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Green iguanas are common at some of the beaches in the National Park

Bonaire’s National Park covers just under 14,000 acres (more than 565 square kilometers) of the island’s northwestern region – an area just smaller than the size of Manhattan New York. Originally known as Washington National Park, it was founded on May 9, 1969 when the owner of the Washington plantation donated the land to the government for use as a nature preserve. The park’s name changed to the Washington Slagbaai National Park in 1979 when the Slagbaai plantation gained protected status, leading to the successful preservation of an area equivalent to a fifth of the island of Bonaire.

The park is accessible through a single entrance located about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north of Rincón. There is a visitor center at the entrance, along with a museum, an open-air classroom space and restrooms. The park itself contains a number of hiking trails, cultural sites, two protected wetland areas – Saliña Slagbaai and Saliña Goto – and seven dive and snorkel sites located on the park’s more sheltered west coast.

STINAPA manages the park and charges a $25 USD access fee to all visitors. Divers can enter the park for free by bringing the receipt for their STINAPA Nature Fee tag, as well as identification. Visitors are not allowed to spend the night in the park unless they have reserved a stay in the Boka Slagbaai plantation house ahead of time.

When visiting the park, consider getting there early; the gates are open from 8:00am to 5:00pm but the rangers will not permit anyone to enter past 2:30pm. Divers should begin their final dive by 2:30pm to ensure there is enough time to exit the park. The roundtrip drive through the park can take two hours or more, depending on conditions, and rangers recommend visitors depart Wayaká II by 3:30pm, and Boka Slagbaai by 4:00pm, to ensure there is enough time to exit the park before the gates close. Rangers do a sweep of the park starting from the north at 3:30pm to make sure everyone is respecting these deadlines.

In addition to the dive sites discussed in the following pages, there are notable features along the rougher northern and eastern coasts of the park, including Playa Chikitu, which is one of Bonaire’s only true sand beaches. The east coast also hosts the Suplado Blow Hole, which is most impressive during periods of high surf, and the cliffs at Seru Grandi. This 190-foot-tall (58-meter) limestone escarpment highlights the interaction between sea level and the rising landmass due to tectonic activity. The massive boulders in this area are remnants of powerful tsunamis that lifted these rocks out of the ocean and deposited them on the flats. The area is definitely worth the extra drive time to visit.

Washington Slagbaai National Park

BONAIRE

WASHINGTON SLAGBAAI NATIONAL PARK