During our recent adventures in the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao (part of the ABC trifecta of islands that include Aruba and Bonaire), we booked a day out with BlueFinn Charters on a catamaran to Klein Curaçao.
This idyllic island is reached in under two hours, and offers stunning opportunities for snorkeling, diving and pure relaxation on the beach. BlueFinn’s fleet includes an 80 ft sailing catamaran, 75 ft sailing catamaran and a 42 ft motor yacht.
[Our crew for the day: Chris, Maut, Marijn, Justin, and Jade]
Our friendly BlueFinn crew greets us onboard, provides a brief safety briefing and a run-down of the day. Moments later, we depart the coast on a gorgeous, sunny mid-autumn morning.
Once we’ve arrived at Klein Curaçao, it’s time to get our beach gear onto the dinghy that transports it to the beach. And what a beach it is! Pure white soft sand, shady thatch-roofed palapas – even the option of a beach massage – while we’re docked for the next four hours.
After roughly 90 minutes of pure water enjoyment, the boat captain sounds the horn and lunch is served onboard. It’s a five-minute swim in crystalline blue water back to the Blue Finn, and time to dig into a delicious buffet! Grilled spare ribs, chicken legs, oxtail meat, salads, bread and that yummy Dutch pindasaus (peanut sauce) are on today’s menu.
Lunchtime also officially kicks off happy hour onboard, as a variety of beer, wine, spirits, sodas and cocktails are available (and later as well, when we make our way back to (bigger) Curaçao).
After lunch, we have another two hours to dip back into the sea, lay back on beach towels, explore the otherwise deserted island a bit, or just chill back on our catamaran.
[Coral health varies around Curaçao. This video is a compilation of several snorkeling spots.]
Any day on a boat is a great day! A trip on a BlueFinn catamaran to Klein Curaçao is thoroughly enjoyable, with sun, wind and sea breezes aplenty. For those who may be prone to seasickness, you’ll be happy to know that a catamaran’s build greatly reduces the possibility of becoming unwell.
Scuba divers can also join this excursion for a one-tank dive (available only on Catamaran BlueFinn).
Klein Curaçao day tours depart from Zanzibar at Jan Thiel Beach at both 8 am and 8:30 am and for an additional fee, will pick up from several major hotels in the area. The tour lasts about eight and a half hours and includes premium bar, BBQ lunch, snorkel and mask loan.
BlueFinn also offers a three-snorkel stop tour (Saba Wreck, Tugboat, Caracas Bay), also including a lunch buffet prepared while passengers enjoy the day in and on the gorgeous blue water. Another tour option is their West Coast beach trip to Cas Abao Beach, one of the most pristine on the island (and the world!). This is a popular spot for sea turtle, stingray and wild dolphin sightings.
If you simply want to relax and take in a sunset, the Sunset Sailing Cruise departs from Mood Beach Pier at Mambo Beach at 5:15 pm, and sails along the Curaçao coastline. Light bites (including BBQ goodies) are included as are local beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks and cocktails. During these sunset tours, BlueFinn sails as long as possible depending on wind direction, but always sails on the way back to shore.
Visit BlueFinn Charters online for complete details and to book their daily tours. Rates begin at USD $75 for the sunset sailing cruise and go up to USD $120 for the West Coast Beach and Klein Curaçao trips.
Our tour was kindly provided by BlueFinn Charters for the purpose of this feature. Opinions, as always, remain our own.
