Mangrove

The Mangrove forests are globally threatened eco-systems where very little is known about. The Mangrove of Lac Bay is one of the best preserved mangroves in the caribi there are 3 types of mangrove trees in these crystal clear waters.


Washington Slagbaai National Park

The Washington Slagbaai National Park (WSNP) is more than 6,000 hectares and covers the entire northern head of Bonaire. By car, mountain bike or on foot it is possible to get acquainted with the geological, natural and cultural-historical attractions that the beautiful park has to offer.
The mountainous terrain with its cactus forests, aloe fields, rock formations, salt lakes, limestone caves, sand dunes, blowholes and crumbling lime terraces provides shelter for numerous special plants and animals.


Caves

For enthusiasts of caves there are also possibilities on Bonaire. There are four caves to visit under the guidance of guides, this to assure that the animals that live there (like bats) get as much as peace, rest and security as possible. There are both dry and wet caves on the Caribbean island to explore. You can even swim or snorkel in the wet caves. WWW.AmazingBonaire.Com

Flamingos

Bonaire is one of the few breeding grounds for pink flamingos in the world. In the past, the population has drastically decreased as a result of motor boats, airplanes, egg collectors and bird hunting: only 1,500 flamingos remained.
Thanks to the efforts of Akzo Nobel, who have done everything possible to preserve and protect these beautiful birds and to increase the population. A special reserve was set up and the installations for the salt industry were built with the help of environmental experts and ornithologists (bird experts). This turned out to be a great success: the flamingos came back and the population grew. Because the flamingos are very shy, it is not possible to get close to the flamingos.

Salt pans / Brine lake

Salt is a natural product that is extracted in the south on Bonaire. Already in the time of the first Dutch, the salt was harvested by slaves. These slaves had to remove the salt from the salt pans and bring them to the ships. The salt was brought to one of the four obelisks, after which it was transferred by small boats to the ships of the West India Company. These brought the salt to Europe. A number of slave houses can be seen in two places along the salt lake. On weekdays the slaves slept in these houses and during the weekend they went walking to their family in Rincón, a trip of 7 hours. In the Manganzina di Rei ('warehouse of the king') in Rincon they could buy food.
In a number of places on Bonaire you can see natural salt pans (saliña's). By the wind, seawater is beaten on land and is left behind here. The heat from the sun ensures that the water evaporates and salt is left behind. This principle has been applied in the salt lake for a long time. Large basins are filled with a layer of seawater. A quantity of sea water is evaporated by the sun each time.



Lac Cai

Cai forms the northern tip of the inlet of Lac Bay. The beach of Cai is very beautiful and is very popular as a recreation area. Cai can be reached via a narrow access road. Cai is also a popular meeting place for the local Bonairian population. Every Sunday at the beach of Cai gather whole families who enjoy local music, dance, beer, rum and tasty snacks. Cai is adorned by huge mountains of empty karko shells. The karko, or the large queen conch, lives on the bottom of the lagoon. It is a large edible snail species with an average length of 30 cm, which used to be hunted a lot.