Summary
Bonaire is part of the ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, which have the reputation of lying somewhat safely below the Caribbean hurricane belt.

But they still face occasional onslaughts, such as the category 5 Hurricane Felix in September 2007. Reputations go only so far.

The island also is part of the Netherland Antilles, which includes Curacao, Sint Maarten, Saint Barthelemy, Saba and Sint Eusatius. The group is located in the southern Caribbean and lies to the east of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Bonaire is 24th in total visits, 25th in stopovers and 22nd in cruises. About the same number of people visit the island via stopovers in cruises, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

Attractions
Unique attractions on a Bonaire vacation include diving and snorkeling because the waters off the coast of the island have been legally protected as a marine park since 1979. The desert-like Washington/Slagbaai National Park has hikes through spare landscapes of cacti, iguanas and divi-divi trees. Bonaire is about 24 miles long and about 4 miles wide on average, making it small enough for fit visitors to tour the island by bike.

Tourism / When to Go
U.S. and Canadian stopover tourists require passports and valid return tickets to visit the islands. Cruise visitors must have their ship IDs when leaving and returning to their ships. The most popular months to visit are April and then December; the least popular are September and then August, according to the CTO.

Weather
Overall climate conditions are tropical, but the conditions are softened by northeast trade winds. The average daytime temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Average rainfall is about 20 inches, which is more than Aruba but less than Curacao. That makes the island semi-arid, with sparse vegetation

Currency / Tipping
Like all of the islands in the Netherland Antilles, the currency is the Netherlands Antilles Guilder. U.S. current and major credit cards are widely accepted. For stopover visitors, the departure tax is $32US per person. Tipping is 10-15 percent on average for hotels, taxis, restaurants and tour operators.

Culture / Geography
The dominant language is Papiamento, a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect. The economy depends strongly on tourism, oil refining and offshore financing. The geography is hilly with some volcanic formations in the interior.

Sources / More information
U.S. State Department: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_981.html
CIA Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nt.html
Caribbean Tourism Organization: http://www.onecaribbean.org
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.noaa.gov
- Scott Bateman © Caribeez.com