ABC Islands Compared

Aruba	Bonaire	Curaçao

Introduction This page has been written by Attila Narin who lived on Curaçao from 1996 to 1998 and visited Aruba and Bonaire towards the end of that time for a few days. In other words, I know Curaçao much better than Aruba or Bonaire. For more about Curaçao, read Attila's Curaçao Page. Although all three islands are culturally and geographically closely related, each island has its unique characteristics. That's exactly what makes this comparison so interesting. Perhaps visitors might find this useful when trying to decide which island would be best suited to satisfy their vacation plans and dreams. This comparison is certainly not intended to criticize any of the islands. Enjoy! Feedback is always welcome!

First Impressions When I first arrived in Curaçao in 1996, I immediately liked the water and the beaches, the palm trees, the mixture of tropical atmosphere and dryness at the same time, the cactus trees, and the Dutch influence. Curaçao didn't seem to be a major tourist attraction, but yet offered many great things to do and visit. Arriving in Aruba, I thought I was in Little Miami: downtown Oranjestad seems to be a small version of Coconut Grove, with Palm trees, wider roads, flags, shopping malls, etc. Everything seemed brushed up and polished, ready for visitors from all over the world. Bonaire was a bit different. The airport is very small, the town is very small, and overall it seems to be a very quiet place with beautiful beaches and a nice scenery.

General Facts Curaçao is the biggest of the three islands, both in population and size. About 150,000 people live in Curaçao and the island is about 3-8 miles wide and 40 miles long. The main city is Willemstad. With a little over 80,000 people Aruba is the next biggest island in terms of population. The island is about 6 miles wide and 20 miles long. The main city is Oranjestad. Bonaire is a little larger than Aruba in terms of size. It has a width of 3-7 miles and is 24 miles long, but only a little over 15,000 people live there. The main city is Kralendijk.

Location Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire are all located in the South Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. Aruba is approximately 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Curaçao is about 40 miles north of Venezuela, and Bonaire is 50 miles away from Venezuela. Aruba is the western most island, Curaçao is located about 50 miles east of Aruba, and Bonaire is another 30 miles east of Curaçao. Aruba and Bonaire both are about a 20 minute flight from Curaçao, 30 minutes from Caracas, and 2 1/2 hours from Miami.

Political Status Until 1986 Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao together with St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba made up the Netherlands Antilles, which is part of the Dutch Kingdom. With the year 1986 Aruba became independent from the Netherlands Antilles, but is still a part of the Dutch Kingdom. Today the Netherlands Antilles consists of the remaining five islands. The government seat of the Netherlands Antilles is in Curaçao and controls Bonaire and the other three islands.

Economy Tourism is one of the biggest economies on all three islands. Aruba and Curaçao also have large refineries, Bonaire can store and load oil from larger onto smaller tankers. In addition, Bonaire produces rice and operates solar salt pans to extract salt out of the seawater. Curaçao has a fairly busy economy compared to the other islands, and one of the largest dry docks of the world is located there.

Language On all three islands, Dutch is the official language. In Aruba, however, English seemed to dominate because of the many visitors from the U.S. and Canada. Next would be Papiamento, the local language, and then people speak Dutch and Spanish as well. On Curaçao, Papiamentu is mostly used among the local people, and Dutch is mostly used among the Dutch people and for official business. Local people, next to their Papiamentu will speak a little Dutch, English, and Spanish. Bonaire is similar to Curaçao, however, people seem to be a little more comfortable with English than they are in Curaçao.

People Curaçao has mostly black inhabitants, which are the local people, and also some white Dutch settlers. In addition, people from other countries live here as well. Bonaire seems similar, but Aruba has more of a Latin influence and the complexion of the local people seems lighter than in Curaçao or Bonaire.

Climate The climate on all three islands is more or less the same: it's hot and dry, yet a little humid. It seems to be a little less windy in Aruba, which might be due to the hills close to the northeastern coast of the island. All three islands are outside the hurricane belt.

Nature The nature on all three islands is similar. Cactus trees, rough and spiky bushes, and the famous Divi-divi trees can be found on each of the three islands. Aruba has some interesting rock formations, dunes, and some caves. Curaçao also has caves, and the highest elevation of the three islands is there. Bonaire is perhaps the place with the nicest nature. It's famous for its tropical birds and its rich and colorful underwater world. Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao all have nature parks, the Arikok Park, the Washington/Slagbaai Park, and the Christoffel Park, respectively. Wild goats are quite common on all three islands, in addition Aruba and especially Bonaire is the home of many wild donkeys as well.

Beaches On Curaçao beaches are small sandy bays where the water has found a way into the rocky coast. In addition to similar bays, Aruba has one long sandy beach (Eagle Beach) on its southwestern coast where the water is shallow quite a distance away from the shore. Bonaire also has very beautiful and sandy beaches, especially on the western shore of the southern part of the island. Pink Beach is a favorite with beautiful white (actually, pink) sand and palm trees, perfect for swimming and playing in the water. Just about all of the beaches on all three islands are located on the southwestern shores of the islands, as the winds push the rough sea against the rocky northeastern shores of the islands. Curaçao seems to be the only island with beaches that charge entrance, which then have facilities and perhaps a small restaurant etc. On Bonaire and Aruba, all beaches seem to be public (except for beaches inside the Washington Park in Bonaire).

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving Snorkeling and Scuba Diving are best in Bonaire. The island has over fifty designated dive spots, and the underwater world is protected by the law. Every diver has to do an orientation dive with a dive instructor and purchase an admission ticket to the underwater park, which is good for one year. Klein Bonaire, a small island located about a mile off the coast of Kralendijk, is a popular spot for boat dives. It is strictly forbidden to remove or touch anything under water. Snorkeling is equally amazing and many beaches are great for snorkeling. Curaçao is probably second in line, with many dive spots. Boat dives are also very popular; however, it will probably take more time to get to and from the dive spot due to the size of the island. Klein Curaçao is a small island beyond the eastern point of Curaçao and it is also a favorite for boat dives. Aruba is certainly above average to many beaches in the world, but in my opinion Curaçao and especially Bonaire offer better diving and snorkeling.

Sightseeing All three islands have a variety of sights to see, things to do, and places to go, with a nice balance of nature, history, and culture. Of course, beaches, the underwater world, and shopping are a prime attraction, but they are discussed in their own sections. Curaçao and Aruba both have caves that people can look at. In Curaçao the main caves are the Hato Caves and Boca Tabla. Aruba has some caves on the southeastern side of the island, e.g. the Tunnel Of Love and others. In addition, a "Natural Bridge" is located in Aruba and is a main attraction. Landhouses are attractions in Bonaire and especially Curaçao. Aruba has some abandoned coalmines that people can look at. The chapel on the northeastern part of the island is another point of interest in Aruba that people like to look at. The Dutch architecture of buildings, forts, and bridges are especially noticeable in Curaçao: downtown Punda, renovated old houses of Otrobanda, the Emma bridge, Fort Nassau, Fort Amsterdam and more. Kralendijk is a lot smaller, but the same style of architecture is visible. Aruba has not so many buildings and forts etc., but they do have a very Dutch windmill. Overall, I think Curaçao has the most things to look at, probably because it's the biggest of the three islands.