Bonaire National Marine Park

Bonaire National Marine Park

Bonaire National Marine Park
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About
Popular area that boasts countless dive sites, many reachable from shore, and more than 70 sites with boat moorings.
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Top ways to experience Bonaire National Marine Park
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  • Allen B
    Muskegon, Michigan1,146 contributions
    Beautiful!
    Absolutely amazing. I pray this marine park stays the way it is, but I fear with tourism on the rise things could change. So many tourists on the beaches and in the water and not many were using reef safe sunscreen or reusable water bottles. You will enjoy your visit here, but think about everybody doing their part to keep it as is.
    Visited December 2022
    Written January 2, 2023
  • Annette M
    17 contributions
    Awesome experience
    Definitely worth the money and the time to go there. I suggest going with a tour. Going on your own would be fine, but the information we received was top notch. Snorkeling was top notch! be sure to bring comfortable shoes for some difficult terrain.
    Visited December 2022
    Written January 3, 2023
  • aafrye
    Boston, Massachusetts5 contributions
    Extraordinary--but go prepared
    Stunningly beautiful, dramatic scenery that really can't be experienced elsewhere on Bonaire. They are really NOT kidding about needing a 4x4. Having done it both in a guided tour and on my own I would say if you don't enjoy driving very very slowly on very bad roads the tour is worth it to have someone else take care of it for you. Otoh going on your own you can see more and stay longer. But truly bring lots of water and a spare tire. This is not a jaunt for the careless.
    Visited February 2022
    Written January 9, 2023
  • Kristine P
    2 contributions
    You don't want to miss this!
    What an amazing place. This was one of our favorite parts of Bonaire. You need to plan a full day and pack a lunch or take lots of snacks and drinks. We really enjoyed watching the waves crash against the rugged east side of the island and then seeing the change to clam beautiful waters on the west side. We ate our picnic lunch at Playa Funchi, they have a couple picnic tables and it was fun to watch the lizards run around while we ate. We snorkeled at both Playa Funchi and Wakaya II, we enjoyed both but thought that Wakaya II was definitely the best (you don't want to miss this one for snorkeling and I'm sure diving would be amazing too). They were doing road construction (Jan 2023) so everyone had to do the long route and return to the entrance/exit via the short route. It really wasn't a big deal and would take about 2+ hours without any stops. I recommend arriving early if you want time to snorkel and explore.
    Visited January 2023
    Written January 12, 2023
  • Fran
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom20 contributions
    Great diving - roads need some work!
    We had 2 dives in the National Park and also went up Brandaris ( different day). The diving was great - lots of Caribbean lobsters and amazing coral. They could do with spending some of the revenue they get on the roads though - truly awful in places!
    Visited January 2023
    Written February 3, 2023
  • Beachtraveler
    Madison, Wisconsin60 contributions
    Great but not incredible
    Basically, most of the waters around the island are a marine park. That said, the number of visitors has increased exponentially--they have literally gone from 150k in 2012 to 400k in recent non-Covid years. This many people means it is not possible to educate everyone on how to interact in healthy safe ways with the environment. The amount of building that has been done to accommodate this is not helped and the reef quality by the shore has declined quite a bit so I don't think it lives up to its reputation. That said, it's 99% better than most places in the Caribbean, unless they keep up this pace of building and visitors. As a snorkeler, there is a wide variety still of hard and soft corals, invertebrates and fish to be seen, but you have to look to find some kinds in shallower waters. I'm seeing a lot of algae and bleaching in the shallows. I think it may be better for divers. I did see more octopus, eels, and lobsters than other places, probably because of the marine park.
    Visited February 2023
    Written March 13, 2023
  • Robin K
    14 contributions
    Golf Cart Touring was Awesome and Lots of Water Sports Opportunities
    This was one of our cruise port stops so we had limited time. We rented golf carts from Bonaire Cruisers - excellent service and a fair price. We only had enough time to take the south loop on the island but the scenery was absolutely breathtaking! It was VERY windy so make sure your hat is secured. There were plenty of places where you could stop and get into the water if you'd like to take a swim or go snorkeling. There were areas for kite-surfing, wind surfing, etc. I could see it would be a destination for people who love water sports. Really no bathrooms or places to stop until we got to the far side of the island. Then we found a great stop over by Lac Bay - Sorobon Resort. They had a nice waterfront bar and restaurant as well as bathrooms. Everyone was stopping there though. We arrived there around 10:30 in the morning when they opened. By the time we left it was packed. I'm looking forward to going back to see the north loop but I might opt for renting an SUV just so we can get around faster and we have plenty of time for stops.
    Visited February 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written April 14, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

5.0
1,648 reviews
Excellent
1,348
Very good
223
Average
60
Poor
12
Terrible
5

Vacation273182
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Friends
Skip, This is all past. Divers have killed the reefs. The locals think the glory days still exist but it's GONE. Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) they had the chance when it first showed up, but blew it thinking it would keep the divers away, well NOW it will.

