Flamingoes, where to see them?

[adventurous Duo]

Does anyone know where to see flamingoes? I understand that they are possibly at Renaissance Island. Has anyone taken the boat to the island to see them? Do you have to be a guest of the hotel? Any suggestions? Thanks! Our cruise leaves Feb 6th.

[6rugrats]

You can't just take the boat to the island if you aren't a guest. You'd have to pay for a day pass as far as I know. Certainly not worth it, IMO, just to see some flamingos.

[Arubalisa]

Depending upon who you ask, the Renaissance is no longer even selling day passes. If your ship is going to Bonaire you will have the opportunity to see them there in the wild.

[adventurous Duo]

Thanks for your help. Are there any generalized &/or specific areas to go to so that we can see them? Any help is greatly appreciated.

[Arubalisa]

In Bonaire we saw flamingos in the wild at Gotomeer http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=12.2380232&lon=-68.3708382&z=13&l=0&m=b

[adventurous Duo]

That map was really interesting and I learned a new source to research for future trips, thank you. I looked up Gotomeer and saw that it was a lake. Did you rent a car or go on a tour? How long does it take to get there? Thank you again.

[Arubalisa]

We took a taxi tour of the northern half of the island. The tour was probably only a couple of hours. It was a beautiful drive along the coastline and then around inland to the lake, the windward side of the island and then a few other stops. I would say mostly for photo opportunities. :)

 

the lake in the distance

 

If we had had the time I would have loved to have seen the southern end of the island as well, but we took an unforgettable private snorkel tour in the morning and just did not have enough time.

 

My photos of the tour are pretty much in sequence from beginning to end at

http://www.our-cruises.com/bonaire/bonaire.htm and http://www.our-cruises.com/bonaire/bonairea.htm

 

We did not book the tour in advance, there were a ton of taxis as we left the cruise ship offering both tours. Sorry I do not remember the price, but it was reasonable.

[TLHB70]

We will stop at Aruba on our upcoming HAL cruise. I called the Renaissance last week to see if we would be able to buy day passes. I did call the hotel desk directly. The lady at the desk told me yes. She said to come straight to the desk when we leave the ship. I hope she knew what she was talking about. We stayed at the Renaissance a few years ago on a week long trip to Aruba. We loved their private island. (By the way, we did see the flamigos while we were there.) We are hoping to visit it again in a few weeks!

 

ETA: I do have a backup plan just in case..........Eagle Beach is our second choice.

[mytime53]

Thanks for your help. Are there any generalized &/or specific areas to go to so that we can see them? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

If you haven't gone yet, we saw flamingoes last month right off the road to the airport on Bonaire.

[pbs14]

We will stop at Aruba on our upcoming HAL cruise. I called the Renaissance last week to see if we would be able to buy day passes. I did call the hotel desk directly. The lady at the desk told me yes. She said to come straight to the desk when we leave the ship. I hope she knew what she was talking about. We stayed at the Renaissance a few years ago on a week long trip to Aruba. We loved their private island. (By the way, we did see the flamigos while we were there.) We are hoping to visit it again in a few weeks!

 

ETA: I do have a backup plan just in case..........Eagle Beach is our second choice.

 

 

Thanks for the info! Did they happen to tell you what the day pass rate is? Thanks so much!

[6rugrats]

Thanks for the info! Did they happen to tell you what the day pass rate is? Thanks so much!

If offered, I think it's $75 pp.

[TLHB70]

Thanks for the info! Did they happen to tell you what the day pass rate is? Thanks so much!

 

We just returned home from our cruise this past weekend. We did visit the Renaissance and got day passes from them. It was $75 per person. This price included a float and a lunch. They have a flamingo beach there. The flamingos were walking all around the beach!

[travelingtrish]

how did you get to Renaissance?

[6rugrats]

how did you get to Renaissance?

You can walk; it's right downtown.

[Hatteras51]

how did you get to Renaissance?

Most of these posts are a year old, so it would be a good idea to check with the Renaissance and see if they are currently offering day passes.