Bonaire - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 165

Did You Know? Boka or boca means mouth, and
indicates an inlet where the sea cuts into the shore.
Playa means beach, but not necessarily sandy
beach.

Four pleasant beaches are located inside the boundaries of Washington-
Slagbaai National Park:
Playa Chikitu , the first beach on the east coast as you follow the yellow
route through the park, is too dangerous for swimming because of a power-
ful undertow. However, the beach is perfect for strolling, and the limestone
formations

around the inlet contain fossilized shells and marine

creatures.
Boca Cocolishi (Kokolishi) offers fabulous views. The shallow pool
carved into a limestone shelf above the sea is safe for swimming and snor-
keling. The beach itself is mostly gravel and shells. This area's geological
features are stunning.
Playa Funchi , on the calmer west coast, has a strong current farther out,
but snorkelers can see lovely coral and fish along the shallow shelf close to
shore. Don't expect a sandy beach, but there is some shade, and the igua-
nas and lizards will come right up to you looking for a bit of bread.

Did You Know? This bay was once the shipping
dock for Washington Plantation, and the remains of
a stone pier are left standing in the sea.

Boca Slagbaai is a stretch of rocky white sand lined with mustard-
colored buildings that were built in the mid-1800s, when the park was a
private plantation. Today, the restored structures house offices for the
park administrators, but at one time they were warehouses and offices for
the plantation's export business.
Snorkeling is great just off the beach, and two cannon are in 10 feet of
water off the south end of the bay. Divers can enter from the shore and
swim out 40 feet to the drop-off, where turtles are sometimes spotted.
Schools of fish, barracuda, and tarpon feed in the area.

East Coast Beaches
Lac Cai , on the northern curve of Lac Bay, and Sorobon, at the southern
end, are two of the most popular beaches on the island, and the only safe
places to swim on the east coast. Lac Cai has shallow water, and locals
come here on weekends and holidays to picnic, listen to music, and swim.
The beach is known for piles of old conch shells near the water's edge. (It is
now illegal to catch or pick conch; what you get in restaurants is imported.)