White bleached-out reefs, if that's what you wish to see, go right ahead.

Dutch Nationals still come, they're proud of their inheritance that they've allowed to die.

Piss-ant attempts at coral restoration perhaps 0.01% of the amount necessary, looks good in the newspapers.

Thanks a lot Bonaire YOUR stewardship has KILLED this formally beautiful place.
Written 30 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robin K
Washington DC, District of Columbia14 contributions
Feb 2023 • Friends
This was one of our cruise port stops so we had limited time. We rented golf carts from Bonaire Cruisers - excellent service and a fair price. We only had enough time to take the south loop on the island but the scenery was absolutely breathtaking! It was VERY windy so make sure your hat is secured. There were plenty of places where you could stop and get into the water if you'd like to take a swim or go snorkeling. There were areas for kite-surfing, wind surfing, etc. I could see it would be a destination for people who love water sports. Really no bathrooms or places to stop until we got to the far side of the island. Then we found a great stop over by Lac Bay - Sorobon Resort. They had a nice waterfront bar and restaurant as well as bathrooms. Everyone was stopping there though. We arrived there around 10:30 in the morning when they opened. By the time we left it was packed. I'm looking forward to going back to see the north loop but I might opt for renting an SUV just so we can get around faster and we have plenty of time for stops.
Written 14 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Beachtraveler
Madison, WI60 contributions
Feb 2023
Basically, most of the waters around the island are a marine park. That said, the number of visitors has increased exponentially--they have literally gone from 150k in 2012 to 400k in recent non-Covid years. This many people means it is not possible to educate everyone on how to interact in healthy safe ways with the environment. The amount of building that has been done to accommodate this is not helped and the reef quality by the shore has declined quite a bit so I don't think it lives up to its reputation. That said, it's 99% better than most places in the Caribbean, unless they keep up this pace of building and visitors.
As a snorkeler, there is a wide variety still of hard and soft corals, invertebrates and fish to be seen, but you have to look to find some kinds in shallower waters. I'm seeing a lot of algae and bleaching in the shallows. I think it may be better for divers. I did see more octopus, eels, and lobsters than other places, probably because of the marine park.
Written 13 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brooke R
6 contributions
Feb 2023
Tons of fish, clear water to 100 feet in most spots, excellent scuba diving - will definitely be back
Written 5 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trish S
10 contributions
Jan 2023
Healthy reefs, corals and fish diversity. Wonderful experience from a boat or from the shore. A model for the rest of the Caribbean and world to preserve coral reef and ocean ecology.
Written 18 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fran
Aberdeen, UK20 contributions
Jan 2023
We had 2 dives in the National Park and also went up Brandaris ( different day). The diving was great - lots of Caribbean lobsters and amazing coral. They could do with spending some of the revenue they get on the roads though - truly awful in places!
Written 3 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kristine P
2 contributions
Jan 2023
What an amazing place. This was one of our favorite parts of Bonaire. You need to plan a full day and pack a lunch or take lots of snacks and drinks. We really enjoyed watching the waves crash against the rugged east side of the island and then seeing the change to clam beautiful waters on the west side. We ate our picnic lunch at Playa Funchi, they have a couple picnic tables and it was fun to watch the lizards run around while we ate. We snorkeled at both Playa Funchi and Wakaya II, we enjoyed both but thought that Wakaya II was definitely the best (you don't want to miss this one for snorkeling and I'm sure diving would be amazing too).

They were doing road construction (Jan 2023) so everyone had to do the long route and return to the entrance/exit via the short route. It really wasn't a big deal and would take about 2+ hours without any stops. I recommend arriving early if you want time to snorkel and explore.
Written 12 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

aafrye
Boston, MA5 contributions
Feb 2022
Stunningly beautiful, dramatic scenery that really can't be experienced elsewhere on Bonaire. They are really NOT kidding about needing a 4x4. Having done it both in a guided tour and on my own I would say if you don't enjoy driving very very slowly on very bad roads the tour is worth it to have someone else take care of it for you. Otoh going on your own you can see more and stay longer. But truly bring lots of water and a spare tire. This is not a jaunt for the careless.
Written 9 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Annette M
17 contributions
Dec 2022
Definitely worth the money and the time to go there. I suggest going with a tour. Going on your own would be fine, but the information we received was top notch. Snorkeling was top notch! be sure to bring comfortable shoes for some difficult terrain.
Written 3 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Allen B
Muskegon, MI1,146 contributions
Dec 2022
Absolutely amazing. I pray this marine park stays the way it is, but I fear with tourism on the rise things could change. So many tourists on the beaches and in the water and not many were using reef safe sunscreen or reusable water bottles. You will enjoy your visit here, but think about everybody doing their part to keep it as is.
Written 2 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BONAIRE NATIONAL MARINE PARK: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Bonaire National Marine Park

According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Bonaire National Marine Park: