Any Travels

Over the last two decades, Bonaire has consistently ranked as the finest snorkeling and scuba diving destination in the Caribbean. A major reason for this prominence is the island's diligent stewardship of its marine resources -- all of the waters off Bonaire's coast have been legally protected since 1979, and it shows.

But there is plenty more to do here. The unusually steady trade winds that wash over the island create ideal conditions for world-class windsurfing, and the sere beauty of its semi-desert landscape is home to an outlandish assortment of wildlife. Iguanas meditatively toast themselves atop the desert rock formations of Washington Slagbaai, while vast orange-pink clouds of flamingoes drift across bone-white salt flats. Divi-divi trees bend into surreal sculptures of the wind itself, and towering cacti stand as reminders of the Caribbean's diverse ecology.

Location: 30 miles (48 km) from Curacao; 50 miles (80 km) north of Venezuela and 86 miles (129 km) east of Aruba, outside of the Caribbean hurricane belt.

Size: 24 miles (39 km) long by 3-7 miles wide, 112 square miles (290 km2). Highest elevation is Brandaris Hill, 784 feet (240 meters).

Climate: Yearly average temperature is 82? F (27.8? C); water temperature of 80? F (26.7? C); rainfall of 22 inches (56 cm); humidity of 76%. Sunny, all year round.

Activities:

Eco-touring
Drive or hike through the varied terrain of the island's 13,500 acre Washington Slagbaai National Park, a wildlife sanctuary where birds, lizards, goats and iguanas are found in their natural habitat.

Diving/Snorkeling
Due to the accessibility of the reefs, a visitor can wade right from the shore to the reef to snorkel, or dive at any of the Marine Park's 80 sites to view a colorful array of coral formations and abundant marine life, day or night.

Mountain Biking
Aside from being the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation, biking is an ideal way to see the islands natural beauty. There are over 300 kilometers of trails, consisting of smooth coastal drives, unpaved back roads, and even goat paths, allowing you to explore all of Bonaire's amazing natural resources.

Windsurfing
Consistent conditions make the shallow, calm waters of Lac Bay the epicenter of Bonaire's internationally-known windsurfing. On the island's leeward side, the calm offshore wind provides just the right sort of air to explore Klein Bonaire. Winds blow December through August at 15 - 25 knots, September through November at 12 - 18 knots.

Sea Kayaking
Paddle the protected waters of Lac Bay, or head for the miles of flats and mangroves in the South (the island's nursery) where baby fish and wildlife can be viewed.

Birdwatching
Bonaire is home to over 170 species of birds, 80 of which are indigenous to the Island. Most famous are its flamingoes, which can number as many as 15,000 during the mating season.

Fishing
Wahoo, Tuna, Dorado, Blue Marlin, Amber Jack, Grouper, Sailfish and Snapper can be found off the coast of Bonaire. This abundance and variety of sport fish make the island home to some of the best deep-sea fishing. Bonaire is also one of the best kept secrets of bone-fishing enthusiasts.

Sailing
Want to get away from it all and back to nature with minimal effort? Try a Day out on the water on one of Bonaire's charter yachts. Steady wind and Calm seas make Bonaire ideal for sailing and yachting. A wide choice of Excursions are available to whisk you away for a Caribbean adventure in the Unparalleled Bonaire Marine Park. Enjoy the luxurious combination of Gliding swiftly and silently over the water while Bonaire's professional Crews take care of your every wish from serving up delicious tropical Drinks to identifying colorful fish, sea birds, or coral species on Bonaire's pristine coral reefs. Chase the elusive the "green flash" on a Sunset sail, or visit the deserted offshore island of Klein Bonaire for Some spectacular snorkeling. Some yachts even offer gourmet dinner cruises and full moon sails. If getting wet is not your thing, take a glass bottom boat trip and view the incredible underwater world from topside. You never know when a school of porpoises may be your escort, or even a whale shark or a pod of pilot whales!

