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Travel
To Bonaire
By
Air
From North America
American
Eagle currently operates daily nonstop flights
from San Juan, Puerto Rico to and from Bonaire,
with originating gateways from major U.S. cities.
On
February 9, 2008, Delta Airlines will commence
their weekly non-stop flights from Atlanta to
Bonaire and return.
Flight
#371 will depart Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport at 10:00 AM, and arrive at Bonaire’s
Flamingo Airport at 3:20 PM. The return flight
#370 will depart Bonaire at 4:15 PM and arrive
in Atlanta at 7:45 PM. The equipment will be a
Boeing 737-800 with 150 seats (15 in Business
Class and 134 in Economy).
Air
Jamaica flies to Bonaire via Montego Bay on
Saturdays. Gateway cities from the U.S. include
Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Chicago, Atlanta, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and Los
Angeles. Air Jamaica can be reached at 1-800-523-5585.
Please note Air Jamaica will cease service to
Bonaire on March 8th, 2008.
Continental
Airlines offers two non-stop weekly flights.
The first is a round-trip flight between Newark
and Bonaire, utilizing a Boeing 737 with 124 seats,
the weekly flight departs Newark on Saturdays
at 11:55 PM, and arrives Bonaire on the following
Sunday morning at 5:40 AM.
Continental
Airlines also flies weekly non-stop flight
from its Houston hub. Flight #1898 departs Houston
on Fridays at 11:30 p.m., arriving in Bonaire
on Saturdays at 6:15 a.m. The return flight, #1899,
departs Bonaire on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m., arriving
in Houston at 10:50 a.m. Continental Airlines
also uses a Boeing 737 airplane with 124 seats
including 12 first class seats. Continental Airlines
is the world's sixth largest airline.
American
Airlines flies direct, non-stop to Curaçao
from Miami. Passengers then use Dutch
Antilles Express to connect to Bonaire. Flying
time between Curaçao and Bonaire is approximately
15-30 minutes. Or, Divi Divi, which flies between
Bonaire and Curacao numerous times on a daily
basis, can be reached at: +599-9-839-1515 or fax
+599-9-868 1949. Currently, Insel
Air flies between Curaçao and Bonaire
on Fridays and Sundays, and they should be increasing
their service to daily flights on or about October
15, 2007. Until that time, charters are available.
Their offices can be reached in Curaçao
at phone: +599-9-733-1521 or +599-9-733-1522,
or at the airport at +599-9-868-4400 or 868-6600.
Another
routing option is to fly on any of a number of
major U.S. and South American carriers to Aruba
and then take Dutch
Antilles Express or Tiara
Air from there to Bonaire.
Contact
Dutch
Antilles Express at their new call center,
which can be reached at +599-717-0808, and which
is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. Payment can be made with debit or credit
card, with an e-ticket sent by email or fax. Reservations
on DAE can also be made by emailing reservations@flydae.com
or faxing +599-717-0880. They fly several times
daily to Bonaire from both Curaçao and
Aruba. Tiara Air flies non-stop flights six times
each week from Aruba to Bonaire and back.
From
Europe
KLM
flies direct from Amsterdam to Bonaire several
times each week; the flight continues on to Quito,
Ecuador.
Arkefly
provides weekly service from Amsterdam to Bonaire
during the high season. They utilize aircraft
that can accommodate 200-plus passengers.
From
South America
From Ecuador, the same KLM
flight returns to Bonaire with non-stop flights.
From
Venezuela, Transaven
flies from Caracas or Valencia to Bonaire. Their
reservation office can be reached by calling +(599)
717-8446 or +(599) 717-9944, or via FAX at +(599)
786-1086. They can accept reservations via email
at bonaire@transaven.com.
Charters can be also arranged.
From
Brazil, Varig
and Avianca
fly from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to Aruba,
which connect with Dutch
Antilles Express. Avianca
also flies from Bogota to Curacao, from which
connections to Bonaire can be made.
From
Colombia, Avianca
has flights from Bogota to Aruba, which connect
with Dutch
Antilles Express. Also, Dutch
Antilles Express has recently announced they
will soon begin service to Bogota, via Caracas.
Entry Requirements
Citizens of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and The
Netherlands who hold a national identity card
do not require a passport to enter Bonaire. They
can stay on for 90 days. Nationals of the USA
and Canada holding some form of identification
like voters' registration cards, birth certificate,
proof of citizenship, Alien Registration Card,
naturalisation certificates of American citizenship
etc also do not require a passport. A passport
is also not required by citizens of Brazil, Mexico,
San Marino, Venezuela and Trinidad & Tobago
holding national identity cards.
Nationals
of Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands,
Spain and UK for stay on the island for 90 days
without a visa; for citizens of the USA, Canada,
Australia, Japan and other EU countries it is
14 days. Nationals of Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador,
Hungary, Israel, Jamaica, Korea, Malawi, Mauritius,
Niger, The Philippines, Poland, San Marino, Slovak
Republic, Swaziland and Togo also do not require
a visa for visits of up to 90 days.
Citizens
of the following countries must apply for a visa
before entering the country even for tourist purposes:
Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia,
China (PR), CIS, Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic,
Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Haiti, Korea (DPR), Latvia, Libya, Lithuania,
Romania, Vietnam and Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).
