We all know that Bonaire is a famous destination for scuba diving, but there’s so much more to this beautiful island than that. Here’s my detailed guide on all the best things to do in Bonaire for non divers. I’ve split it up into sections so you can browse through tours and activities, attractions and photo spots, food, and finally the best souvenirs. If you have any questions, just let me know otherwise I hope it helps you plan your vacation.
See, Do, Eat – Unmissable Things To Do In Bonaire For Non Divers
Disclaimer
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Tours, day trips, and activities in Bonaire
Snorkel
Of course you have to check out the gorgeous underwater world that Bonaire is famous for. It’s truly incredible!
One of the great things about snorkeling in Bonaire is that you can walk in off the beach and snorkel over gorgeous reef areas. No need for boat tours, you can easily cruise the island and snorkel at all the best spots along the way.
Check out my detailed guide on all the best snorkeling in Bonaire for where to go.
If you prefer to snorkel as part of a tour, there are plenty of boat tours to chose from as well.
Visit The Donkey Sanctuary
What began as a facility to care for sick and injured donkeys is now a large sanctuary that over 700 donkeys call home.
Pick up a bucket of food and tour the grounds in your car where you will be met by the roaming donkeys.
After you finish the tour, visit the special care meadow where you can walk amongst some donkeys, see flamingoes and turtles, and you might even see some new babies in this section.
It’s a fun way to get up close and personal with wildlife and support a great cause.
Visit their website for more information.
Visit The Cadushy Distillery
Have you ever wanted to drink a cactus? Well, now you can.
Visit the Cadushy Distillery to drink the unique cactus liqueur made in Bonaire. Spoiler alert, it’s delicious!
You can also get a quick demonstration of how it is made and hang out for a fresh cocktail.
The Cadushy Distillery also has a colorful range of liqueurs that represent each of the Dutch Caribbean islands. You’ll be able to sample each of the flavors, and buy some to take home with you.
Visit their website for more information.
Take An Underwater Cave Tour
For a unique adventure tour, check out Cave Tours Bonaire.
You’ll be taken on a cave hopping adventure where you can even snorkel in an underground cave.
This is one of the most popular things to do in Bonaire, so you’ll want to book in advance.
Tour The National Park
If you won’t be renting a pick up truck or 4WD, you’ll need to take a tour to visit the Washington Slagbaai National Park.
Adventure Makers Bonaire will take you out for the day and tour you around all the best spots.
Take A Day Trip To Klein Bonaire
Klein Bonaire is a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Bonaire where you can snorkel and enjoy the large, sandy beach. There’s nothing on the island so you will need to bring your water, snacks, and sunscreen.
I used Epic Watertaxi which had 4 trips a day and cost about $25 for a return trip.
Epic Watertaxi also offered the ‘drift drop-off’ which is where you drop your bag at the main area first, then return to the boat where they will take you up the reef and drop you off in the water. From there, you can drift with the current back to the main area.
You get to see a lot of the reef this way and if you enjoy snorkeling I definitely recommend it.
Have A Beach BBQ
One of my favorite things to do on Bonaire was to finish the day watching sunset and cooking a beach BBQ.
Pick up a disposable BBQ from the Van Den Tweel supermarket. You’ll need to also buy a lighter, but other than that it’s got everything you need.
They also sell small size meat trays which are perfect for cooking on the disposable BBQ.
We grilled meat, veggies, and had a couple of snacks to go with it.
Go Windsurfing
If you’d like to try your hand at windsurfing, Lac Bay is a great place to do it.
Jibe City rents the equipment and also offers lessons.
I definitely recommend stopping for a drink at the Hang Out Beach Bar afterward too – they do a great Pina Colada!
Take a Sunset Tour
If you prefer to watch the sunset in luxury, treat yourself to a sunset boat cruise.
You could take a sunset sailing tour with a 6 course tasting menu with Melissa Sailing Bonaire, but there are many other sunset tours available.
Either way, get ready for a relaxing cruise and gorgeous sunset views.
Go Kayaking
Kayak, snorkel, and spot animals in the clear mangrove waters with Mangrove Info Center.
They offer 1 and 2 hour tours Monday to Saturday.
