Kralendijk

Photo © marlis

Travel Guide Caribbean Bonaire Kralendijk

Introduction

Bonaire People

Kralendijk is the capital of the Netherlands Antilles island of Bonaire. The language spoken in the town is Papiamentu, but Dutch and English are widely used. In Dutch, Koralendijk (of which the name Kralendijk is a degeneration) means "coral reef" or "coral dike". In Papiamentu, the town is often called Playa or "beach". Off the coast of Kralendijk lies the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire, noted for diving and snorkeling activities. This small island can be reached by water taxi, or, for divers, by practically all of the local dive operators.

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Sights and Activities

The Tourism Corporation Bonaire has a "Historical Walking Tour" brochure that lists 25 historical sites in the downtown area.

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Events and Festivals

Bonaire Carnival

Late February/early March sees the most colorful and spectacular festival of the island’s calendar and is one of the best times of the year to visit Bonaire. No matter where you go, it is virtually impossible to escape the party atmosphere and the beat of the Caribbean drum once it’s in full-swing. The most elaborate and hedonistic celebrations tend occur on the streets of Kralendijk where everybody puts on crazy costumes and does away with their inhibitions. The dancing, drink and downright debauchery goes on for days with music, fireworks and huge parades.

Bonaire Dive Festival

Bonaire has hosted this dive festival every June since 1997, which focuses primarily on conservation. Non-profit organization CORAL (Coral Reef Alliance) hold the event annually in order to raise awareness of the preservation of marine beauty. The two-week event includes seminars, environmental awareness projects, underwater dives and cocktail parties.

Bonaire Heineken Jazz Festival

Held every July, Bonaire’s jazz fest has been running since 2005. The main event takes place on Saturday night, while many other concerts and activities are held across the area. Each year, hundreds of visitors and established musicians head to the island for a number of workshops and interactive events help to promote jazz and music among the young population.

Bonaire International Sailing Regatta

An annual sailing event every October, the Bonaire regatta includes a variety of boat races along the coast. Vessels from around the world come to compete, while numerous windsurfing and freestyle competitions take place. After sunset, attention turns back to the shoreline, notably the Sea Promenade, Wilhelmina Park and Kralendijk, where jovial, usually booze-fueled, social events go on late into the evening.

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Weather

Kralendijk has a very pleasant and constant climate. This means warm and humid weather yearround but with almost constant sea breezes cooling things of a bit. Temperatures average around 30 °C during the day, cooling of somewhat to 23 °C at night. Most rain falls between October and February but compared to the islands more north in the Caribbean it doesn't rain that much. July and August are high season and therefore the drier months of March to June are the best time for a visit.

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Getting There

By Plane

Flamingo International Airport or Bonaire International Airport (BON) is where all international flights and flight from other islands of the Netherlands Antilles arrive and depart. Arkefly (website in Dutch) and KLM fly there from Amsterdam. The latter has connections onwards to both Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador. Other services include those to Houston, Miami, New York, Atlanta and Cartagena in Colombia. Finally, there are some seasonal flights to Paramaribo and Caracas and connections to Aruba.