Visiting Shete Boka National Park in Curaçao.

Visiting Shete Boka National Park is hopefully near the top of your list of things to do in Curaçao.  Young or old, adventurous or reserved – the stunning sights at Shete Boka National Park shouldn’t be missed by anyone.

The park is on the western part of the island, about 45 minutes from Willemstad by car.  We were staying at the Blue View Apartments in Westpunt at this point on our trip and were less than 10 minutes away by car.  Shete Boka means ‘seven inlets’, although there are more than seven inlets (or bokas).  Some of the original tours in the area took people to seven of the inlets, which is how the name took hold.  There are actually 10 inlets spread out over 10 kilometers (six miles) along the limestone coast.  Another draw for visiting Shete Boka is that sea turtles habitually lay eggs in this area, but we didn’t see any during out visit.

We visited Shete Boka National Park on our last full day on the island (see our 10 day itinerary for Curaçao) and it was one of the most amazing experiences in nature that we’ve ever had.  It’s simply spectacular and I would rave endlessly to anyone visiting Curaçao about how important it is to visit the park.  We were only able to spend a few hours there and see the four main bokas, thanks to having Baby Meena with us, but it was more than worth it.  In this post I will cover our experiences and give you an idea of what to expect at Boka Pistol, Boka Kalki, Boka Tabla, and Boka Wandomi.

 

 

Visiting Shete Boka National Park in Curaçao.

We arrived at the park minutes after it opened and paid the entrance free (which worked out to $5.50USD per adult) and the extra one Guilders (the local currently is The Netherlands Antillean Guilder) for a map of the park.  Most visitors head to Boka Tabla first, as it is located at the entrance, but we decided to start at the far right with Boka Pistol.  We did this mainly because so many locals had told us it was their favorite boka and we wanted to enjoy it before the crowds arrived.  We then worked our way across the park in the other direction – here you can see the four main bokas on the map.

 

 

A note about driving and security at the park: When I was researching our trip to Shete Boka National park I kept reading that you would need to park near the entrance and walk along hour long trails to reach the bokas.  I was concerned about walking so much with Baby Meena so I kept researching and found that there are in fact driving trails to some of the bokas.  After acquiring our map (pictured above), we were easily able to drive directly to Boka Pistol and Boka Tabla as well as drive and then have a short walk to reach Boka Kalki and Boka Wandomi.  I believe that seeing the other bokas do require taking walking trails, but I didn’t look too deeply into those as I knew we would only have time for the main ones with Baby Meena.  So, rest assured that you can visit Shete Boka via car without having to walk a long way and still have a stunning visit.

Also, at each parking lot there were security guards watching the vehicles (and occasionally pointing us in the right direction).  There are a lot of security concerns online about the common car theft problems in Curaçao, so we were happy to see the guards – even if we were surprised they were needed inside the park.

 

Boka Pistol.

It only took a few minutes to drive from the park entrance to Boka Pistol, although the dirt road was very bumpy and it would have been better to have a jeep or truck instead of our rented sedan.  But we made it.  A few visitors were leaving as we arrived and we had Boka Pistol all to ourselves for a time.  We walked down to the viewing platform and waited to hear the gunshot sound that Boka Pistol is named after.

 

 

It turns out the gunshot sound isn’t that loud – at least not loud enough to wake six month old Baby Meena – and it doesn’t happen with every wave.  But periodically a big wave will rush into the narrow rock at the interior and create an intense explosion of water.  It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.

 

 

It’s absolutely mesmerizing.

The waves were coming in batches; there would be three or four big waves in a row and then smaller waves for a while.  After a few rounds we started to get a feel for when the big waves are about to crash in.  Even watching the smaller waves was wonderful – the water would flow over the smaller rocks and ledges, creating white foamy patches on top of the beautiful blue water.

 

 

You can see a video of Boka Pistol on my Instagram here.  I could have pulled up a chair and happily sat there all day long.  It was hard to tear ourselves away from it, but as a busload of people pulled up we realized we wanted to head on to other bokas before the crowds, if possible.

All around the short trail to the parking lot were piles of rocks.  They stretched way out into the distance and reminded me of being in Asian garden, except for the rocky, desert wasteland vibe along the coast in this area.

 

 

There was also a little hut with colorfully painted words – because just about everything in Curaçao is colorful – and beautiful mountains behind it in the distance.

 

 

Boka Kalki.

As we drove to the next boka we saw people walking along the road, perhaps because they thought you had to walk or their car couldn’t make it, and they looked downright miserable.  The distances between the main bokas are all short drives and Curaçao can get so hot that I really emphasize bringing a suitable car to drive to them – unless you just want to sweat it out.  I expect that walking the coastal trail is probably pretty neat (but we were unable to find out with baby in tow).

The path to Boka Kalki took us less than five minutes to traverse from the parking lot.  It’s mostly shady and flat, but there are rocks, tree roots, bushes with huge thorns (I’m talking two plus inches), lizards running like madmen across the path, and poisonous trees.

 

 

Before we talk about the big poison sign, can we just appreciate for a moment how colorful that trashcan is?  Color is everywhere on Curaçao!

There are Manchineel (also called Manzanilla) trees throughout Curaçao and it’s very important to stay away from them.  Most have signs on or near them, but not all of them do, so it helps to know what they look like.  These are one of the most poisonous trees in the world; they are so dangerous that they are called “death trees” in Central America and having their sap or post-rain milk-like secretions drip onto your skin can leave you with burns and blisters.  Their attractive fruit can be fatal; you can get more info and study the tree – in order to best avoid it while visiting Curaçao – here.

The map for this boka had a crab on its marker, and we started to see lots of little crabs as we reached the beach area.

