Klein Curaçao trip: a tropical mini-break on vacation

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Latest update: 20 March 2023

Celebrating a holiday in Curaçao is tiring. All those beautiful beaches that you have to visit, restaurants where you have to eat, turtles that you have to snorkel with… Pffff. You have definitely earned a mini-break. Off to Klein Curaçao!

Klein Curaçao is barely two km² in size. It is 1.9 km long and 1.1 km wide. Klein Curaçao is a tiny island; a day excursion is enough to see everything. An excursion to Klein Curaçao is super relaxing since there are only four sights: the lighthouse, the shipwrecks, the beach, and the underwater world. That makes for plenty of time to do as little as possible.

A piece of Klein Curaçao history

The rock island was first put on the map in 1871. It was probably discovered long before that, but its exact history is pretty unclear. We do know that the Dutch West India Company used it as a quarantine island for slaves centuries ago.

Mother Nature then took over the island. Or rather: the birds took over the island. They used it as a breeding ground. And a place to poop! And thanks to all that poop, Klein Curaçao was a phosphate-rich island. I immediately think of the Islas Ballestas in Peru, where tens of thousands of birds still breed. My guide there proudly proclaimed that Peru had the most expensive poo in the world. You can make fertilizer from bird poo, and that makes good money.

Although the smell in Peru was unpleasant – to say the least – you won’t notice anything like that on Klein Curaçao. The birds have flown, and the poo was extracted and sold in Europe in the late nineteenth century. The result: a barren, bare plain. A bit like Klein Curaçao is nowadays, although the local nature organization is doing a lot of work to make the island a bit greener again.

An excursion to Klein Curaçao (day trip)

You can actually only visit Klein Curaçao with an excursion: a boat trip. Unless you have a boat yourself or friends with a boat (great friends to have 😉 ). Most boats leave from the harbor of the Spanish Water, and from there, it is about two hours of sailing. Be prepared for a tough crossing. The waves are fierce, and you won’t be the first (or last) to get seasick. So make sure you have something against motion sickness, such as a bracelet or pills. The way back is way smoother sailing because you sail with the waves. That’s why it’s also a bit faster.

The boat sails by Curaçao’s coastline, so you have a nice view, and once on open water, you can spot flying fish and maybe even dolphins. So pay attention!

Lighthouse of Klein Curaçao

When you arrive, you immediately catch sight of the highlight of Klein Curaçao: the lighthouse. From the beach, it is a short ten-minute walk to the lighthouse. Getting lost is impossible.

The lighthouse is officially called the Prince Hendrik lighthouse, but everyone actually knows it as the lighthouse of Klein Curaçao. A lighthouse was built in the 19th century to prevent ships from seeing the island and from being shipwrecked. The lighthouse did not survive a hurricane, so in 1877, another lighthouse was built on Klein Curaçao. It was renovated in 1913 and again in 2017.

Do not expect a beautifully finished, plastered, and painted lighthouse. The lighthouse has mainly been reinforced, and care has been taken that it does not fall into complete disrepair; it still has its ruin-like look – although I understand there are plans to refurbish it even further. Nowadays, you can climb the lighthouse again via the very narrow stairs. Once at the top, it’s not much fun for people with a fear of heights, I can tell you from experience. So maybe you better take the climb for granted.

Photogenic shipwrecks on Klein Curaçao

If you continue the path towards the coast and thus actually cross the island in width, you will arrive at shipwrecks. In the 1980s, the oil tanker (the Maria Bianca Guidesman) ran aground here, and the wreck was never recovered. Off the rough coast, the wreck is rusting away. You will find lost ship pieces and a small sailing yacht on the coast. It has only been there since 2007. Unfortunately, less impressive than the oil tanker.

By the way, I advise you not to do the walk to the shipwrecks and the lighthouse barefoot. There is a hiking trail, but you inevitably also walk on the rocky bottom, and it has sharp points. Wear your flip-flops and (sustainable) sunscreen! The sun is really treacherously strong here, and you easily forget that with the nice, cooling breeze.

