Fodor's Expert Review Washington Slagbaai National Park
Once a plantation producing divi-divi trees (the pods were used for tanning animal skins), aloe (used for medicinal lotions), charcoal, and goats, the park is now a model of conservation. It's easy to tour the 13,500-acre tropical desert terrain on the dirt roads with a jeep but think twice about coming here if it has rained recently—the mud you may encounter will be more than inconvenient. If you're planning to hike, bring everything you may need. Goats and donkeys may dart across the road, and if you keep your eyes peeled, you may catch sight of large iguanas camouflaged in the shrubbery. Right inside the park's gate, flamingos roost on the salt pan known as Salina Mathijs, and exotic parakeets congregate at the base of 784-foot Mt. Brandaris, Bonaire's highest peak. Some 130 species of birds fly in and out of the shrubbery in the park. Swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving are permitted, so bring your swimsuit and find Boca Slagbaai, an old plantation site within the park with... READ MORE
Once a plantation producing divi-divi trees (the pods were used for tanning animal skins), aloe (used for medicinal lotions), charcoal, and goats, the park is now a model of conservation. It's easy to tour the 13,500-acre tropical desert terrain on the dirt roads with a jeep but think twice about coming here if it has rained recently—the mud you may encounter will be more than inconvenient. If you're planning to hike, bring everything you may need. Goats and donkeys may dart across the road, and if you keep your eyes peeled, you may catch sight of large iguanas camouflaged in the shrubbery. Right inside the park's gate, flamingos roost on the salt pan known as Salina Mathijs, and exotic parakeets congregate at the base of 784-foot Mt. Brandaris, Bonaire's highest peak. Some 130 species of birds fly in and out of the shrubbery in the park. Swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving are permitted, so bring your swimsuit and find Boca Slagbaai, an old plantation site within the park with clear aqua waters full of tropical fish and sea turtles.
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