Hiking Tours in Curaçao

Fifteen guided hikes with Ingrid Hiking Tours, all over Curaçao: cliff paths in Westpunt, the caves of Tera Kora, the blowholes of the north coast, salt pans where wild flamingos feed, and a walk under the full moon to Fort Nassau above Willemstad. Groups are at most 12, the pace is an easy 3 km an hour with stops, and most hikes start at 6:45 in the morning, before the heat. A place costs USD 30 a person: USD 10 online to book, and USD 20 to Ingrid on the day.

Curaçao is best known for its beaches and reefs, but much of the island is wild land you only see on foot: limestone plateaus where the sea bursts up through the rock, cactus forest, caves full of stalactites, and salt pans where flamingos feed. Ingrid Hiking Tours walk 15 trails across the island, each a round of two to four hours that ends where it began.

What a hike with Ingrid is like

You walk in a small group of at most 12, so everyone can hear Ingrid and she can keep an eye on everyone. The pace is easy, about 3 km an hour, with stops to talk, rest and take photos. On the way you meet the island's plants and animals and the traces of its history: old wells and plantation walls, a quarantine house from 1883, an old lime kiln.

Most hikes start at 6:45 in the morning, when the air is still cool. A few are walked later in the day: the hike to Fort Beekenburg usually starts at 4:30 in the afternoon, the caves of Tera Kora in the late afternoon, and the full moon hike at 5:15 in the evening. Ingrid tells you where to meet when she confirms your date.

Choosing a hike

Easy walks

• The Flamingo Trail at Boka Sami is about two hours along the salt pans of Sint Michiel, now and then wading through the water. Ingrid calls it a hike for the whole family.
• Rooi Rincon, about 5 km near Hato, passes natural springs and old wells to a rock with a view over the airport.
• The Victoria Secret Trail at Sint Jorisbaai is fairly flat: about 7 km past a hidden cave and mangroves.
• On the full moon walk up to Fort Nassau, a gradual climb over Seru Sablica leads to Willemstad's skyline and the Queen Juliana Bridge in the moonlight. Ingrid walks it on the evening of the full moon.

Coast and cliffs

• In the far west, the Westpunt hike to the Tomasito cave and Watamula is a round of about 7 km from Playa Kalki to the place where the sea breathes up through a hole in the rock plateau.
• Boka Patrick and the Suplado is a flat walk of about 8 km from Barber to the north coast, where the waves crash in and the Suplado blowhole shoots the sea up through the rock.
• The Beach to Beach walk follows a cliff-top path past three quiet beaches between Daaibooi and Porto Marie, and ends with a swim.

Salt pans and flamingos

Curaçao's wild flamingos feed in the salt pans. On the Jan Thiel salt pans hike, with luck, the water glows pink. The Williwood hike, about 9 km, starts and ends at the salt pans of Jan Kok, with a climb to a viewpoint over them on the way. Flamingos are wild, so they are never guaranteed, and the salt pans can be full or dry depending on the time of year.

History and caves

• The hike to Fort Beekenburg and the quarantine house at Caracasbaai visits the fort, the ruined quarantine house of 1883 behind it, and the Kabrietenberg. The longer round of the Caracasbaai peninsula, about 7 km on rough paths, passes the same fort at the end.
• Landhuis Noordkant, on the north side of the island, was a plantation that kept cattle rather than crops. The hike passes an old wall of coral stone built by enslaved people.
• At the caves of Tera Kora you climb a stairway to a viewpoint, then cross the plain of San Pedro to two hidden caves with stalactites and bats. Bring a flashlight.
• The Boka Uniko hike from Vaersenbaai has a little scrambling and some steep paths, and leads to Lago Disparsé, the vanished lake, with its old pump.
• Marijke's Nature Trail, from the edge of Soto, climbs Seru Pilaar and looks out over the bay of San Juan.

Private hikes

Would you rather walk with just your own group? Ask for a private hike: Ingrid fits the route, the pace and the time of day to your wishes. For four people it is typically about EUR 100, paid to her on the day, plus USD 10 a person to book. Transport and a lunch can be added: ask in your request.

What to bring

• Shoes with good grip: no flip-flops
• At least a full liter of water
• Sunscreen, a cap and sunglasses
• Long pants, if you'd rather not get scratched
• A camera
• Swimwear for the Beach to Beach walk, and a flashlight for the caves of Tera Kora and the full moon hike

Exploring more on foot

Many of these trails are in the west of the island; our guide to Banda Abou and Westpunt covers the beaches and parks around them. For a day that mixes driving and walking, Real World Adventures' Jeep + Hike tour combines a Jeep ride with a hike to a hidden beach the guides keep secret.

How booking and payment work

Send your date and the number of hikers. Kua Kaminda passes your request to Ingrid on WhatsApp. Once she confirms there is room, you pay USD 10 a person online to book, and Ingrid's own price, USD 20 or EUR 15 a person, to her on the day. There are no other booking fees.

Cancel more than 24 hours before the hike and your USD 10 a person is refunded in full. Cancel within 24 hours, or don't show up, and it is not refunded. If Ingrid cancels, for example for the weather, you choose another date or get your USD 10 back.