

   Go in a 4WD and arrive at the park gate near Rincon at 8am. If you want to climb Mount Brandaris, at 241 m the island's highest point, start before 10am; the steep trail takes about 45 minutes up and climbing is allowed only until noon. Then drive the long route past the blowholes on the windward coast to Boka Slagbaai, with its old salt buildings and flamingos. Take water and food: the park has no facilities.

   Signal Coverage is patchy inside the park and disappears in the valleys and on stretches of the east coast; tell someone your route and expected exit time.

4. 04

   Day 4 Kralendijk

   Klein Bonaire

   → The water taxi crossing takes about 15 to 20 minutes.

   Take the water taxi from Kralendijk across to Klein Bonaire, an uninhabited islet that is part of the marine park. Spend the day at No Name Beach, snorkelling the drop-off just offshore where the reef falls away steeply. There is no shade or shop, so bring water, food, reef-safe sunscreen and a hat, and check the return time of the last boat before you go ashore.

   Signal There are no masts on Klein Bonaire; you may catch a faint signal from Kralendijk on the beach, but plan on being offline until you return.

5. 05

   Day 5 Kralendijk

   The south: salt pans, slave huts and Willemstoren

   → The southern loop is about 40 km from Kralendijk.

   Drive south past the pink salt pans and white salt mountains of the Cargill works, where flamingos feed in the shallows. Stop at the restored nineteenth-century slave huts near the obelisks once used to signal ships. Continue to Willemstoren, Bonaire's oldest lighthouse at the southern tip, then snorkel at Pink Beach on the way back as the afternoon light softens.

   Signal 4G holds on the flat southern road, though it is thinner near Willemstoren lighthouse; this is a good day to share live location if you are driving alone.

6. 06

   Day 6 Kralendijk

   Lac Bay: mangroves and windsurfing

   → Lac Bay is about 20 minutes' drive from Kralendijk.

   Cross to Lac Bay on the east coast. Join a guided kayak or snorkel tour into the mangroves, a nursery for young reef fish and a protected area. In the afternoon, watch or take a lesson with the windsurfers on the shallow, wind-blown lagoon at Sorobon. On the way back, visit the Donkey Sanctuary, home to hundreds of the island's feral donkeys, if it is open.

   Signal 4G is generally usable at Sorobon, but expect it to drop inside the mangrove channels; keep your phone in a dry bag on the kayak.

7. 07

   Day 7 Kralendijk

   Rincon and departure

   → Rincon is about 25 minutes from Kralendijk and 30 minutes from the airport.

   Spend your last morning in Rincon, Bonaire's oldest village, where you can visit Mangazina di Rei, a cultural park in an old stone storehouse that tells the island's history. Drive back via the Seru Largu lookout for a view across the island to Kralendijk and Klein Bonaire. Return the car and head to Flamingo Airport, remembering the no-flying rule of 18 to 24 hours after your last dive.

   Signal Rincon has usable 4G, and coverage is good again around Kralendijk and the airport for check-in.