Tours in Caracasbaai, Curaçao

Caracasbaai is the small bay and rocky peninsula on Curaçao's southeast coast where an 18th-century fort, a ruined quarantine house and one of the island's best-known snorkel wrecks lie within walking distance of each other. Here is what to see, which tours start or stop here, and how to plan your time on the bay.

A bay with centuries in one short walk

Stand at the water's edge below Fort Beekenburg early in the morning and Caracasbaai shows you most of itself at once. The round stone tower rises from the shore, the dry hills of the peninsula roll away behind it, and out over the clear shallows the first snorkelers are already heading for the Tugboat. Few corners of Curaçao fit this much history and this much sea into so small a space.

Caracasbaai, also called Caracas Bay, lies on the south coast a short drive east of Willemstad, right beside the mouth of Spanish Water. It belongs to the wider southeast covered in our guide to Jan Thiel and Spanish Water. This page goes closer in: the fort, the ruins, the hills and the reef of Caracasbaai itself, and the tours that take you there.

What is on the peninsula

Fort Beekenburg

Fort Beekenburg is an 18th-century stone fort on the shore of Caracasbaai, built to guard the bay against attack. Its round tower and the old cannons on its walls are the landmark of the area, and you see them from the water, from the trails and from the road in. The fort is also the meeting point for two of the tours on this page, so it is worth knowing how to find it.

The quarantine house of 1883

Tucked away behind the fort stands a building many visitors drive past without noticing: the quarantine house, built in 1883. Crews from ships that might carry diseases such as yellow fever were kept apart here, away from the town. During the Second World War it housed soldiers. Today it is a ruin of arches and crumbling walls on a hill above Tugboat Beach, and walking between those walls is one of the quieter, stranger moments the island has to offer.

The Kabrietenberg

Beyond the fort and the quarantine house the land climbs to the Kabrietenberg, a hill of dry bush and cacti. Ingrid takes her late-afternoon hikers up here for the nature and the wide views over the bay and the sea.

Tugboat Beach and the wreck

On the sheltered side of the bay lies Tugboat Beach, a small beach under the cliffs. Close to shore, a small tugboat rests on the sand in shallow, clear water, grown over with coral and surrounded by fish. Because it lies so near the surface you can see the whole wreck from above, which is why the Tugboat is one of the best-known snorkel spots on Curaçao. Expect clouds of striped sergeant majors, French angelfish and schools of reef fish.

The old pier and the rocky coast

A long old pier reaches out into the bay, and past it the peninsula's coast turns rough and rocky, with small pebble beaches tucked between the rocks. This is the side the peninsula hike explores.

Fishermen's Pier at the roundabout

Just off the Caracasbaai roundabout, on Spanish Water, is Fishermen's Pier. This is where the Mermaid sails for Klein Curaçao, so the roundabout is a landmark worth knowing even if you never set foot on the peninsula.

Walking Caracasbaai with Ingrid

Two of Ingrid Hiking Tours' walks start here, and they show two different sides of the bay. Both are group hikes for at most 12 people, at an easy pace of about 3 km an hour with stops to talk, rest and take photos. Once Ingrid confirms there is room on your date, you pay USD 10 a person online to book, then her own price, USD 20 or EUR 15 a person, to her on the day.

Round the peninsula in the morning

The Caracasbaai peninsula hike covers about 7 km in about 3 hours. It usually starts at 6:45 AM, so you are out on the rocks before the day gets hot. Expect rough paths and rocks to clamber over from the first steps, viewpoints out over the sea, and small beaches that seem to appear out of nowhere. The level is moderate, so you need a little fitness. If there is time at the end, Ingrid adds Fort Beekenburg and the quarantine house as a bonus.

History toward sunset

The walk to Fort Beekenburg and the quarantine house is the gentler of the two: about 6 km in about 2½ hours, easy to moderate. Ingrid usually starts it at 4:30 PM, so you walk as the light softens toward sunset. It begins at the fort, goes on to the ruins of the quarantine house, and then heads up the Kabrietenberg.

Which walk suits you

• History with less effort: the fort and quarantine house walk is shorter and easier.
• Coast, rocks and beaches: the peninsula hike is longer, rougher and closer to the sea.
• Just your group: either hike can be private. Ingrid fits the route, the pace and the time of day to you. 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 if you ask in your request.
• Both: with one walk at dawn and the other in the late afternoon, they fit easily into two different days of your stay.

For walks in other parts of the island, browse all our hiking tours.

