Tours in Sint Willibrordus, Curaçao

Sint Willibrordus is a quiet village in Curaçao's Banda Abou, beside the salt pans of Jan Kok, where wild flamingos feed. Around it lie the lagoon of Rif Sint Marie and the beaches of Daaibooi and Porto Marie. Here is what the area holds, how to watch the flamingos without disturbing them, and the hikes and tours that bring you here.

Morning at the salt pans

Just after sunrise the Saliña di Jan Kok lies flat and pale, with the hills of Banda Abou still in shadow behind it. Out in the shallows a few flamingos walk slowly with their heads down, feeding, and across the water stands the church of Sint Willibrordus. This quiet corner of Curaçao is where many visitors see their first wild flamingos, and it holds more than a quick photo stop.

Where Sint Willibrordus is

Sint Willibrordus is a small village in the countryside of Banda Abou, on the sheltered leeward side of Curaçao, northwest of Willemstad. Around it lie the salt pans of Jan Kok, the lagoon of Rif Sint Marie and a stretch of coast with small bays and white beaches. Many people drive straight through on their way to Westpunt. Stop instead, and the few kilometers around the village fill a whole morning.

• Sint Willibrordus is the village itself. It takes its name from its Roman Catholic church, dedicated to Saint Willibrord, the missionary who became the first bishop of Utrecht.
• Jan Kok is the old plantation around the salt pans, with its plantation house on a hill above the water.
• Rif Sint Marie is a lagoon near the coast, with mangroves along its edge.
• Daaibooi and Porto Marie are two beaches on the coast beyond the village, linked by a path along the cliffs.

This page looks closely at one small part of the west. For Christoffel National Park, Shete Boka, Westpunt and the beaches further up the coast, see our guide to Banda Abou & Westpunt.

The salt pans of Jan Kok

A saliña is a salt pan, a shallow, salty lagoon cut off from the open sea. The Saliña di Jan Kok is divided by low stone dykes, and in the plantation era salt was harvested here. Today the pans are known for their birds rather than their salt.

The flamingos are wild Caribbean flamingos. They wade through the shallow water and filter small creatures out of it as they feed, and that diet is also what gives them their pink color. How many you see changes from day to day, and some days there are only a few. Look out for other birds too: Ingrid's photos from the salt pans include a tricolored heron.

The same photos show a boardwalk and a flamingo sign at the salt pans, a wooden platform at the water's edge and the Tula monument at the edge of the salt pans. On the hill above stands the Williwood sign, a playful nod to Hollywood, and the name Ingrid gives her hike through this landscape.

How to watch the flamingos well

Flamingos are easily disturbed. A flock that takes off in alarm burns energy it needs and may abandon a good feeding spot. A few simple habits help:

• Watch from the roadside, the boardwalk or the platform. Do not walk into the salt pans or along the dykes toward the birds.
• Keep your distance and your voice low. If the birds stop feeding, raise their heads or start walking away, you are too close.
• Never feed them, throw anything or try to make them fly for a photo.
• Leave the drone in the car.
• Bring binoculars or a zoom lens. Good close-ups come from good gear, not from getting closer.
• Park fully off the road and watch for passing traffic when you step out of the car.

Early morning and late afternoon are the most pleasant times to stop, with softer light and less heat.

Around the village

Landhuis Jan Kok

On a hill above the salt pans stands Landhuis Jan Kok, the plantation house of Jan Kok. Like the other landhuizen of Banda Abou, it is a reminder of the plantation era, when the land was worked by enslaved Africans. The story of that time, and of Tula's revolt of 1795, is told more fully on our Banda Abou page.

The church of Sint Willibrordus

The village church can be seen across the salt pans, and one of the tour photos frames it behind the saliña. It is a working parish church, so if you stop, dress modestly and keep quiet during services.

Rif Sint Marie and the lime kiln

Away from the road, rugged paths lead through dry hills and cactus toward the lagoon of Rif Sint Marie. It is a peaceful place, with mangroves at the water's edge, melon cacti growing on the coral rock and an old lime kiln by the lagoon, where coral stone was once burned to make lime for building. This is rough walking country. Go with water and good shoes, and ideally with someone who knows the paths.