Places to go:

Kralendijk
This diminutive cluster of red tile roofs hugging the island's western coast is Bonaire's lively capital. Its Dutch colonial houses, the Museo Boneriano and Fort Oranje give a glimpse into the island's past, while the town's oceanfront promenade offers stunning sunset vistas and a fine prospect of Klein Bonaire. The main street is a browser's collection of dive shops, boutiques, arts and crafts galleries, restaurants and bars.

Rincon
When the Spanish founded Bonaire's oldest town around the turn of the fifteenth century, they laid their foundations slightly inland to escape the roving eyes and ship-board cannons of passing buccaneers. Slaves from Africa, brought by the Spanish, were also housed here. Today the town is an entrancing collage of pastel cottages. The Saint Peter's Day celebration is held here June 28.

Lac Bay
Lac Bay is a windsurfer's paradise, with steady winds and smooth, clear, and conveniently shallow waters. Although Lac Bay is located on the windward side of Bonaire, its encircling arms protect the waters within and create a range of conditions that are as ideal for beginners as for intrepid windsurfing virtuosi. Check out our windsurfing pages for more information.

Onima
Five centuries ago the limestone cave at Onima served as both shelter and artist's canvas for the island's Caiquetio inhabitants. The red-stained petroglyphs that adorn its walls remain undeciphered, offering visitors a glimpse of ancient Bonaire as mysterious as it is beautiful.

Goto Meer
Goto Meer is a favorite among Bonaire's abundant (and skittish) flamingo population, which gathers on this salt lake to consume the brine shrimp, brine fly and larvae which endow these great birds with their rosy hue. Like Salina Slagbaai, another of the salt ponds of Bonaire's Washington-Slagbaai National Park, Goto Meer becomes a veritable sea of pink during the January-July breeding season.

Nukove
Located on the sheltered leeward coast of Washington-Slagbaai National Park, Nukove is one of the island's most pleasant diving and snorkeling sites. Park visitors need only wade offshore to encounter brilliant, swirling schools of reef fish, including parrotfish and blue tangs . To relax, there is an intimate and inviting little white sand beach.

Cabaje
At Cabaje are found a number of picturesque and grimly fascinating stone huts. Waist-high, with small doors and no windows, these cramped quarters were built in the 18th century as housing for the slaves who harvested salt in the nearby flats. Also at Cabaje is a salt obelisk which was used as a marker for ships arriving to load the island's precious commodity.

Lac Bay Kai
Every Sunday afternoon local residents gather here for an informal social party-there's dancing, live music, outdoor food stalls, and children playing everywhere as their parents and grandparents chat and eat and dance. There is no better place on the island to meet Bonaire's residents. As the afternoon wanes, you may see a few families heading home with captured iguanas, all set to prepare a Sunday night soup.

Sorobon Beach
Bonaire's highly-regarded naturalist (clothing optional) resort turns away sightseers, but day trippers can get an all over tan for a U.S $15 day entry fee. Sorobon Beach also has some of the best protected windsurfing in the Caribbean.

Pekelmeer
The salt flats of Pekelmeer spread out in front of a visitor in great squares of brilliant color, ranging from the turquoise of newly-flooded areas and the livid pink of pools filled with brine shrimp to the blinding white of dried salt. Off to the side lie enormous mounds of dried and drying salt, and in the distance stand great flocks of flamingoes, happily supping on the shrimp. Pekelmeer's deserted vistas are frequently more populated by birds -- including osprey, heron, frigate birds, cormorants, and other marine birds -- than by humans, making it an excellent spot for birdwatching.

Washington-Slagbaai National Park
This 13,500 acre park occupies a substantial portion of the island's northern tip and is filled with the fascinating flora and fauna of semi-arid Bonaire. In its own way Washington-Slagbaai is as much a gem as Bonaire's more celebrated Marine Park, with more than a hundred species of birds, a startling variety and diversity of terrain and wildlife.

