The welcoming sunshine, warm breezes and floral gardens of this enchanting isle in the south Caribbean charm me from the moment I arrive. Curacao, a slender tropical island oasis (60 km long by 8 km wide), is part of a trio of south Caribbean islands, including Aruba and Bonaire, that lie less than 700 km off the north coast of Venezuela, south America.
Palm shaded beaches, surrounded by turquoise seas and the weather is predictably appealing, far from the traditional Caribbean hurricane corridor. It’s great for sun-bathing, swimming, and underwater snorkeling.
Each morning, after breakfast and a leisurely swim, we drive from our hotel at the southern end to a new destination up island. Roadways here are paved and winding, interesting and easy to navigate with maps. A favourite, the quaint Kokomo Beach with its famous ocean swing chair, is mid island, and has a delightful open-air restaurant with huge, almost tame, wild Iguanas wandering nearby.
The landscape becomes progressively more treed, with hills and forested mountains, towards the northwest end of the island. Curacao’s highest peak, Mt. Christoffel, reaches 373 metres above sea level. The hiking trail going up it is restricted to morning starts only and it has challenging scrambles near the top. As the most dominant landform on the island, it’s easily seen from the panorama viewpoint overlooking Santa Martha Bay. This inland bay has a sizable sea water basin, which fills and empties twice a day, through a small rock gap beside Playa (beach) Carara. The visually stunning beach is not safe for swimming or snorkeling due to hazardous tidal currents in the narrows, but it’s ideal for watching sunsets.
At the north-western tip is Watamula, a rugged and deserted, windswept volcanic rock point. It’s an ambitious destination by car, traveling along an uninhabited route of ruts and flooded roadway to get there. The arid landscape is captivating though, with odd-looking stands of columnar cardon cactus, low pointy clumps of spongy aloe vera plants, and we spot several large predatory Caracara birds stalking for dinner. I think it’s well worth the effort to see the impressive 20-metre-wide ‘Witches Cauldron’, a huge blowhole of surging and heaving sea water that swells and swirls up the middle with each passing wave.
The environment evokes an adrenaline rush as we’re captivated by the mammoth incoming waves, splashing up against the jagged rock seawall. Each wave hits with tremendous force, spraying a crescendo of water misting into the air. It’s best to mind where you stand near the sea edge as the footing is precarious along the irregular rock wall. The continuous thrills are exhilarating, leaving a lasting impression. More of this excitement can be found trekking along the scenic oceanfront trails of the nearby Shete Boka National Park.
If you go to Curacao and can only visit one remote beach, Playa Cas Abao has everything to offer, including thatched cabanas, turquoise waters, a scenic rocky point and a great cliff to snorkel beside.
I wear a full-face mask, with snorkel attached, allowing for easy breathing without a mouthpiece, and split ended fins, that are easier on the knees. Neoprene booties are safer on the feet, in case of rough coral entries, plus a long-sleeved rash guard jersey top and leggings, offer protection from the sun. We wrap our land clothes in a sizable ground mat, topped off with a chunk of rock or coral, before entering the sea. Our fascinating sea excursions kicking along the surface usually last an hour, making us incredibly hungry, however we leave our food snacks in the car so we don’t attract marauding iguanas, lizards and ants.
Curacao’s beaches offer a variety of amenities to satisfy seaside expectations; some have cabanas, showers and restaurants, while smaller Playas just have an open beach with lounge chair rentals. We discover that we prefer the smaller beaches, set back from the ocean, recessed into bays, and enclosed by steep cliff walls. The deep water below sea walls seems to attract the most fish life and the surrounding blue sea color over the sand and corals is magnificent. Near the north end, a short distance off the main road, are the Knip beaches. We find more marine life at Kleine (little) Knip which has a small beach and two sides of rock walls jutting out towards the ocean. Nearby Grote (great) Knip is more popular with beach goers as there’s paved parking, an attractive rock jumping wall, wild Iguanas, plus cabanas and refreshment kiosks.
We determine that fish shy away from people, and prefer to be where their food is, in deeper water, beside rock cliffs, rather than in shallow sandy sections busy with swimmers. It’s also more appealing to snorkel away from the crowds where there is less chance of bumping into someone while floating and gazing at fish darting around in the sea below. I’m hypnotized watching the vivid colours, stripes and shapes of fish going about their daily lives, dashing about, chasing one another along the bottom on a quest for nourishment and procreation.
We decide that Playas Jeremi and nearby Largu are our favourite spots for snorkeling as they are small, picturesque, and set back from the ocean, protected by steep cliff walls on both sides. There are few people here, just clear blue paradise, with plenty of alluring tropical fish swimming amongst the corals. Fascinating coral shapes include majestic Elkhorn, spiky Staghorn, big round balls of Brain corals, plus hollow tubes of sponges, wide sweeping fans and feathery fingering branches of Gorgonia. They’re all perfectly enchanting in this graceful world of blue and sand.
In today’s fading light there’s just enough time to sit and relax, with a cool beverage and be grateful for these rejuvenating days that have delivered on all my Caribbean dreams.
WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER Cynthia Percival