 

 

It was a nice beach shielded by rocky walls on each side.  There were large waves coming in – large enough that I wouldn’t feel comfortable swimming there – and it was another place I could have sat and enjoyed all day long.

 

 

There was actually a ton of trash at this boka (not pictured, of course), and I was a little disappointed to see it.  But then as we were about to head back down the path a ton of kids arrived.  It seemed like perhaps they were school kids out doing community service because they were picking up all the trash – and having a lot of fun together doing it.  It was heartening to observe; we saw them at the next two bokas as well.

 

Boka Tabla.

By the time we reached Boka Tabla our baby was hungry and overheated so we took turns visiting it while one of us stayed behind in the car with him.  Once I saw Boka Tabla I was rather glad Baby Meena was in the car because the cave entrance was slippery and there was no reason to risk taking him in.

Boka Tabla is the most popular boka of the park, because it’s the first one you see after entering and there’s an expansive underground cave where water rushes in.  There’s a path that goes from the parking lot to the cave and coast; I chose to see the coast first.

 

 

As I headed back, the path descended into a rocky valley near the cave entrance.  It’s kind of a crazy spot to stand and watch the waves rush in while the walls tower above you on each side.

 

 

The cave would actually be quite easy to miss if you didn’t know about it, there’s just a small sign and a dark hole that does not look even slightly inviting.  But once you carefully go down the slick steps you’ll find a small metal platform – it’s more like a grate and allows water through.  There’s not a lot of room in any direction, you’ll likely have to squat down upon entering, but you probably won’t care once you catch the view.

 

 

It’s crazy to be underground, in a cave, with an opening to the ocean beyond, watching waves crash against the sides, ceiling, and even the metal platform you’re squatting on.  (Thankfully Mr. Meena went first and told me about the spray so I chose not to bring my DSLR into the cave.)  It was – yet again – a place I would have stayed and enjoyed for a long time.  As you can see, this feeling was a trend throughout Shete Boka National Park.  Although, the cave was dark and damp enough that I might not have stayed all day.

We took a lunch break after enjoying Boka Tabla since there’s a little restaurant next to it.  We ordered the iguana soup but they were out, unfortunately – this was actually our second failed attempt at trying the island’s iconic iguana soup.  But we ordered fries instead and watched the woman behind the counter cut up the potatoes and fry them.  We were a little surprised when they turned out to be the best fries we’ve ever had – no joke.

 

 

They didn’t take credit or even large bills of local currency, so come prepared with small bills and change if you want to lunch here between bokas.  And definitely order some fries!  We actually only had enough small change to order one side of fries, oops!  It was our last full day on the island and we’d already spent most of our Guilders.

 

Boka Wandomi.

It was far too hot and sunny at this point to reasonably take Baby Meena to this boka, which was more exposed than the others, so Mr. Meena graciously stayed behind in the car while I explored – quickly.  I almost felt bad that I was going so fast through such a beautiful landscape until I noticed most of the other visitors that I’d seen at the previous bokas were going at the same pace as me.  I expect this was because of the heat.  It was not quite noon and it was so hot in this area that someone could easily have a heat stroke without proper hydration and rest.  I was a sweaty (but happy) mess.  In fact, by the time I returned to our car 15 minutes later Mr. Meena was concerned about the engine overheating, so we decided to head back to our hotel at that point.  But better to see it quickly than not at all.

As I started along the path to Boka Wandomi I saw a fierce iguana.

 

 

The path heads to the coast and kind of curves around until you reach stairs that are carved into the rock.  They are steep and rather impressive, but also narrow – making it difficult to pass others.

 

 

There were a few traffic jams while I waited to go down – it was such an interesting mix of tourists at the park.  Some people were very polite while others were pushy (and the pushy ones happened to be speaking German, which gave me flashbacks to my time living in Germany and getting shoved around a lot, so I just let them go first).  As I was waiting, I noticed there were a ton of rocks spelling out words in the area below.  I didn’t recognize all the words, some of them were probably Dutch or Papiamento, but I did see the beginning of Curaçao.

 

 

Once you make it down the stairs, you’re on a beach area much like the one at Boka Kalki.  There was more space here, and a lot of people, including the kids doing cleanup.

 

 

On the opposite side of the beach was another set of stairs going up (with more traffic jams); these led to a natural land bridge which is absolutely worth climbing the stairs for.

 

 

I think you know what’s coming next – I would have loved to sit at Boka Wandomi all day and take in the views, either at the beach or by the land bridge.  It’s incredible that there are so many natural phenomena this close together (and it doesn’t stop at the park – there’s also the Blue Room Cave, the Hato Caves, Watamula Hole, and so many more amazing natural sites in Curaçao).

 

Our time at Shete Boka National Park.

We spent almost three hours at the park, from 9am to 12pm, and I’m so glad we got to see the four main bokas even though it felt like we were rushing through them a bit.  Admittedly, it isn’t the best place to take a six month old, but it is doable, and honestly I don’t think most people would be able to stand the heat for very long after 12pm even without a baby to consider.  But please do pack sunscreen, hats, and water, and pace yourself.  I would love to return and walk to the less popular areas of the park and along the coast to see more bokas, I can only imagine all the cool things that must be out there to discover!

Visiting Shete Boka National Park was absolutely thrilling and it was so different from other parts of the island.  I loved that in Curaçao we could experience the fun, vibrant city of Willemstad, the many tropical beaches, fort ruins, the jungle-like hike to Santu Pretu Beach, and the otherworldly feel of the bokas at Shete Boka National Park all within 170 square miles of island.

Which of the bokas from this post did you like the most?  Feel free to share any thoughts in the comments.

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This post is linked up with Faraway Files.