Brittany Anytime we travel out of the country, we like to research the place we’re going. Depending on how safe it is outside of the resort, we like to immerse ourselves in the local culture and see what the country has to offer. We found that Curaçao is very safe, and we were comfortable leaving the resort. We decided that we wanted to have two days where we did something off property. We wanted to visit the tiny island of Klein, Curaçao and we also wanted to see a few things on Curaçao itself, such as the Hato Caves, flamingos, the colorful buildings downtown, and the Punda hearts.
I was able to book our boat tour to Klein through Island Routes. Specifically, we decided on the Catamaran Cruise to Klein Curaçao. This was a great option for us because it included transfers to and from our resort. On the day of our excursion, the sweet girl that worked for Island Routes took us to where the boat would pick us up. While we waited, she told us of the time she’d been on the tour. She talked about the things we would see like the lighthouse and the shipwrecks. She also told us of how seasick she got. We didn’t think much of it, because we’ve been on many catamarans before and never had an issue. The catamaran arrived and was full! Sandals is the last stop for this tour, so we could not find a place to sit. We sat in the inside area (where it was empty). The crew was so sweet. Danny did a great job of giving us a mini orientation of the rest of the crew, the boat, and safety guidelines. He told us that it might not be best to sit inside because it gets stuffy and you’d be more likely to get seasick, we got up to find a place to go outside and there was literally nowhere to sit. He came over and asked where we wanted to sit and I told him anywhere but we didn’t see a spot. He took my hand and led us up to the bridge where we met the captain and first mate. The first mate gave me his seat, and Bill found a place to sit nearby. Garrett and Ashley found a spot not far from us. We looked over and poor Ashley was getting soaked by the waves. She said their backpack didn’t stand a chance. We were glad we had our dry bag. We talked to the captain but more so the first mate, he had amazing story about how he escaped from North Korea. Danny told us he’s known as “The Legend” and we understood why after speaking with him. After about 30 minutes or so, I started to feel a little nauseous. The captain kept saying “we’re almost there”. I looked toward where we were going and it still looked tiny and far away. A little while later, a few people started getting sick. This is NOT an easy ride. If you get queasy easily, I would caution you to maybe choose a different adventure. After a total time of about an hour, we finally made it. For those that were ready, they jumped off the boat and swam ashore, others took the option of having the dingy drop them off on the beach. They did provide life vests and noodles, as well as snorkel gear for those that were interested.
We claimed a spot under one of the palapas. Garrett and Ashley decided to rest, Bill and I decided to make the trek to the lighthouse. We’d heard that it was a long walk, but it was actually less than a mile and a very easy walk. We wore our water socks and were glad of it. There were lots of sharp rocks, flip flops would be ok in a pinch, but you really need a little more protection for your feet. Our hiking sandals would’ve really been the best. After we stepped through some brush, we could clearly see the lighthouse and the shipwrecks. We made our way to the lighthouse. We were able to go inside of it, but it is a very narrow staircase and only about two or three people can be on the top landing at a time. We had to wait for probably 20 minutes as a group of three took their photos posing. It is a really cool experience once you make it to the top, the views are breathtaking. You can see the water and rest of the island from one window and the shipwrecks from another. We had another guy waiting with us to go to the top, we took turns taking pictures for each other and then made our way back down.
Afterwards, we walked to the shipwrecks, they are so cool to look at. We had been advised from the crew not to try to climb or swim to the boats, because there is no one over there who would be able to help you if you were to get in trouble. The surf was pretty rough, and even though the boats were close to the shore, you would have to go out a bit in the water to get to it.
When we got back to the beach, Bill decided to lay down, while the Hudsons and I went out in the water. The water is mesmerizing, it’s a shade of light blue that can’t even be described. I’ve never seen water as beautiful. There are several sea turtles and fish. There’s a board that has pictures of all of the sea turtles and the names they’ve been given. We saw some nesting sites that were roped off. When we made our way back to our hut, it was about lunch time. The lunch was served on the boat and the bar was opened for the remainder of the trip! They grilled chicken and had taco/burrito fixings to go along with the meat. They also served garlic bread and a pasta salad. The food was really good, especially after some time spent in the sun and surf. After lunch, we swam back to get our belongings that we’d left under our palapa and spent the rest of the time on the boat chatting with the captain and crew. Before long, it was time to depart. We snagged a really good spot on one of the nets. We were assured that the ride back would be pleasant, although we had our doubts, they were right. The ride back was so nice. I was able to stretch out and take a little nap while the rest of our group chatted with a nice couple from Germany. Instead of going directly back to the resort to be dropped off, we did meander around the big island of Curaçao, while we were served some fresh fruit. However, as we were the last group to be picked up for the tour, we were the first to be dropped back off. All in all, if you can get past the rough ride over, it was a great adventure. I would recommend the excursion, but would also advise to take some seasick medication.
We’re just getting started, we had a fun filled day where we were able to Goforth and Explore the rest of the island main island, but I’ll save that for another time. Do you want to experience this unforgettable excursion? At any time you too can Goforth and Get It! If you’re interested in experiencing Curaçao (or anywhere else in the Caribbean), you can Book with Brittany at any time!
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