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It is my sincere pleasure to bring to you ~ Curacao! The island is a part of the ABC Islands, right between Aruba and Bonaire and located about 35 miles north of Venezuela and 35 miles east of Aruba. We are an autonomous island colony under the Dutch Kingdom … whatever that means. 😉
Now that you know where we are, let’s get busy figuring out what to do. Everything on this list is entirely FREE unless otherwise noted. 🙂
Downtown Willemstad
You have probably seen pictures of our beautiful architecture and colorful buildings that line the water in town. Believe you me, they are more spectacular in person … day or night. While you’re meandering in town I also suggest you stroll by the floating Venezuelan market, tour the old Rif Fort that is now a hub of shopping, restaurants and beautiful sea views and walk our floating Queen Emma bridge. If you’re lucky, you’ll be in town when they open the bridge for a container ship heading into port.
Meditation Hike
If you’re looking for an easy hike with beautiful views, this is your spot. Truth be told, it is on private property. But if you’re coming down to the island give me a shout, I can take you on this hike that only takes an hour to get up and back … sunrise is the best time for this adventure.
Blue Room
As with most Caribbean islands we have a plethora of water activities at your disposal, one of our favorites is called the Blue Room. A 30 minute walk from Playa Santa Cruz is a spot of crystal clear water and a small opening along the shore where you can swim into a cave where it is all … you guessed it … blue. 🙂
Playa Forti Cliff Jump
For the adventurers in your group. This is a 43 foot high jump off a cliff by a restaurant into crystal clear water. Perfect for the adrenalin junkies. 🙂
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving
Now, I’m not a diver, so all of the diving purist will probably shun me for combining the two. But, one of the best things about Curacao is the amount of shore dives we have … for snorkelers like me, that means that there are just as many spots I can don a bathing suit and snorkel gear and just head into the water to explore. The sea floor around the island drops off pretty quickly creating a wall of sea life and creatures for the divers to see not far from shore.
This also means, that you don’t need to book a charter, rent a boat or have any other sort of guide to go scuba diving. As long as you have the equipment you can dive to your heart’s content. We have seen sea turtles, sting rays, an eagle ray and numerous tropical fish and eels and a friend of mine saw an octopus last year. In addition to the Blue Room some of our favorite spots include Tug Boat (a sunken tug boat), Playa Lagun, Klein Knip, Director’s Bay and Klein Curacao (you have to pay to get there – that’s where Bachelorette Emily took Sean in the helicopter, but you can get there by boat too if you don’t have a TV network paying your expenses).
(I don’t have any good snorkeling pics, a good underwater camera is on our wish list!)
Sint Joris Baai
One of the really cool things about this island is that the topography (yes, big word, I know … I hope I used it right) is so varied. What you will find on the north shore of the island is completely different from what you will find on the south shore … where all of our beaches are. The north shore is rocky and cavernous, with deep blue, powerful ocean water barreling into it. Sin Joris Baai (St. Joris Bay) is one of the places you can actually drive out to and experience the coast. This is a popular wind surfing, kite surfing and hang out area because of all of the wind. And it is also where I find a lot of my driftwood that I’ve used in my trees and shelves … as well as where I found the bottles on my summer mantel. But shhhh, don’t tell anyone! 🙂
Westernmost Point
At the westernmost point of the island you can see first hand just how much of an impact that the powerful sea and wind has had at corroding away the island rock. Curacao is essentially made up of a coral reef that had formed over volcanic rock and turned into limestone over time. The weathering has created caves in spots and on the westernmost point of the island it is said that you can ‘hear the island breathe’. It is the sound of the crashing waves coming up under the island on that coastline. It is pretty cool. Oh, and there’s a rock painted like the Curacao flag and a cute husband, if you’re lucky. 😉
Shete Boka
This is actually the only item on my list that costs any money. But, at Nafl 3 per person (less than $2) I thought it was a fair addition. ‘Shete Boka’ literally translates to ‘7 mouths’ (from the national language of Curacao, Papiamentu) and is a National Park here where you can visit 7 different areas where the powerful water has created caves, caverns, and even a water spout. There is also a high likelihood that you will see sea turtles in certain areas.
