Private Tour in Curaçao: The Best Excursion for Cruisers
If you are on a cruise you may be looking for the best excursion in Curaçao, I was in the same position before our first trip. There is so much to see and do, and by taking a private tour in Curaçao, you won’t have to miss a thing.
Where is Curacao?
Curaçao is a small island located in the southern Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago and is situated just off the coast of Venezuela. You may hear that Curaçao is part of the ABC Islands, which stand for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
The island has a rich history and culture, and its close proximity to South America has resulted in a diverse population. Curaçao offers visitors a unique blend of Dutch and Caribbean cultures.
Curaçao is a popular tourist destination, and visitors can enjoy its many beaches, clear waters, and coral reefs.
Curaçao is one of the most popular places in the Caribbean to explore the underwater world by snorkeling or scuba diving. If you are dive certified or looking to be, you definitely want to have a diving experience in Curaçao!
The capital city of Willemstad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and other attractions include the Hato Caves and the Christoffel National Park.
Around Curaçao Tours
Before our cruise to the Caribbean, I’d never even heard of Curaçao. Once I saw it on the itinerary, I looked it up and was immediately struck by the vibrantly colored buildings.
I decided to book a full-day tour so that I could see as much of the island as possible, and I’m so glad I did! Curaçao ended up being one of my favorite places we’ve ever been.
After tons and tons of research on Tripadvisor, and every cruise forum I could get my hands on, I decided to reach out to Andy at Around Curacao Tours.
Andy was extremely helpful and responsive to all of my messages and questions and we set up the tour. He provided detailed instructions on when and where we would meet our guide.
The meeting place was Rif Fort, which is located just a short walk from the cruise port, this was a place I had wanted to see anyway so that was nice.
Our ship schedule changed mid-cruise, and Andy was still communitive and able to change our tour time around to make everything work.
We met our guide Sharmond, who was amazing (and still our friend today) and set off on our tour. I have anxiety, and he made me feel instantly comfortable. He also instantly befriended my 2 boys and the 3 of them had a blast together throughout the day.
What to see on a Curaçao Tour
Because this is a private tour, it is fully customizable. There are so many things to do, but Andy and Sharmond listened to what was important to us and then helped us decide what to skip and what to do.
✅ Click Here to Book A Private Tour in Curaçao
We saw a lot of things along the way to each destination and learned about the history and culture of Curaçao. There are many places we saw along the way, but in this post, I will focus on where we stopped and spent time.
Here is what we did on our Private Curaçao Tour:
Rif Fort
Rif Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built in 1828 to protect the entrance of St. Anna Bay and the outer banks of Otrobanda. Today you can walk around and see great views from the top.
There is an outdoor mall that has been built around the fort as well. You can spend time here shopping, people watching and eating.
Shete Boka National Park
The Shete Boka National Park is a beautiful area located on the north coast of Curaçao. The highlight of the park are the boka’s, or pocket bays, which are sheltered by limestone cliffs and offer stunning views of the crashing waves.
Three species of sea turtles are known to lay eggs in the park, making it a great place for wildlife lovers to visit. Visitors will also be able to enjoy the many hiking trails and picnicking areas that the park has to offer.
We were able to spend as much time as we wanted here watching the waves crash. We saw the most famous site in the park, Boka Pistol, where the water shoots out after hitting the rocks.
The boys explored a few caves and we did a bit of walking around before heading to the next place.
*Wear tennis shoes here. It’s rocky and dusty and I was glad to not be in flipflops.
Swimming with Turtles
One thing I mentioned before our tour is that I really wanted to swim with turtles. Sharmond took us to a beach area where sea turtles frequent. The water was clear, warm, and calm.
He provided snorkel equipment and had towels for us. We snorkeled with the turtles and many schools of fish that swim around the pier area. This was one of our favorite spots to snorkel in the Caribbean! (St Croix has great snorkeling too!)
Again, we could stay as long as we wanted but our guide was good about watching the time and making sure we kept moving to see all the things we wanted to see.
I wish I had better pictures, but I’ve since learned to always bring my GoPro Snorkeling!
Cliff Jumping
This stop was a hard one for me. The boys insisted on cliff jumping and I insisted on NOT cliff jumping.
Sharmond took the boys up to the spot where people jump, and I stayed down on the beach to watch my babies throw themselves off a cliff. Then, just when I thought we were all safe, Nate decided to do it again, and backflip off. 😡
If you want to cliff jump (WHY?) it’s definitely a spot that can be added in. It’s called Playa Forti, and the jump is just about 40 feet.
Curaçao Private Tour Lunch Stop
We wanted to try some local cuisine for lunch. Our guide even talked Christian into trying Iguana Stew telling him it was “just like chicken”. We had a good lunch here.
Grote Knip
This is a gorgeous white sand beach, with reefs offshore for snorkeling, and calm waves. While it is incredible, we just stopped for a quick peek and photo op, as we didn’t have time to hang out for long.
Flamingos!
I really wanted to see flamingos and Sharmond was nice enough to drive way out of the way so I could see them. These extra touches were what made this tour so special to us.
We walked around to see the flamingos. The boys were really surprised to see cactus in the Caribbean, it was unexpected.
Queen Juliana Bridge
Heading back into Willemstad to end our tour, we drove across the Queen Juliana Bridge. The bridge is a great place to view your cruise ship, and the Punda, and the Otrabanda are easy to view.
Willemstad
At the end of our tour, we were dropped off downtown. We still had a few hours in port (we had a long port of call) so Sharmond gave us tips on what to do and see downtown.
We were so sad to see him leave us, but have kept in contact ever since via social media.
Willemstad is a fun place to walk around and spend a few hours. The brightly colored buildings and vibrant sounds coming from everywhere were really fun to be surrounded by.
We found the city to be clean, friendly, and safe.
At night, we enjoyed watching the Queen Emma Bridge light up. This bridge is a pedestrian bridge that connects Punda and Otrabanda. The bridge rotates sideways to allow boats to pass through. It’s quite a site, and you can even stay on the bridge while it turns!
My Review of our Private Curacao Tour
There was so much to see and do, from visiting the National Park to swimming in crystal-clear waters with turtles. The locals were also extremely friendly, and I loved trying all of the different food and drink options.
I would highly recommend All Around Curaçao for a private tour of Curacao. Even though our guide isn’t there anymore, the reviews of the current guides are still just as impressive as ours.
✅ Click here to book your private Curaçao Tour
The cost depends on how many people are in your party, but with 4 of us, and the number of things we did and saw, I felt it was a good value.
When we go back, we will book with them again and try to see a few of the places we missed last time.