Travel Information and Tips
Transportation
Bonaire has no public transportation. You'll have
to choose between taxis, a rental car, moped or
bicycle to get around the island. Main roads are
paved. Most of Bonaire's unpaved roads are decent,
but some areas, including Washington/Slagbaai
Park, become impassable after rain. Local driving
habits are casual: Occasionally two drivers, traveling
in opposite directions, stop to have a "Bonaire
meeting." You may also find that the roads
are sometimes blocked by goats or donkeys.
Auto rental agencies are available. US, Canadian,
and European driver licenses are valid for use
on the island. Be careful of the goats, donkeys
and pedestrians that roam the island's roads.
All traffic keeps to the right, and international
highway signs are used. Speed limit is 40 km per
hour (25 mph) in town and 60 km to 80 km per hour
(38-50 mph) in the countryside.
Banking
There are several banks downtown, all of which
have ATMs. Walk-up hours are generally Monday-Friday
8:30 am-4 pm. Most banks remain open during lunch.
Telephones
Phone service on the island is generally good.
International calls, faxes, telegrams, telexes
and other overseas communications services are
available (at considerably less expensive rates
than resorts charge) at TELBO, Kaya Simon Bolivar
8. Phone 599-717-7000.
Time Zone
4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (-4 GMT). Daylight
Saving Time is not observed.
Tipping
Tip 15% in restaurants if a service charge hasn't
already been included in the bill. If a gratuity
has been added, it's customary to leave another
5% or so for your waitperson if the service is
good. Tip cabdrivers 10% and bellhops US$1 per
bag. If you go diving, tip the dive shop about
10%.
Electricity
127 volts (with surges up to 140 volts), 50 cycles.
Some quick chargers and old-style hairdryers overheat,
although newer 50/60 appliances pose no problems.
What to Wear
Bonaire is generally an informal island. Still,
courteous visitors wear at least shorts, a shirt
and sandals everywhere except on beaches and at
poolside.
Shopping
Duty-free items (especially watches), T-shirts,
jewelry, local art and handicrafts are about all
there is to buy on Bonaire. Of these, the art
may be the best choice: In recent years, Bonaire
artists have been busy creating distinctive works.
Most of the good shopping is on Kaya Grandi in
Kralendijk. Besides the usual trinket marts, there
are several shops carrying authentic local art.
Check out the flamingo memorabilia, painted driftwood
and handmade jewelry at Jenny's Souvenirs and
Gifts, across from the post office.
Don't expect to bargain in Bonaire's shops, but
feel free to do so with the Venezuelan fruit vendors
in the market (you'll do better there if you speak
Spanish). Most stores accept and list prices in
U.S. currency. Prices are in guilders if the number
is preceded by "fl," in U.S. dollars
if preceded by "$."
Restaurants
Bonaire is experiencing lots of growth, so new
restaurants open frequently -- and not all stay
in business. If you stroll along Kaya Grandi,
Kaya J. N. E. Craane (the waterfront road north
of the piers) and Kaya L. D. Gerharts, you'll
pass many eateries serving Caribbean, Dutch, Indonesian
and U.S. foods. All are informal. Even the more
upscale restaurants are fairly casual on Bonaire:
Coats and ties are seldom worn -- usually just
for weddings and funerals. On the menus, you'll
find mostly fish and some vegetables and fruits
-- most of it excellent and well seasoned. Be
sure to ask about the local fare: soups and stews
made with salted meat, goat, conch, plantains,
okra, cactus or the occasional iguana. (Many restaurants
serve local dishes, but they don't necessarily
list them on their menus.) Everyone should try
a rijsttafel: A kind of Indonesian buffet, it
consists of rice accompanied by 6-20 small meat,
vegetable and fish side dishes. Dutch cheeses,
chocolate and coffee are also good, and Dutch
beer is widely available.
Bonaire National Marine Park Fee
In order to continue its important work and institute
new programs that will preserve Bonaire’s environment
above and below the water, STINAPA Bonaire, the
non-governmental, not-for-profit organization
that oversees the Bonaire National Marine Park
(BNMP) and Washington-Slagbaai National Park has
proposed a restructuring of the BNMP Fee, collected
annually from divers.
Beginning April 1, 2005 a new Nature Fee will
be introduced giving people year-long access to
both National Parks. As of this day all scuba
divers entering the BNMP will pay a fee of $25.00
per year. The current fee is $10.00 per year for
divers only. Divers will continue to receive the
coveted BNMP Tag. All others who use the waters
of the BNMP including snorkelers, windsurfers,
kayakers, sport fishermen, kite boarders, etc.,
will be charged a Nature Fee of $10.00 per year
and will also receive a specially designed tag
similar to the current BNMP Tag.
With the new Nature Fee, in addition to being
allowed to enjoy the Marine Park for a period
of one year, all persons who pay the Fee (both
divers and other users) and show their tag along
with their printed receipt will receive complimentary
admission to Washington-Slagbaai National Park
throughout the year their tag is valid.
Funds collected from the Nature Fee will continue
to be for research, monitoring, education, law
enforcement, information distribution and maintenance
of the areas STINAPA Bonaire oversees.
For more information visit http://www.stinapa.org
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