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Travel InformationWillemstad Cruises, Curacao
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This little Dutch island is slowly beginning to creep onto the tourist radar, and for good reason. It offers up an unbeatable mix of footprint-free beaches and pretty colonial towns. The storybook port of Willemstad leads the pack, with its candy-coloured, red-roofed houses that gild the downtown area. It’s such an impressive sight, UNESCO have even granted the town a place on its World Heritage list.
• Take in Willemstad’s best bits on the trolley train tour. You’ll get to see the Pietermaai Cathedral, Queen Wilhelmina Park, and a building known as the wedding cake house due to its quirky design.
• Check out the island’s largest feathered friends at the Ostrich Park. This is one of the largest ostrich farms outside Africa, and you’ll get to feed and touch the birds while you’re here.
• Inject a little adrenalin into your time here by seeing the sights on a guided jet-ski trip.
SHORE EXCURSIONS View all excursions
Discover Curacao Island
You’ll get to see three of the island’s biggest attractions on this tour, starting with the Curacao Museum in Otrabanda. The upper floor of this place is kitted out like a 19th-century Curacao mansion, and it gives a really good impression of what life was like back then. The basement exhibition is all about the island’s geological history, and there’s another space dedicated to contemporary art. Afterwards, you’ll drive past the island’s salt flats and on to the Hato Caves. They were formed below sea-level millions of years ago, and today they’re full of stalagmites and stalactites. Next up, we’ll head over to the Chobolo Liqueur Factory, passing the Queen Juliana Bridge on the way. At the factory, you’ll get to see how the island’s famous Blue Curacao Liqueur is made. The drink is distilled from the dried peel of bitter oranges, and you’ll get to taste it for yourself. Lastly, you’ll head back to the ship via downtown Willemstad – you can get dropped off if you’d rather stay and have a look around.
Curacao Country Drive
During this bus tour, you’ll explore Curaçao, a teeny island off the coast of Venezuela. Departing from the pier, you’ll first travel to the western part of the island for a tour of the Old Labor House and Museum. Discover what life was like here centuries ago during a traditional song and dance performance, try on typical island headwear, and see if you can carry a bucket on your head as well as the locals can. You’ll then continue on to the Boka Tabla National Park, where powerful ocean waves crash against dramatic rock formations. The next stop is Knip Beach. This strip of shore is known as the most beautiful on the island – the sand is powder-white and you can see the fish swimming beneath the crystal-clear waves. On the way back to the pier, there’ll be a quick photo stop at the Jan Kok salt lakes – keep your eyes peeled for the flamingos dipping their toes in the water.
Kayak & Snorkelling
Active types will love this half-day tour. Things kick off as you paddle in a shared kayak along the coast. Look closely and you’ll see how the sun changes the colour of the water – you might even spot the red coral beneath. You’ll also pass Fort Beekenburg, which was originally built in 1703 to protect the inner bay, and Quarantine House – an old manor estate. From here, it’s on to Doctor’s Bay, where you’ll be kitted out with snorkel gear so you can head into the water. You’ll visit a shipwrecked tugboat that’s home to a long list of underwater creatures – including turtles, rays and rainbow-coloured fish. This is Curacao’s top snorkelling spot, so bring an underwater camera if you have one.