Bonaire tour of the island

This will be my first time to Bonaire. I was wandering if anyone knew of a good reputable tour guide. We were wanting to get a tour of the highlights of the island and stop at a beach. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good tour? Thanks so much!

This will be my first time to Bonaire. I was wandering if anyone knew of a good reputable tour guide. We were wanting to get a tour of the highlights of the island and stop at a beach. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good tour? Thanks so much!

We were in Bonaire in December and toured with Hans. We recommend him without hesitation. He toured us all over the island, showing us all of the highlights. We stopped for a great lunch at a beautiful beach. You can contact him at hansoutdoor@hotmail.com I think you will be just delighted with him as your guide. We both loved Bonaire! Will be glad to fill in details if you want me to. We even have lots of photos we'd be glad to share.

Hope this helps you. :)

Connie

Thanks for the information. How long was the tour and how much was it? I would love to see photos.

Hello asnow815!

Hans' tour of Bonaire lasted about 5 hours. He charged $210 total, regardless of whether there were 2 people or more. [Another couple we met on the ship went with us.] He was a wonderful guide, knowledgeable about the island and willing to stop as often as we wanted to for photos. We also stopped for a wonderful lunch. If you email me at f and c hammond at suddenlink dot net, I will be glad to send you the link for the photos we took. You will love Bonaire! :)

Connie

Grammar Goddess, what kind of vehicle does he use? We will be there in 2.5 weeks and haven't decided what to do on the island.

thanx

Brenda

Grammar Goddess, what kind of vehicle does he use? We will be there in 2.5 weeks and haven't decided what to do on the island.

thanx

Brenda

Hi Brenda,

If you leave it up to Hans, he will take you on a wonderful tour of Bonaire. He has a 4-wheel drive pickup--you can see photos on his website Outdoor Bonaire dot com--which makes him able to drive you to fabulous overlooks and off-the-beaten-track roads. You will definitely want to see the gorgeous national park, the pink flamingo preserve, the salt flats, and that incomparable turquoise water! Our tour encompassed the entire island, lasted about five hours [which included lunch at a lagoon]. If you'd like to see our photos, email me at f and c hammond at suddenlink dot net, and I'll send you the link. Bonaire remains one of our favorite islands. We're sold on Hans!! :)

Hope this helps. Have a great cruise!

GG

Is the truck that Han drives air conditioned? The tour sounds wonderful but as I understand it Bonaire is pretty hot and humid. I will be there the first week of April.

I don't remember . . . it was such a lovely day. We didn't find Bonaire to be hot & humid in late December. Maybe you could shoot him an email. His tour is wonderful! You're sure to enjoy it. :)

Have a great cruise!

GG

Last week we took an Island Tour for $25 pp from the pier in an air-conditioned van (12-15 passengers) for about 2 hrs. We stopped at the beach for a short photo stop, but at the end of the tour the driver dropped off passengers at the beach near the resorts. (I forgot the name). :)

Just a suggestion. We walked outside of the gates and were walking into town when we saw some 3 wheel vehicles (2 people). There were 8 of us and we drove them around the southern part of the island and into town later. We had a blast! On our tour around, we stopped at the Tiki Hut which was a restaurant and a beach. If we'd planned and brought our suits and more time, we could have gone swimming. Would do this again. If we ever return to Bonaire, we WILL do it.

Last week we took an Island Tour for $25 pp from the pier in an air-conditioned van (12-15 passengers) for about 2 hrs. We stopped at the beach for a short photo stop, but at the end of the tour the driver dropped off passengers at the beach near the resorts. (I forgot the name). :)

This sounds like just what we want to do. What things were you able to see in 2 hours?

We rented a jeep from Hertz in the Divi. We reserved on line, and did our own tour. I put it together with Frommers and Fodor's travel books. We had a blast.

The last time we went we did a self guided snorkel tour with 2 other couples, and rented a mini van.

Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao are not as humid as the other islands. We just put the top on the jeep down, even though it had AC. You will see more cactus than rain forests.

We just returned from a Princess cruise that stopped on Bonaire. We took a tour with Farid with Taxi-7. Look for the bright yellow taxi. He and his wife Suzy are incredible people that made us feel so welcomed and really gave an excellent tour. Farid had a famiy that had made reservations and we all patiently waited for them to come from the ship. They never arrived and Farid made it up to us by taking us not only to the north part of the island, but also to the south part of the island, no extra charge! ($25.00/pp) His knowledge and love of the island is apparent. The vans were air-conditioned, in excellent repair and clean. Farid sang and joked and showed us all of the sites, explaining the history and pointing out features. Excellent tour. I want to go back to Bonaire and I must say that it was his infectious love of the island that made it so special.

Is there any way to contact Farid prior to the cruise?

If you tour Bonaire with Hans, as we did, you can book ahead of time and be assured of a great island tour! :) We recommend him highly. Last December he took DH & me and a couple we met onboard all over Bonaire, north and south, and to places other tour guides don't go--he has 4-wheel drive. It was an unforgettable day, one of the highlights of our 15-day cruise. You can contact him at hansoutdoor@hotmail.com. He offers a number of different excursions; you'll be sure to find one you like. He replies swiftly to emails, too.

Hope this helps.

GG

I contacted Hans to book him for December and he said he doesn't book that far in advance and to contact about a month before the cruise. I like to plan in advance and don't like leaving things for the last minute so I am looking for someone else.

So Farid charges $25/person while Hans charges a flat $210 and you have to find people to split that with you?

So Farid charges $25/person while Hans charges a flat $210 and you have to find people to split that with you?

Farid is two hours long and Hans is 5 hours so there is your price difference.

We were in Bonaire in December and toured with Hans. We recommend him without hesitation. He toured us all over the island, showing us all of the highlights. We stopped for a great lunch at a beautiful beach. You can contact him at hansoutdoor@hotmail.com I think you will be just delighted with him as your guide. We both loved Bonaire! Will be glad to fill in details if you want me to. We even have lots of photos we'd be glad to share.

Hope this helps you. :)

 

Connie

Thanks for the info.

More please..

Did he pick you up at the Pier? How did you pay him, US cash? Was there much walking on the Island tour? Did you have a lunch stop?

We walked from the pier to his office, maybe a couple of blocks. We paid him with US dollars. There was not much walking on the tour; afterwards, we walked all over the town, which is very attractive. You can't go wrong with Hans & his tour! :)

Hope this helps.

GG

We walked from the pier to his office, maybe a couple of blocks. We paid him with US dollars. There was not much walking on the tour; afterwards, we walked all over the town, which is very attractive. You can't go wrong with Hans & his tour! :)

Hope this helps.

GG

Thanks..

Now how did you know which way to go to his office?

Thanks..

Now how did you know which way to go to his office?

He sent us directions via email. It was very easy.

GG

Grammar Princess, How large are the vans that Hans uses?

He sent us directions via email. It was very easy.

GG

Well we are booked with Hans in March for the 4 of us. Could you tell me how he transported you around? Are we inside a truck or sitting in the bed of the truck? Would you have any picture of what you traveled in on your tour with Hans?:)

Well we are booked with Hans in March for the 4 of us. Could you tell me how he transported you around? Are we inside a truck or sitting in the bed of the truck? Would you have any picture of what you traveled in on your tour with Hans?:)

We just toured with Hans of Outdoor Bonaire and he did a great job. Our tour was a combined North and South shore tours. Having never been to Bonaire we found it be very in formative. We had 2 couples and Hans drove us around in a small 4 door 4wd pickup..well worth the money.