On Wednesday we left our Airbnb in Willemstad, picked up a rental car at the airport and headed to the North-West tip of Curaçao to spend the remaining part of our trip exploring Sabana Westpunt and the surrounding area!
The team at Watamula.
Curaçao is only 61km long, so it took us less than an hour to drive from the airport to our new accommodations in Westpunt. We were amazed to see how dry and arid the landscape was. Since it is a Caribbean island we were expecting lush tropical jungle, but instead found ourselves in a landscape that beared more similarity to places in the Mediterranean or California, dotted with thorny bushes and incredibly tall cacti.
We stayed at the Marazul Dive Resort in Westpunt, and were pleasantly surprised by our spacious 3 bedroom bungalow with a sea view and barbecue. Curaçao is a popular diving destination because of its coral reefs, so there are a number of similar resorts along the coast. It was the perfect base for our relaxing / exploring over the next few days.
After settling in we went for our first dip in the sea. To do so we descending a steep staircase that led from our resort, straight down a cliff into the water. The water was very deep by the cliffs, allowing Luke to fulfill his (very basic) wish of jumping into the sea from a great height.
After settling in we went for our first dip in the sea. To do so we descending a steep staircase that led from our resort, straight down a cliff into the water. The water was very deep by the cliffs, allowing Luke to fulfill his (very basic) wish of jumping into the sea from a great height.
Enjoying the first dip in sea.
Luke, mid-leap.
On Thursday, after a bit of a lie in and a solid breakfast we set out to explore the town of Westpunt and surrounding areas. We started with no real aim in mind, but ended up stumbling on a few really great spots.
Our first stop of the day was at Watamula. We didn’t know about this place beforehand, but Piers - our designated driver on the trip - was determined to find either the Western-most point (Westpunt) or Northern-most point (Noordpunt) on the island. After a journey through all of the maze-like roads of Westpunt, we noticed a stream of rental cars identical to our own coming from the same direction. Following the dusty trail we ended up right by the sea on a barren, rocky coastline at the Northern-most tip of the island. We got out for a walk around, watching big waves crash into the sharp, porous rocks, and blasting water spouts up through holes in the cliffs. As we continued to walk along the coast, we noticed that the rock pools appeared to be breathing, periodically bubbling up as if they were boiling. We guessed that the rock must have been porous enough that the waves were forcing air up and out through the rock, bubbling through the pools. It was a very weird phenomenon.
Our first stop of the day was at Watamula. We didn’t know about this place beforehand, but Piers - our designated driver on the trip - was determined to find either the Western-most point (Westpunt) or Northern-most point (Noordpunt) on the island. After a journey through all of the maze-like roads of Westpunt, we noticed a stream of rental cars identical to our own coming from the same direction. Following the dusty trail we ended up right by the sea on a barren, rocky coastline at the Northern-most tip of the island. We got out for a walk around, watching big waves crash into the sharp, porous rocks, and blasting water spouts up through holes in the cliffs. As we continued to walk along the coast, we noticed that the rock pools appeared to be breathing, periodically bubbling up as if they were boiling. We guessed that the rock must have been porous enough that the waves were forcing air up and out through the rock, bubbling through the pools. It was a very weird phenomenon.
Luke being entertained by the bubbling rock pools.
Piers vs. the sea.
After Watamula we continued on to another section of the same barren coastline at Shete Boca (Seven Inlets) National Park. After paying to get in, we went for a hike around the park, along the coast, to take in the sights. Along the way we descended into a sea cave, walked out to a viewing platform to watch titanic waves collide with one another, and hiked on to see a natural bridge that had been carved from the cliffs. It was a really beautiful and unique part of the island, that looked kind of like what a coastline on Mars might have looked like.
Posing in the first inlet.
The waves were awesome.
Our final stop for the day was Cost-U-Less back in Willemstad, a big warehouse store where we stocked up on more food and drink for the remaining days of our trip. Then it was back to our house to make use of our barbecue and enjoy some local rum, rounding out a great introduction to life in Westpunt.
In case you missed it, here is our first blog post from the trip:
3 Days in Willemstad, Curaçao
And here's our final post from the trip:
4 Days in Westpunt, Curaçao (Part II)
And check out our awesome Curaçao travel video!
Here are some more pictures from our first few days in Westpunt.
In case you missed it, here is our first blog post from the trip:
3 Days in Willemstad, Curaçao
And here's our final post from the trip:
4 Days in Westpunt, Curaçao (Part II)
And check out our awesome Curaçao travel video!
Here are some more pictures from our first few days in Westpunt.
(SLIDESHOW)
And we're linking up for #TravelTuesday this week!
