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© Caribeez.com Summary
The capital city of Willemsted was chosen a cultural heritage of the world by UNESCO. A walk through the city reveals great historical places, monuments and architecture. Tours around the island include the HATO caves and other historical landmarks. Atlantis Adventures has semi-submarine tours; Curacao Sea Aquarium has 400 species from the ocean around Curacao and offers dolphin encounters in the water with them; and the separate Dolphin Academy has programs allowing visitors to swim, snorkel or dive with the dolphins. Capital of Willemstad
Willemstad has more than 750 historical buildings. St. Anna Bay divides the city into two major districts — Punda on the east and Otrobanda on the west. A highlight of Punda is Fort Amsterdam, built by the Dutch after they captured the island from Spain in 1634 It now serves as the Government seat of the Netherlands Antilles. Unlike the orderly grid of Punda, Otrobanda is filled with twisting streets and alleyways. In the 18th and19th centuries, free blacks began to migrate to the city and formed the city's first working class neighborhood and urban center.  | © Curacao Tourist Board |
Curacao Sea Aquarium
Located on the oceanfront at Bapor Kibra, the aquarium is an ocean water system because of sea water pumped continuously into it. Visitors can snorkel or dive with stingray, turtles, fish and sharks among the 400 species at the facility. Other highlights include feeding shows, a Touch Tank and video presentations. Web: http://www.curacao-sea-aquarium.com/ Dolphin Academy
Visitors experience dolphins in six different programs at Dolphin Academy in Willemstad. Dolphin Encounter allows them to stand on a platform in the water about waist deep, learn about the dolphins and have moderate contact with them. In Dolphin Swim, participants can swim next to dolphins and pet them. For Dorsal Ride, two dolphins will pick up swimmers and give them rides by holding on to their dorsal fins. In Dolphin Snorkel and Dolphin Open Water Dive, participants will dive on a reef with the dolphins. Dolphin Academy teaches participants about being a dolphin trainer. Web: http://www.dolphin-academy.com. Curacao Ostrich Farm
The facility is one of the largest Ostrich farms outside of Africa. Visitors can see more than 600 animals, learn about their habits, hold an egg, pet chicks and paint Ostrich eggs. The farm's restaurant specializes in African food. Web: http://www.ostrichfarm.net/ Curacao Underwater Marine Park
Among the snorkeling opportunities around the island is the Curacao Underwater Marine Park, which extends 12 miles along the southern coastline Views include shipwrecks, expanses of hard and soft coral, and massive numbers of fish. |
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We stood on the dock by our cruise ship waiting for the morning catamaran to Dunn's River Falls to return so we could take our turn to see the most famous waterfalls in the Caribbean...