Visit a Beach Bar
You can easily spend a half or whole day lounging, swimming, and snacking at one of the beach bars on Bonaire.
Ocean Oasis Bonaire has a gorgeous (and very photogenic) setting. You can reserve a sunbed or cabana in advance through their website.
If you’re a seafood lover, I’d recommend booking this for a Sunday when they have a fish and meat market.
Monuments, viewpoints, and photo opportunities
Check Out The Salt Pyramids
When it comes to iconic sights of Bonaire, you can’t miss the famous salt pyramids.
They are exactly as the name suggests – giant, white pyramids of salt. These salty mountains stand beside pink salt flats that stretch for about as far as the eye can see.
It’s a stunning sight and was one of my favorites of the trip.
You’ll see them as you drive south from downtown (they’re kind of hard to miss), then just pull off to the side of the road to snap a photo of them.
See The Slave Huts
I wouldn’t say this is an enjoyable thing to see. It’s more of a somber experience.
However, and this is just my opinion, but I think travel isn’t about only seeing the good parts of history or the highlights, so I’d say it’s important to see.
The slaves who worked the salt pans slept in these huts. When you see them it’s hard to imagine these tiny rooms being enough space for even one person, but sometimes they housed six people.
The different colored huts are fairly close to each other so you can visit one after the other as you drive south. There are information plaques displayed if you’d like to learn more.
See The Willemstoren Lighthouse
This is another place to stop and take a photo as you are driving around the island.
The lighthouse is cool and makes for a nice photo, however keep an eye out because you can also see sculptures made from driftwood nearby.
It makes this whole area a good place to take some unique photos.
Look at Flamingoes
You will probably see flamingoes all around the island either wading and eating or even flying gracefully through the air.
One great spot to see them is the Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary.
You can’t walk onto the sanctuary and there are small markers to show the boundary. However, you can still experience good flamingo viewing from the side of the road.
If you’re particularly interested in seeing them you might want to have some binoculars.
Take a photo at Karpata
The Karpata snorkeling and diving site has a couple of cool photo opportunities.
There is the wall of love heart shaped rocks down by the entrance to the water. If you get the hearts in the foreground and put the water as the backdrop, it’s a really cute photo.
There’s also a random staircase across the road from the parking lot. I don’t know what the structure is, but it made for a fun photo.
See the random upside down airport tower
This is a random, side of the road stop, but it’s interesting nonetheless. It’s just the top part of an airport control tower that sits upside down on a field.
Keep an eye out for the cute goats running around here too. I saw a few hiding in the shade of this interesting structure.
Here are the coordinates: 12°11’59.0″N 68°15’57.2″W
Chinese Subway Station
You’ll need a Jeep or 4WD car to get to this one, but it looks like it would make for a cool photo.
Look up Chinese Subway Station in Google Maps and you’ll find it near the Sterke Yerke Monument.
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Best places to eat and drink in Bonaire
Posada Para Mira – Iguana!
Perhaps one of the most unique foods you can try while visiting Bonaire is iguana. Yep, you can chow down on a plate of lizard.
I went to Posada Para Mira for this and they offer iguana as a soup or stew.
If you’re not interested in reptiles, they also have other meats like goat, chicken, and beef. No matter what you choose, it’s well worth visiting for the traditional food, casual open-air setting, and beautiful views.
Iguana!
Cactus Blue Food Truck – Lion Fish Burger
The Cactus Blue food truck is a great place to stop for lunch while you are beach hopping.
Try the popular lion fish burger (try it loaded with all the extras) and wash it down with one of their fresh juices.
*Bring cash.
Lion fish burger
Kite City Food Truck
Another great food truck is the Kite City truck by Te Amo Beach.
I recommend trying their famous tuna burger – the only way you’ll get it fresher is by catching it yourself.
*Bring cash.
Tuna burger
Between 2 Buns
Between 2 Buns was my favorite place to go for breakfast because the breakfast sandwiches were so fresh and tasty.
They’ve also got omelettes, burgers, and a nice range of specialty coffees.
Between 2 Buns
Bagel & Bloom
For an all day breakfast, check out the super chic cafe Bagel & Bloom.