Sunbathe and snorkel in Klein Curaçao

If you have ticked off the two sights, you can enjoy your beach day fully. Because Klein Curaçao has hardly any vegetation, I advise you to book your day excursion to the island with an organization that offers beach houses or umbrellas. Shade = amazing. I visited Klein Curaçao with Mermaid, and they have a large beach house that is fully equipped.

Take a walk on the beach and keep an eye out for a turtle nest. They are neatly marked so that no one damages the nest. The turtles should also regularly hang out in the water here. During my snorkeling moments, I unfortunately did not spot any, but I did see them later from the boat. But yes… that’s when we were leaving. Find out where I did get to snorkel with turtles in Curaçao .

Actually, I didn’t find snorkeling that interesting here either. There is very little to see; maybe I just did not find the right place, of course. The crew of Mermaid throws bread into the water after lunch to lure the fish, which is very successful. But, of course, you’ll be in the water with many people at the same time, so it is not very idyllic.

By the way, check whether you get snorkeling gear on your day trip. Usually, yes, and the snorkel gear looked good at Mermaid. I don’t know what that’s like with the other companies. If you want to be sure of good stuff, bring your snorkel mask along.

Boat trip Klein Curaçao with Mermaid

I chose a Klein Curaçao excursion with Mermaid. Mainly because they have a beach house, so you can find a beach bed with a little shade. But also because they have good reviews and I could find discount codes online – it’s worth a Google search to see if there’s an active one.

The Mermaid team will pick you up early in the morning from your accommodation. With a limousine! In other words: the trip starts out pretty fancy! Mermaid’s boat is nice and big and sturdy. The friendly Dutch crew welcomes us and points us to coffee and tea. We have to wait a while for breakfast; we get that on the island. Very sensible because of the risk of seasickness.

When we dock at the island, the daredevils can jump off the boat’s top floor. For me, the first floor will do. Those who prefer not to jump, will be brought ashore in a smaller boat. A brief explanation of the day’s schedule follows in the Mermaid beach house. Not that there is much to plan: breakfast, lunch, and departure. Right next to the beach house is a watchtower that you can climb to get a good idea of how big (or small) Klein Curaçao is. Here you can also see good areas of greenery coming up again.

Breakfast consists of buttered bread and fruit. There is a BBQ lunch in the afternoon with spare ribs, burgers, chicken, bread, salads, and fruit. All is well taken care of. Non-alcoholic drinks are included in the price, but you have to pay a little extra for beer, wine, and rum.

All providers Klein Curaçao day trips

In addition to Mermaid, there are other providers of Klein Curaçao excursions. The prices are all around € 90 to € 100. If you’re traveling with a group, a private boat sounds pretty cool too!

When you book, pay attention to what exactly is included in your package. For example, an open bar at one means including rum punch; at the other, it is only non-alcoholic drinks.

Find your tour	Breeze	BlueFinn Catamaran	BlueFinn Motorboat	Irie Tours	Mermaid	Miss Ann	Powerboat
Type of boat	Motor yacht	Catamaran	Motor yacht	Catamaran	Motor ship	Motor yacht	Rib boat
Beach house	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Breakfast	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Lunch & drinks	BBQ & Open bar	BBQ & Open bar	BBQ & Open bar	BBQ & Open bar	BBQ & Open bar	BBQ	BBQ
Departure	Caracas Bay	Jan Thiel	Jan Thiel	Caracas Bay	Caracas Bay	Santa Barbara	Jan Thiel
Departure days	Mon-Tue-Fri-Sat-Sun	Mon-Thu-Sat	Mon-Fri-Sat-Sun	Mon-Tue-Wed-Thu-Sat-Sun	Tue-Wed-Thu-Fri-Sun	Tues-Thu-Sun	Thu-Sat
Make a reservation	More info	More info	More info	More info	More info	More info	More info

First published: January 2021. Updated since.