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WILD PLACES. Amid the white and purple orchids known by their island name of orkidia, past tamarind and acacia trees, horses and their riders wind their way through the 4,500-acre Christoffel National Park, one of Curaçao's prettiest attractions. Horseback riding, available through the park and several nearby stables, is just one way to see Christoffel, known for its 1,237-foot-high mountain, the highest point on the island. Another way to enjoy the park — and to spot neon green iguanas — is to join one of several tours offered by the Caribbean Research & Management of Biodiversity Foundation, such as the deer-watching tour and sleepover, survival hike, sunset mountain climb or mangrove eco-kayak tour (carmabi.org).
 Take a walk on Boka Pistol Trail at Shete Boka, the island's newest national park, and maybe spy sea turtles flapping ashore to lay their eggs. Witness huge waves crashing into limestone bluffs, creating the explosive sounds that give this formation its name. Starting at Boka Tabla — boka means bay, and there are seven in the park — follow the Boka Wandomi Trail as it meanders through lava cliffs to a natural bridge.
Coral reefs close to shore offer fantastic diving and snorkeling opportunities. Habitat Curaçao Resort, a winner of the PADI National Geographic Dive Center Award, offers 24-hour shore diving and 35 dive sites within an hour's boat ride (habitatCuracaoresort.com). The Lodge Kurá Hulanda & Beach Club provides wonderful diving and snorkeling options, as well as paddleboats, sunfish and kayaks (kurahulanda.com). For a wet and wild adventure, try Blue Skies' heli-diving tour, and plunge from a helicopter onto the dive site (blueskieshelicopters.com).
Daaibooi Bay, with sparkling white sand beaches, is a perfect spot for bird watching. Porto Marie — set between two reefs that abound with sea turtles, angelfish, yellowtail snapper, lobster and stingrays — presents some of the best diving around the island. Breezes along the western shore are ideal for windsurfers.
Pounding surf created Hato Caves, a deep system decorated with drawings by Curaçao's earliest settlers, the Arawaks, who lived here 1,500 years ago. Tours lead visitors through passages where slaves, struggling for their freedom, would hide sometimes for months at a time.
Inland, explore the island's kunuku (desert country), dotted with cacti, acacias and divi-divis, the trees that get battered by trade winds and bent into strangely contorted poses, creating a magical landscape.
DINING, DRINKING, ART. Kurá Hulanda, the menus at Christoffel Restaurant, with panoramic views, and Watamula Restaurant, a thatched open-air eatery, feature local and international cuisines. At Habitat Curaçao, follow the sunset as it descends beyond the horizon, dine on island fare, sip a cocktail and enjoy the music in Ocean's Restaurant and Bar.
In the small coastal village of Westpunt, perched atop a volcanic rock, one of the major attractions is Jaanchies, a charming restaurant opened in 1936 and still owned by the Jaanchi family. Menu items reflect the tastes of both islanders and visitors. Adventurous diners try the local specialties kuminda krioyo and iguana stew.
 At one time, Curaçao hosted more than 300 landhuizen (plantation houses), often painted in the colors of sherbet. They were the centers of rural life, and around 80 of the iconic homes — some as old as 300 years — survive today. About 50 are open for tours, including Ascension, Brakkeput Mei Mei and Groot Davelaar. Landhuis Kenepa, near spectacular Knip Beach, is home to the new Museum Tula, named after a slave who helped abolish slavery on Curaçao. The museum concentrates on African influence in the island's traditions. Landhuis Daniel, built in the 1700s, was abandoned in the early 1900s and sat empty for decades before its beautiful restoration. Now a charming restaurant, it offers modern French-Mediterranean and nouvelle Creole cuisines, as well as Dutch specialties including game, seasonal steamed asparagus and mussels, and 25 types of pancakes. Landhuis Jan Kok, perched on a bluff above the sea, is now an art gallery exhibiting such well-known locals as Nena Sanchez. This landhuis is the oldest on the island, built in the 1600s.
Check out our interactive map for 360 degree views of the island highlights!
Please visit the Transportation Section for information about getting around the island.
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