Thrilling Activity We Did While in Bonaire

Southern Caribbean Cruise Day 5: Bonaire

We arrived to Bonaire and got off the ship. While in Bonaire, we headed in through the port and stopped for some coffee at Umbrella, a cafe/bar in the port area; they do have WiFi there if you purchase something. We had an excursion booked as well!

Then we headed to meet up with our tour guide for our excursion.

Off-Road Dirty Buggy & Cave Exploration

We booked this excursion through Carnival. The buggy excursion and the ATV excursion met up together and road the same bus. We rode aboard a converted school bus to the outpost for the Buggies and ATVs; it was about a 15-20 minute ride from the port.

The Off-Road Dirty Buggy & Cave Exploration was an exciting off-road experience. My husband got behind the wheel of our side-by-side off road vehicle with me in the passenger seat. We explored Bonaire’s wild side on our exciting off-road adventure along the island’s East Coast. Along the tour, we visited the following:

Washikemba Reservoir: Rugged terrain of Washikemba Reservoir, we drove through the reservoir, spotted wild donkeys, goats, flamingos and iguanas, along some of the most picturesque coastal roads on the island. 

Caves & Karst Nature Reserve: Our adventure continued to one of Bonaire’s many caves, which are home to the Bonairean bat species. Our tour guide led us into the cave, between the stalactites and stalagmites and explain various rock paintings the Arawak Tribe left behind. 

Spelonk Lighthouse: We had a stop at the Spelonk Lighthouse and abandoned lighthouse keeper’s house, the easternmost point of Bonaire, offering spectacular, panoramic views of the ocean and unspoiled East Coast. The light house was first built in 1910, but has been renovated since then. The lighthouse keeper’s house is a historical monument.

East Coast: Drive along the “wild” East Coast between limestone rocks and giant cacti while ocean waves crash and spray the coastline. 

Once our buggy adventure was over, they bussed us back to the port. From the port, we walked about 7 minutes into the town to do some souvenir shopping. There was some construction going on in town and not too much to see, so we headed back to the ship.

Bonaire is definitely a port that you will want to have an excursion booked. My friends are avid scuba divers and they report that the scuba diving in Bonaire is unbelievable.

Be sure to check out the east side of the island on an adventurous ATV or side by side adventure! You can see the rest of our cruise here.

-S&E