Bonaire Marine Park
A magnificent and pioneering effort in the preservation of the Caribbean's invaluable underwater ecology, Bonaire Marine Park today ranks among the world's premier destinations for both divers and snorkelers. We invite you to explore more of this magnificent park in our dive pages.

Klein Bonaire
Klein Bonaire lies just off the western coast of the island, a smaller, pristine sister to Bonaire. It is surrounded by a multitude of outstanding dive sites and is a popular spot for picnicking and barbecues-in part because it is completely undeveloped. Klein Bonaire can be reached only by boat, and visitors should remember that they must bring with them all they need.

Culture

The multinational froth that is Bonaire's culture is evident in the local creolized language. Papiamento is based on Portuguese but is much influenced by Spanish, Dutch and the Arawak Indian language. It's an evocative language (drumi is sleep, for example), and if you try to remember a few phrases, you'll delight your hosts. Bon bini means welcome, bon dia is good day and masha danki is thank you very much.

The island's mix of music and dance is even more polyglot, with African Bari, European polka, Latin Joropo, West Indian merengue and the indigenous Simadan harvest song all frequently performed. Traditional instruments included animal bones and gourds partially filled with water. Hand clapping is common in Bonairean folk music, in contrast to most of the rest of the Caribbean.

Visual arts are dominated by woodcarving and fabrics but a smattering of recent eclectic painting in the Kralendijk museum elucidates local Indian stories. The Bonaire Art Gallery, also in Kralendijk, is a private concern with a community emphasis. Incorporating an art co-op, art supplies outlet and framing service, the gallery is a one-stop-shop for paintings, sculpture and crafty jewelry. Over 90% of the art displayed in the building is produced on the island - there's even a kids' section.

Islanders tend to follow the religious lead of their 'mother country' and worship as Catholics. Bonaire isn't a prudish place but locals will look askance at visitors traipsing the town in a bathing suit. Slipping on a shirt and shorts is as formal as you have to get to avoid causing offense.

The cuisine of Bonaire, like that of many islands of the Caribbean, brings together the myriad influences of the many cultures and people who made the island's history. The resulting culinary palette is a colorful one, incorporating the zesty cooking of Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal, robust northern European fare imported from Holland, exotic Indonesian spices which reached the island via the maritime traffic of the Dutch Empire, and bold, flavorful cooking carried to Bonaire from West Africa.

Although Bonaire's many constituent cultures brought unusual diversity to its cuisine, the island's limited capacities for agricultural production encouraged cooks to adapt their recipes to the particular range of ingredients available here. Although imports from abroad were sporadic, residents created a wide range of dishes--from soups and stews to sweets and desserts. Many of these dishes rely on easily preserved staples such as salted meat (which kept longer in pre-freezer days), some on such mainstays of Caribbean cooking as plantains and okra, and others on the unique bounty of Bonaire's environment-including conch, cactus, and iguana

Bonaire's traditional festivals include the following: in the winter is the Mascarada (or Mascarade), celebrated from New Year's Day to Twelfth Night (January 6); in the spring is Simadan (Harvest Festival), celebrated from the end of February to the end of April; in the summer are the Feasts of San Juan and San Pedro, celebrated on June 23, 28, and 29; and in the fall is Bari, which occurs from the end of October until the end of December.

2010 designer handbags
Welcome often login choose on the best herve dress, herve bandage dress, cheap herve leger dress, herve leger sale, jimmy choo bags,2010 prada bags, miu miu handbags,2010 designer bags, mulberry handbag,chanel handbags, 2010 prada bags,miu miu handbags, 2010 designer bags,mulberry handbags, chanel bags 2010 sale,jimmy choo bags,and your also pick timberland outlet,cheap timberland boots, uggs on sale,ugg boots online, ugg bailey button,ugg boots sale, mbt shoes,cheap mbt shoes online,and other designer products,select your favorite products.