In the water at the Tugboat

By sea scooter from the fort

Reef Riders Curaçao, a small family business, start their private sea-scooter tour to the Tugboat in the clear shallows right below Fort Beekenburg. After a safety and scooter briefing you hold on to a small battery-powered scooter that pulls you out over the reef to the wreck, where you stop and let the fish gather around you. The tour is just your group, up to 4 guests, from 10 years old. You need to be able to swim, but not to dive. Plan on about 2 to 2½ hours. It costs USD 100 per person, with snorkel gear, a snorkel vest, cold water and free underwater photos and videos of your ride included.

A first dive at the wreck

The Little Green Boat runs private try dives for complete beginners from 10 years old, with no certificate needed. Fabien and Caro choose the site on the day from their beginner sites on the south coast, and the small wreck among them is the Tugboat in Caracasbaai. So your very first breaths underwater may well be taken beside it, although the choice depends on the sea that day. A single try dive is USD 103 per person and two dives on the same day USD 138 per person. Dives start at 09:00 or 13:00 and are booked online at least 12 hours ahead.

Caracasbaai from a boat

Several trips from Spanish Water make the bay one of their stops, so you can also arrive the way the old ships did, from the sea.

• A speedboat morning: Powerboat Caribbean's snorkel trip to the Tugboat by speedboat cruises past the villas and yachts of Spanish Water, runs to Willemstad for a photo at the floating bridge, then comes back to snorkel at the wreck. Check in at 9:45 AM at Surfspot Curaçao or board at Mood Beach at 10:00 AM, and you are back at Surfspot by 12:30 PM. Adults (12 and over) pay USD 99 and children aged 6 to 11 USD 88, with unlimited drinks and snorkel sets included.
• A private speedboat: on Powerboat Caribbean's private trip, at USD 300 an hour for the boat, the crew's suggested 2-hour and 3-hour routes both include the Tugboat.
• A private beach-hopping day: Living Life Curaçao's 41 ft boat leaves Vissershaven at 8:30 AM, and the first stop on its way west is Tugboat Beach, before St. Anna Bay and Kokomo Beach. It is about 6 hours, for up to 14 guests, from USD 1,300 for up to 2 guests.

To compare these with trips on other parts of the coast, see every snorkeling tour on Curaçao.

Leaving for Klein Curaçao

The Mermaid's day trip leaves from Fishermen's Pier, just off the Caracasbaai roundabout. Check in by 06:45. The boat sails at 07:00, every day except Thursday. Adults pay USD 150, children aged 4 to 12 USD 75, and under 4 sail free. What waits at the other end is in our Klein Curaçao guide.

Getting there and meeting points

• Fort Beekenburg: the sea-scooter tour meets here, so come 15 minutes early. The fort hike also starts at the fort, and Ingrid confirms the meeting place with your date.
• Peninsula hike: it starts in Caracasbaai, and Ingrid confirms where to meet with your date.
• Fishermen's Pier: for the Mermaid. Parking is free just outside the gate, and you walk in to the pier. Hotel pickup is free around Jan Thiel and USD 10 to 20 from elsewhere, booked with the trip.
• Surfspot Curaçao: on Caracasbaaiweg at Spanish Water, near Jan Thiel, where Powerboat Caribbean's boats leave from.
• Vissershaven, Spanish Water: Living Life Curaçao's departure point. Be there about 10 minutes early for check-in and a short safety briefing. Transfers cost from about USD 85.
• Try dives: you meet your instructor at the dive site, and pickup anywhere on the island is available on request.

The hike and sea-scooter pages do not include pickup, although Ingrid can add transport to a private hike if you ask. Otherwise, plan your own way to the bay by car or taxi.

Planning your time on the bay

• Water and sun: the peninsula is dry, open country with little shade. Bring at least a full liter of water on either hike, plus a cap, sunglasses and sunscreen.
• Shoes and legs: shoes with good grip are a must, no flip-flops. Wear long pants if you would rather not get scratched by the bush.
• Reef-safe sunscreen: the sea-scooter tour and the try dives ask for it, and Powerboat Caribbean ask for no spray, as it damages the boat's seats.
• Speedboat comfort: the Powerboat Caribbean trips are not suitable if you have neck, back or other pain, pregnant women can't join, and you will likely get wet.
• Hands off: never stand on coral or hold on to the wreck. The coral on the Tugboat is what draws the fish.
• A Caracasbaai day: walk the peninsula at dawn, then spend late morning in the water at the Tugboat. Come back on another day at 4:30 PM for the fort and the quarantine house as the sun goes down.
• Weather: if Ingrid cancels a hike, for example for the weather, you choose another date or get your USD 10 back. If Reef Riders cancel for the weather or your safety, you choose another date or get your 15% back.

Beyond the bay

Caracasbaai is only one part of the southeast. Jan Thiel's beach and resorts are close by, and Spanish Water is the starting point for most boat trips on this side of the island, including the fishing trips and sunset cruises listed on the wider southeast page.