These might be the most beautiful beaches we’ve ever seen!
Curaçao has some incredible beaches. We visited as part of a 12-night cruise through the ABC Islands and South America, and with 12 hours on the island, we wanted to make the most of our time. The photos below are completely unedited—the water really is that color.
This trip took place December 2022.
Want to see where else we stopped at? Check out: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Puerto Limon Costa Rica, Panama Canal, Cartagena and Santa Marta Colombia.
We spent the morning exploring Willemstad. From the cruise port, it’s an easy walk along a paved waterfront path. Along the way, we spotted several iguanas roaming through the green spaces before reaching the shopping district. The highlight was definitely seeing the famous colorful buildings lining the harbor. It also happened to be Christmas Day, which made for a unique experience. There’s something strange about celebrating Christmas while walking around in warm weather and sunshine.
For the afternoon, we booked a private tour with DLN Excursions. If you’re interested in the same experience, check out the tour here: Beach Hopping Curacao – UTV Excursion
This ended up being one of our favorite shore excursions. The tour was private, reasonably priced, and allowed us to see a large portion of the island in just a few hours. Nathan was our guide, and he shared a wealth of information about Curaçao’s history, culture, and daily life.
Shortly before our tour, DLN ran into an unexpected issue with one of their UTVs. Nathan reached out to ask if we would be comfortable doing the tour by car instead. Since we didn’t want to miss the experience during our only day on the island, we happily agreed. If anything, it gave us even more opportunities to talk and learn throughout the day.
Before setting out, Nathan asked what we were most interested in seeing. While they have a standard itinerary, they’re happy to customize the experience based on your interests. Our son wanted to see sea turtles, so we made that our first stop. It was a great decision—we saw turtles almost immediately and ended up spotting quite a few.
From there, we visited one of Curaçao’s most famous beaches, which may be the most beautiful beach we’ve ever visited. Between the crystal-clear water, dramatic cliffs, and cliff-jumping opportunities, it was easy to see why it’s so popular.
We also stopped at several smaller local beaches where Nathan set up chairs for us and encouraged us to spend as much or as little time as we wanted. He was incredibly accommodating throughout the day, adjusting the pace based on our interests. He was also wonderful with our kids, taking the time to answer questions and share stories about growing up and living on the island.
Later, he brought us to a restaurant with fantastic views and helped us order several local specialties. We enjoyed trying dishes we probably wouldn’t have chosen on our own, including goat. For the adventurous, there was also a dramatic cliff jump right next to the restaurant—which, of course, my husband couldn’t resist.
On our way back to the cruise port, I mentioned that we’d love to see the famous beach pigs. Although we weren’t able to find them, Nathan still made a few extra stops, including an area where we were able to see flamingos.
By the end of the day, we felt like we had experienced far more of Curaçao than we ever expected during a cruise stop. The pickup and drop-off process was easy, we learned a lot about the island, and we visited places we never would have found on our own. If you’re looking to get beyond the main tourist areas and see a different side of Curaçao, we would highly recommend this tour.
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