Best Sightseeing Spots in Bonaire

From the southern lighthouse to Lake Gotomeer, Bonaire is packed with incredible things to see! If you visit the island I highly encourage you to explore the surreal geology and curious wildlife. After living in Miami with marked off areas, paid parking, and "do not enter" signs, I felt so free. After exploring nearly the whole island, let me take you to the best places for sightseeing. 

Red Slave/White Slave

Red Slave and White Slave are two of the most common Bonaire sites. Red Slave is located south of White Slave and has yellow/orange slave huts instead of red. Both of these sites were the ancient sites for slaves that used to work the salt pans. In Bonaire, you'll hear different stories about the purpose of these huts. Some people say they were used for slaves to take breaks from the sun- but if you know anything about slavery, you know slaves don't usually get to take breaks. 
When visiting this site, you can expect picturesque scenes of the huts near the vibrant water. You can even enter these huts yourself and see just how small the area is. 

When facing the ocean, if you look to the left of the white slave huts, you'll see this tree with orange flowers. If you approach patiently, you'll see hummingbirds! 

Let's go to Red Slave now. Here, you'll find some of the huts by the ocean and some by the Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary. See below for more information on the sanctuary.

In one of the photos, you'll see the Bonaire Obelisk. There are four of these on the island. They are now a historical site but were originally markers where ships could pick up the salt. Bonaire is a massive exporter of salt. Today, they have the salt pier where ships come to pick up salt but historically, a flag was put up in the capital city of Bonaire displaying a color that matched one of the four Obelisks. This would direct the ships on where to go for pickup. 
Red Slave and White Slave are two must stops on your journey around the island. Let's explore a nearby landmark out to the east, the lighthouse. 

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The Lighthouse

Just past Red Slave is Bonaire's lighthouse. This lighthouse is no longer guarded by a keeper, but historically the lighthouse keeper actually lived in a separate house near to the lighthouse. Today, only the house remains can be seen and you can enter anytime! If you pay close attention to the house structure, you can see its made out of old coral skeletons! How cool is that?! 
You can see the lighthouse in the back of a Red Slave hut photo from above. I think I forgot to get a photo of it.

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Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary

Located directly adjacent to the salt lake, The Pekelmeer Flamingo Sanctuary is a saltwater "lake" where many flamingos congregate for feeding, breeding, and to enjoy life. Here, you'll find flamingos surprisingly close to the road and if you're quiet, they'll stick around! Every night at sunset, the flamingos all congregate and take off flying to Venezuela.
You'll spot more tan just Flamingos here though. You'll also see seagulls, frigate birds, ospreys, egrets, terns, and more!

To photograph this area, you'll need a longer with over 200mm zoom. People are not allowed to enter the flamingo sanctuary and neither are drones. This is strictly enforced as well. 

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Pink Salt Lake

Bonaire's most famous site is the pink salt lake. Water is pumped into the lake using windmills then allowed to evaporate for a 10 month period. As the water has evaporated, the flats get darker in color, as more halophilic (salt loving) bacteria reproduce and flourish. These bacteria are pink and give the lake its color. 

As even more water evaporates, the lake will turn white and become super sparkly. I think the sparkly was my favorite part!

From the pink salt lake to the ocean lies the salt pier. The salt pier is a very popular dive and snorkel site, well known for schooling fish, octopus, macro life, eels, and sea turtles. A lucky one might spot a frogfish as a few live on the southern mooring buoy. 

East Coast Landscape

If you turn off the road at the small racetrack along the east coast, and even take the long road around the lighthouse to the east coast, you'll be able to drive along the coast (on a dirt road) and within the cacti to see some beautiful scenery and have an adventure! I didn't get too many photos of this since I was driving but it's really gorgeous. 

Indigenous Caves

When you take the turnoff by the small racetrack on the east coast and take a left, you'll come across the indigenous caves. They have some cool unique information on the signs and you might see some giant hermit crabs inside. Beware of large bee nests! We did not get stung or even swarmed but there are quite a few bee nests. 

photo by George Campbell

1000 Steps

looking down from the top of the stairs

1000 Steps, famously known for its long staircase killing the legs of scuba divers, is an incredible dive site in northern Bonaire. Even though its a popular site for diving, snorkeling, and beaching, it's also a long staircase leading across the cliff with small lookouts over the water. Don't miss this spot if you're looking for a scenic view/walk along the ocean!

Lake Goto

Lake Goto is located in the north and has a one way road going around it. This is another great place to get up closer with flamingos and other bird life in Bonaire! It's also just a beautiful drive and you can visit the east coast and caves on your way home! I visited Lake Goto multiple times and it never got old!