Daaibooi

Daaibooi is a small beach in a bay under its cliffs, on the coast near the village. It is the starting point of Ingrid's beach-to-beach walk.

Porto Marie

Playa Porto Marie, a little further along the coast, has soft white sand and a turquoise sea. Living Life Curaçao call it the beach with the pigs, and their tour page lists an admission of USD 3 per person there.

Tours around Sint Willibrordus

The Williwood hike: salt pans, lagoon and sea

Ingrid's Williwood hike is the best way to see this area on foot. It starts at the salt pans of Jan Kok, heads into the hills toward the lagoon of Rif Sint Marie and climbs to a mirador with a view over the salt pans. Then it drops to the coast and follows the sea, crosses a little bridge past the mangroves and finishes back at the salt pans, with a good chance of flamingos. It is about 9 km in about 3 hours, at a moderate level.

It is a group hike for at most 12 people, at an easy pace of about 3 km an hour with stops to talk, rest and take photos. Group hikes start at 6:45 AM on the dates Ingrid lists, and she adds new dates each month. You send your date and the number of hikers, Kua Kaminda passes your request to Ingrid, and once she confirms there is room you pay USD 10 a person online to book. On the day you pay Ingrid her own price, USD 20 or EUR 15 a person.

Beach to beach along the cliffs

Ingrid's other walk here, the beach-to-beach walk from Daaibooi, is about 7 km in about 3 hours, also at a moderate level. The path passes big cacti and a green oasis, follows the coast above clear blue water and reaches three quiet beaches on the way. It ends with a swim, so pack swimwear and a towel. Booking and payment work the same way as on the Williwood hike.

Both hikes can also be private, for just your group, with the route, the pace and the time of day fitted to your wishes. For four people a private hike is typically about EUR 100, paid to Ingrid on the day, plus USD 10 a person to book. Transport and a lunch can be added if you ask in your request. For her routes elsewhere on the island, see all our guided hikes on Curaçao.

The west coast by open-air bus

Living Life Curaçao's West Coast Bus Tour is a relaxed way to see this side of the island without driving. The open-air bus heads west with a local guide and stops at the Flamingo Sanctuary for photos, at Shete Boka National Park for the waves, at Playa Piskado to swim with sea turtles (they are wild, so never guaranteed), at Grote Knip for the view and at Playa Porto Marie for the beach.

It runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10:00 AM, for about 4.5 hours. Adults pay USD 75 and children USD 45, and if you live in Curaçao the local rate is USD 60 for adults and USD 35 for children. Pickup is free, and soft drinks, water and snorkel gear are included. The admissions at Shete Boka (USD 5 per person) and Porto Marie (USD 3 per person) are not, so bring cash or a card. You pay Living Life Curaçao directly. For other ways to see the island in a day, browse our island tours.

Getting there and meeting points

• By car: Sint Willibrordus is roughly half an hour's drive from Willemstad. The salt pans lie beside the road, so you see them as you arrive.
• Ingrid's hikes: the Williwood hike departs from Jan Kok and the beach-to-beach walk from Daaibooi. Ingrid confirms exactly where to meet with your date. The hike pages do not mention pickup for group hikes, so plan your own way there, or ask about transport when you request a private hike.
• West Coast Bus Tour: free pickup from your hotel, or arrange your own arrival. Living Life confirm the time.

Practical tips

• Go early: the group hikes start at 6:45 AM, and there is little shade over the salt pans once the sun is high.
• Water: bring at least a full liter per person on the hikes.
• Shoes: shoes with good grip are a must, no flip-flops. Long trousers help if you would rather not get scratched by thorny scrub and cactus.
• Sun: sunscreen, a cap and sunglasses.
• For the swim: swimwear and a towel on the beach-to-beach walk.
• Cash or card: on the bus tour, the beach admissions and any food, drinks and souvenirs are up to you.
• Leave no trace: keep to the paths and take your litter with you.

More nearby

Want to see flamingos on the other side of the island too? Ingrid also walks the salt pans of Jan Thiel, in the southeast, covered in our guide to Jan Thiel & Spanish Water. And if you are staying in town, an early morning at Jan Kok leaves the afternoon free for Willemstad.