What are the most popular beaches in Curacao?

If you have a port of call in Curacao on your cruise, you may be wondering What are the most popular beaches in Curacao?

While on the newly-updated Carnival Freedom last month, we had a port of call in Curaçao, a tiny island off the coast of Venezuela.

It was my first time on the island and I didn't know what to expect - other than sandy beaches, being that it is in the Caribbean!

What are the most popular beaches in Curacao?

I love taking tours when I am in a port of call because you can be certain that you will see the best that the destination has to offer without the hassle of arranging for a rental car, itinerary, etc.

Curaçao, pronounced “Cure - a - sow,” is quite an interesting island, and there's a reason for that. Dutch, Papiamentu and English are the official languages, but Spanish is also widely spoken.

I thought that Miami was a cultural melting pot, but it is nothing compared to Curacao, which is home to 150,000 representing over 55 different cultures including African, Dutch, German, Indian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Our tour brought us to National Park Shete Boka, the West End and Knip Beach at Playa Kenepa Grandi.

We began with a drive to National Park Shete Boka. The park begins at Boka Tabla, lined with limestone bluffs and beautiful waters. The girls had a blast taking photos here! It was such a different sort of park than I am used to...

Curacao has desert areas, a gorgeous, green mountain range, salt flats (there are wild flamingos there!), limestone bluffs and some of the most beautiful beaches you'll ever see in your life!

What are the most popular beaches in Curacao?

National Park Shete Boka in Curacao

There are two hiking trails in National Park Shete Boka, Boka Pistol Trail, and Boka Wandomi Trail.

Boka Pistol Trail is about a one our walk through Boka Brown, where you can see sea turtles laying eggs and Boka Wandomi Trail, also an hour-long walk, leads you along rolling lava hills down to Boka Wandomi and the limestone bluffs to a natural bridge.

My favorite part of the tour was our short visit to the scenic overlook of Knip Beach at Playa Kenepa Grandi. Knip Beach is very popular with both locals and tourists alike, and for good reason.

I think it was one of the most beautiful beaches I'd ever seen, right up there with Maracas Bay Beach in Trinidad.

I was so tempted to just run down there and refuse to ever leave...but that's not very realistic, now is it?

You could see snorkelers and scuba divers in the crystalline waters below the overlook, though the water was so clear that I don't think that snorkeling or scuba gear was really necessary to see the marine life.

The water was crystal clear, due to the white sand below. It really made the bright blue water so lovely, which is completely unlike the darker blue and green waters I am used to back home in Miami.

We ended our tour with a stop at another local beach near Big Knip, which was also very lovely!

The kids had a blast running around and catching hermit crabs and watching the fish swim around their feet.

On the way back to the cruise port, our driver took us by the Salt Flats, where we not only saw flamingos in the wild (see those tiny pink specks towards the far right in the photo?), but a close up view of one of the many Tula monuments around the island.

These statues are monuments paying homage to Tula, a slave who led a revolt in Curacao in 1795.

I took so many photos in Curacao, but this is by far my favorite: the ONLY time on our eight day cruise when Angeline would agree to pose for a photo with me!

One of the biggest reasons I try to take Angeline with me when I travel is because seeing the world together is such a bonding experience for parents and their children.

Seeing Curacao, learning about its history and seeing such a different culture together - these are memories that will last us a lifetime!

You can find out more about Curacao on Curacao.com.

I was contacted by the Curacao Tourist Board and offered a complimentary tour of the island, and I thought what better way to see the highlights of the island? I was so excited to see the beautiful beaches of Curacao.