🇨🇼Curaçao · Places to discover
What to see in Sint Willibrordus?
9 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Nature
3 places
1Wikipedia · CC BY-SANature
Hato Caves
A network of limestone caves 200,000 years old, featuring stalactites, Amerindian petroglyphs and a thriving bat colony. The local guide recounts the history of runaway slaves who sheltered here – a human dimension few natural sites on the island possess.
2Wikipedia · CC BY-SANature
Tafelberg – Table Mountain of Curaçao
A flat limestone plateau rising 196 metres above the island's centre, accessible via a marked hiking trail from Rif Sint Marie. The 360-degree panorama across Willemstad, the refineries and the southern coast is well worth the effort – locals hike it at sunrise.
- 3
Nature
Nature
Seru di Mahuma – Central Ridge Hike
A limestone ridge through the heart of the island offering a lightly-marked hiking trail across typical cunucu countryside with divi-divi trees, candelabra cacti and wild iguanas. Unobstructed views of both coastlines simultaneously from the summit – locals tackle it early morning before the heat sets in.
Activities
3 places
- 4
Activity
Activity
Rif Sint Marie – Bullenbaai Bay
An industrial bay reinvented as a kitesurfing and windsurfing spot thanks to consistent trade winds, popular with active locals at weekends. The contrast between the oil storage tanks in the background and turquoise waters is striking – an honest portrait of Curaçao far from postcards.
- 5
Activity
Activity
Kite Beach – Playa Canoa
Windswept beach on the north coast and the island's premier kitesurfing hub, where local instructors teach at rates well below resort schools. The spectacle of colourful kites against turquoise sea is photogenic even for non-participants.
- 6
Activity
Activity
Curaçao Observatory – Stargazing
Curaçao benefits from low light pollution away from Willemstad and exceptionally clear tropical skies. Regular observation sessions run by local amateur astronomers take place throughout the central cunucu.
Beaches
2 places
- 7
Beach
Beach
Playa Daaibooi
A small horseshoe cove of fine sand, reached via a dirt track in the Banda Abou region, with a snack bar run by the same local family for three generations. Virtually absent from travel apps, it remains a closely guarded secret among Curaçaoans.
- 8
Beach
Beach
Playa Santa Cruz
A village beach frequented exclusively by local families from the Santa Cruz neighbourhood, with Creole snack bars and dominoes tables beneath the trees. No sun loungers for hire, no hotel – just the sea and the people who live here.
More to discover
1 place
- 9
Place
Place
Winpak – Barber Market
A small farmers' market in the village of Barber, at the island's centre, where local growers sell vegetables, tropical fruits and cunucu produce. A rare spot on an island dominated by supermarkets, testament to subsistence farming that endures.
Also 🇨🇼 in Curaçao