I loved the bagel with fresh avocado, but they have a wide range to choose from and you can even book yourself a high tea here.
Bagel & Bloom
Blue Garden Brazilian Grill
Cook your own steak dinner at the Blue Garden Brazilian Grill.
Everything was delicious from start to finish. Aside from a nice steak, I’d recommend the traditional Brazilian cheese bread and one of their specialty Caipirinha drinks.
*It’s popular so I recommend making a reservation.
Blue Garden Brazilian Grill
Bon Tapa
Bon Tapa is another great choice for dinner while you’re visiting Bonaire.
Try a bit of everything, finish with a nice desert, and if you’re game, try the flight of shots 🙂
Bon Tapa
Kos Bon So
Kos Bon So is a great local spot for lunch in Rincon.
It’s reasonably priced, well portioned, and very delicious!
Kos Bon So
Karels Beach Bar
Karels Beach Bar is a perfect choice for sunset drinks on the water. The bar extends out over the water which makes for a perfect ‘I’m on a beach vacation’ setting.
In my opinion, the food was not that good but the drinks were fantastic. I’d recommend it as a place to get some drinks before or after dinner.
Hangout Beach Bar
I mentioned it earlier in the post, but it’s worth adding here as well.
Check out Hang Out Beach Bar when you are visiting Lac Bay.
It’s got a cool, casual setting with ocean views, and they do a great Pina Colada!
Food at Hang Out Beach Bar
Where to stay in Bonaire
I stayed at Casa Mantana and 100% recommend it.
There’s a lot to love about staying here, but the highlights for me were:
- Quiet location that is walking distance to restaurants and stores downtown.
- Shared items like coolers, beach chairs, water shoes etc. The beach chairs were my favorite for sunset!
- Comfortable rooms and studios with kitchenettes.
- Lovely hosts that are always there to help if you have any questions.
Guesthouses are the way to go in Bonaire – the Courtyard by Marriott is the only big name hotel on the island.
There’s plenty of guesthouses to choose from on Booking.com which is what I used to book my stay as well.
Casa Mantana
What to buy in Bonaire (best souvenirs)
No need to get mass produced trinkets. Here are some uniquely Bonaire souvenir ideas.
Cactus Liqueur
Buy some the delicious liqueur you try when you visit the Cadushy Distillery.
They have something to suit everyone – well, except kids. So whether you like the iconic cactus flavor, one of the other island flavors, or even their rum or vodka, you’ll be able to get a bottle or two as a souvenir.
They have carry-on size bottles of the liqueurs as well.
Salt
Salt is the main export of Bonaire and it’s a great idea for a souvenir.
First you’ll see it in the salt flats, then the big salt pyramids, then you can buy some to take home with you.
The Salt Shop Bonaire is your one stop shop, but you can also find it at many stores on the island.
Arts and Craft Cruise Market
If you’re visiting on a cruise ship day, which is highly likely since they are there all the time, check out the local craft market across from the port.
You can also get some nice food and drinks here.
Colorful reusable shopping bag
The Van Den Tweel grocery store has colorful reusable shopping bags that are decorated with Bonaire icons.
Every time you do your groceries back home you’ll have a little reminder of your vacation.
Flamingo or donkey toy
Flamingoes and donkeys are all over the island, so it makes sense to take back a memory of them if you like to buy stuffed toys.
That’s the colorful shopping bag I mentioned
How to plan a trip to Bonaire
If this has convinced you to visit, and I kind of hope it did, check out my guide on how to plan a vacation to Bonaire.
It’s full of all the logistics and planning tips you need to take the stress out of the planning process.
If you found this useful, return the favor by sharing it or following me on Instagram!
Don’t, do a bbq on the beach like you describe it! Realy DO NOT!
Those beaches are used by turtles to lay there eggs. If you put a throw-away BBQ above a nest (dug in the sand) those eggs will be boiled and will not survive.
If you want to do a BBQ on the beach, use a elevated construction!
AND make sure to dispose the remaining charcoal away from the beach. Most of the previous pure-white beaches are now greyed by the remains of BBQ’s…
Yes – common sense to not do it on a turtles nest and to take all the trash with you. I did mine by the road next to the beach (not on the sand)