You could easily spend a half-day exploring this scenic and flat part of the island, longer if you want to dive or snorkel the many sites found offshore.

From Kralendijk head south along Boulevard L.A. Abraham for 5km until you reach the airport, where the coastal road Eeg Boulevard begins a 32km loop around the island's southern end, taking in numerous dive sites, glistening mountains of salt, slave huts dating back to Bonaire's darker days and a flamingo sanctuary hidden among the saltpans. Facilities are very limited in the area, so be sure to bring plenty of water and something to eat.

Shortly after the airport you'll see several dive and snorkeling sites just a stone's throw from the narrow beaches of washed-up coral; the most popular are the shipwreck at Hilma Hooker and the double reef at Angel City and Alice in Wonderland. Simply park your car near the site and swim the short distance to the site. Watch out too for the pink Dive Bus , which sells refreshments and has locker space for valuables. Stopping at different dive locations on this road, the bus has become a meeting place of sorts for divers. More importantly it serves as an emergency centre if divers run into trouble - it has a first aid kit and a cellular phone to call for medical help.

The road continues southwards alongside numerous dive sites as well as the expansive pink and turquoise saltpans belonging to Cargill Salt - one of largest businesses on Bonaire. Ocean water pumped into the pools gradually evaporates under the heat of the sun, leaving behind a briny solution from which salt crystals are eventually grown and harvested for export. The cement obelisks that remain standing today at Blauwe Pan and Rod Pan were used until 1863 as flagpoles signaling to trade boats that the salt was ready for export.

At Whitte Pan and 2km further south near Oranje Pan, you'll find clusters of small white and reddish-brown slave huts atop a bluff overlooking the exposed coastline. Built in 1850, these tiny cement buildings housed slaves from the nearby salt fields, each building just waist high with a steep roof and a tiny opening for a door and window. If you look carefully in the salt fields you can still see the trails once used by these slaves.

As the road winds its way to the southern tip keep your eyes peeled for the pink haze over the salt fields in the far distance. With binoculars it's possible to distinguish this haze as the thousands of pink flamingos that inhabit Pekelmeer sanctuary, the largest breeding ground of flamingos in the western hemisphere.

These tall, graceful birds are shy by nature and easily disturbed by noise; to protect them the government has declared the entire area off limits - even the airspace overhead is closed to all air traffic. Each night many of these birds make their way to Venezuela and return to feed at dawn. Across from Pekelmeer stands the battered remains of the Willemstoren lighthouse , the first lighthouse built on the island in 1837.

From the lighthouse the road turns north and follows a more rugged coastline, passing Piedra Pretu (black stone), worth a brief stop for a wander among the large chunks of sun-bleached coral and piles of twisted driftwood, and to experience first-hand the awesome force of the waves that have shaped this side of the island.

At the north end of the road, just before it turns back towards Kralendijk, is Lac Bay, a shallow stretch of water on the east coast with the best windsurfing and kayaking conditions on the island. Shortly after Sorobon Beach Resort (clothing optional), you'll come upon a couple of locally run businesses renting boards and kayaks and offering windsurfing lessons, the most popular of which is Jibe City (daily 9am-5pm, closed Sept;Phone 599/717-5233), whose lively snack bar is a hangout for surfers. You can also rent kayaks (from US$35/day) and windsurfing boards (US$60/day) and take windsurfing lessons (US$45 for beginners and advanced; board included for beginners only). The bay's sheltered waters and steady trade winds draw surfers of all levels and ages, and each October serve as the site of Bonaire's international windsurfing regatta.

Beyond Lac Bay the road heads inland for 500m before splitting into two roads. The right fork, Kaya I.R. Randolf Statuuis Van Eps, will take you to the hotels close to the airport, while the left, Kaminda Sorobon, leads back to downtown Kralendijk. Both roads pass through desert terrain littered with cacti and scrubby vegetation; watch out for the roaming wild donkeys and goats.

If you take Kaminda Sorobon, follow the signs to the dirt road leading east to Cai , a small point on the northern tip of Lac Bay. Every Sunday afternoon the place comes to life as scores of locals and surfers gather to listen to live music, dance, drink beer and eat local food. Lac Suid , a small restaurant at the end of the road, is also a good place for a meal. You can also stop for snacks en route to the bay at Maiky , which is signposted off Kaminda Sorobon.

The area is also the starting-point for kayaking trips to nearby mangrove swamps.

Bonaire travel  guide

Bonaire
Arrival and getting around
Listings
Best of Bonaire
Eating, drinking, nightlife
    Kralendijk
    North of Kralendijk
Diving centers and
     tour operators

Explore Bonaire

Bonaire Marine Park
      and   Klein Bonaire
Bonaire M. Park info

Kralendijk
The Town of Kralendijk

Rincon
Washington-Slagbaai
National Park
Park info

South of Kralendijk

Caribbean travel guide

Cruises