Not to miss

Kralendijk

Fewer than 2000 people live in this sleepy town, the main street a stone's throw end to end. Although salt has long been the island's breadwinner, the town's name (Dutch for coral reef) reveals that it's the capital of diving.

Follow the recommended walking tour pamphlet (from the tourist office) and you will wind your way through the town's modest attractions, such as the 19th-century Fort Oranje (now the Harbour Office) and its adjacent lighthouse and the museum, which traces the history of the Caiquetio Indians.

Flamingo Sanctuary

The vast salt pans at the island's southern end are home to one of the largest flamingo breeding grounds in the western hemisphere. The pink wonders flocking 10,000 at a time to the sanctuary's 55ha (135 acres)is a truly wondrous sight.

Nearby Witte Pan (Pink Beach) on the southwestern coast is one of the island's few good beaches, though it dpes bear the scars of Bonaire's darker history in the form of cubby-house-sized stone huts in which slaves working the salt pans used to sleep.

Flamingo Sanctuary

Although the flamingo sanctuary is off-limits to tourists, lucky visitors with a strong pair of binoculars can witness the comings and goings of Bonaire's most beloved guests. For other flamingo-viewing spots, head to the Willemstoren lighthouse at the southern tip of the island.

Bonaire Museum

A bit out from the center of Kralendijk, the Bonaire Museum is in an 1885 house filled with folklore displays including artifacts of the Caiquetio Indians, Bonaire's inhabitants when the Spanish arrived. Look for the detailed paintings of local mythology by Winifred Dania and Bonaire's impressive seashell collection.

Radio Nederland Wereld Omroep

Fans of big pans will enjoy the novelty of exploring caves and spotting iguanas in the shadows of this massive broadcast and power generation park. If you've always wanted to laugh with the parakeets and run from the bees in a forest of antennas this nature park on Bonaire's western coast is the place for you.