Bonaire's Washington-Slagbaai National Park

Karen and I rented a truck at the airport and drove around Bonaire. Our main goal was to visit Washington-Slagbaai National Park on the northwestern part of the island. And, I mean the entire northwestern part of the island. It's a 13,500 acre park and it takes several hours to drive through the park - and that's if you don't stop very much.

The roads were paved until you get to the park, but the park is mostly dirt roads with a few concreted areas in washes. It's an arid desert-like environment, but with plenty of cactus and other desert vegetation. It's also surrounded by beautiful coastline, especially on the western edge which is popular for snorkeling and diving.

There are blow-holes on the northern coast, a lighthouse on the northwest tip, iguanas, many salt ponds, lizards, lots of bird life (including parrots), and a nice restaurant on a beach on the southwest part of the park.

Another big highlight is that the park's salt ponds provide one of the only active breeding grounds for pink flamingos. We managed to find a large flock of them in one of the ponds.

Check out this gallery of photos of the park. We had a great time there - even the driving was fun!