Beaches
Now, I really could have made a list of my Top 10 Favorite Free Beaches in Curacao for this list and called it a day. But, now that you’ve explored the island and seen some of the off-the-beaten-path spots above, it’s time to relax at the beach. The island has about 40 beaches total and many of them are free. Which means that they usually don’t have any amenities like restaurants, etc … but that’s what coolers are for, right!?!?
Check out more pics of my favorite Curacao Beaches here.
Sunsets
What’s better than ending a fun-filled day on an island than enjoying an adult beverage overlooking the sunset? Not much I say. Click here to see a few of my favorite sunsets on Curacao and around the world.
So, have you started to plan your trip down to Curacao yet? Could you come up with 10 free things to do in your town? Missed part of ‘this week {in curacao}? Click here to get all caught up.
thistle says
This post was amazing! I love the pictures. Thanks for sharing this trip around the island!
blessings,
karianne
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
I’ve definitely started planning! I keep dropping hints to Jesse 😉
andrea cammarata says
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!! talk about a POP of COLOR!!!! PUNTA ROCKS!!!!! how gorgeous is that view! The colors…the personality…the bridge! INCREDIBLE!!!! Thanks for taking us on an incredible trip of the island…almost feel as though I just came off the beach…look at that…I a bit of sand between my toes : )
hugs and tons of hugs to my furry team M&M hope things are going wonderfully for them : )
Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage says
I don’t know whether to be more impressed with the fabulousness that is Curacao or your use of the words topography & plethora!
Seriously amazing paradise – need to get myself there soon so you can take me on that sunrise hike!
Kelly
Kelly @ Corner of Main says
Beautiful! I was gonna say, that first pic reminded me of Aruba. I wanna go!!
cassie says
awesome…. because i am saving pennies to crash your house, so i will need all the free activities i can get.
Anne says
I just love the colourful buildings and that night view is spectacular!!! Have a happy weekend Karah!
kathleen says
Beautifule pictures. What a wonderful opportunity that you have to experience this country.
My husband and I would like to retire to a place like this. We have been looking at Central America but this place is beautiful. Is it expensive and American friendly?
Linda @ it all started with paint says
Seriously, the Tourism Board should be paying you … gorgeous photography … gorgeous sites … love the free part … and Punda looks unreal. Surreal. Like a Disney set …
🙂
Kathryn Griffin says
Your photos are beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Also, thanks for the visit and sweet comment at The Dedicated House. Would love it if you would share this great post at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House which goes live on Monday at 8am CST. Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Bonnie says
Thanks for the tour—-we saw the bridge turn while there. Ate an expensive meal while watching that night. Fascinating! Need to do the FREE things next time! My husband dives but could snorkel some sites you mentioned. May not have to go back to Bonaire as I am a bigger fan of Curacao. Thanks for the info!
Cindy Stephens says
How can we get to the Blur Room and the Cliff to jump from the cruise ship?
Karah says
Hi Cindy! You will need a form of transportation to get to both, you can rent scooters or a rental car in town near the cruise port, or take a cab, but that could get pricey. Then you will follow road signs to Westpunt. Captain Good Life at Playa Santa Cruz will bring you to the Blue Room, is was $20 per person when we were living there. And the cliff jump is at Playa Forti, at the top (obviously) by the restaurant. 🙂 There is a guy who hangs out there and might appear like he wants money, but you can jump for free. I hope you love your time on Curacao!!
Gaylen Bockhaus says
Hi! My husband and I really enjoyed your blog, we are visiting Curacao in February. We really like the idea of the sunrise meditation hike. Do you offer this still?
Kind Regards,
Mrs. Gaylen Bockhaus
Karah says
Hi Gaylen! We don’t live on Curacao any more but the meditation hike is on the property of Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort. They could probably give you more information. Enjoy your trip, Curacao is a beautiful island!
Sally Leet says
This is a wonderful blog and I love your sense of humor. It is Friday, February 24th and we arrived in Curacao yesterday. Any inexpensive good restaurant recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks and we already love your island.
Sally from Portland, Oregon
Karah says
Enjoy Curacao! We love a restaurant called Equus, very casual, in someone’s courtyard on Caracasbaaiweg. The restaurants out by Papagayo and Zanzibar and beautiful but a little more pricey as you pay for the view. If you head out to Westpunt you can go to a place called Sol Food, it is owned by a woman from New Hampshire and her husband. Enjoy!!
Carrie Tarrant says
Thank you for the post. Headed your way in 2 months. Would love to learn more.