On a clear day in Curaçao - and that means most days - you can see Venezuela a few miles across the sea in South America. But don't spend too much time looking. There's more than enough to see and do in this large, lively island that has for centuries been a major cultural and trading crossroads.
When you hear salsa and merengue on the buses and glimpse the Latin style and verve of the islanders, you'll know you're not very far from South America. Neither, culturally, will you be that far from the Old World. The Dutch merchants who colonised the island and built the capital, Willemstad, had the brightly-coloured houses and warehouses designed to remind them of their homes in Amsterdam.
Add in the immigrants and traders who settled there from rest of the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia - it is estimated the island is home to 50 nationalities - and you have the recipe for a relaxed and cosmopolitan melting pot that offers everything for the perfect tropical vacation.
There are plenty of white sand beaches, while the Curaçao Underwater Park is a haven for divers and snorkellers - a 12-mile (19km) reef with coral beds, walls and shallow wrecks. Water sports such as fishing, windsurfing and water-skiing are major island activities, as is golf. Curacao is an outstanding dive location, amongst the best in the Caribbean. There is outstanding shore diving and of course excellent boat diving. There are many dive sites - here are a few of the best:

Mushroom Forest & the Cave
The area of San Nicolas offers a number of excellent sites, several days could easily be spend on this area just diving and exploring. Look for the sign on the main road, follow the dirt road to the plantation house and blow your horn, someone will come out to collect your entrance fee (NAFl. 5,=). A four wheel drive is strongly recommended, especially in the rainy season. These sites are for the adventurous, as they are well "off the beaten path". The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. Take food and water. There are no facilities. Entering the water is difficult, due to the high cliffs, so contacting one of the local dive operators for a boat dive is an option. The site is called Mushroom Forest because the large number of mountainous star coral growing vertical on an sandy plateau for a "Forest of mushrooms". The mushroom shapes occurred because the the coral heads have been bio-eroded at their base to narrow columns by boring clams and sponges. They make great hiding places for tiny sea creatures. The Forest can be disorientating so a compass can come in very handy. There is a large cave along the cliffside where you will often spot schools of fingerlings, and from time to time a nurse shark can be found sleeping under the ledge. Visibility averages 26 m (85 ft), wave action is calm and sometimes the current can be strong; the depth is from 12 m (40 ft) to 18 m (60 ft). Numerous species of fish and coral can be spotted here; flower corals, giant brain corals, anemones, turtles, porcupinefish, smooth trunkfish, yellowtail snapper, parrotfish, grouper, spotted drums, spotted morays, green morays, lobster and conch.

Superior Producer
At the water plant in Otrabanda, take the road which leads straight to the shore. Directly ahead you will find the Double reef. Be very careful at the entrance, it is rock and very slippery, so booties are a must. Swim out through rough wave action and current for about five minutes. Visibility is good, about 30 m (100 ft). Look for good coral coverage and plenty of deep water fish. The Superior Producer is one of the finest wrecks in the Caribbean. The ship was outward bound with a shipment of clothing when it's cargo shifted in rough weather. It sank just west of the harbor entrance. The ship is upright, with her wheelhouse at 24m (80 ft) and her hull resting in over 30 m (100 ft). Dive with a local dive operator the first time, it can be difficult to locate and those are not waters you want to be bobbing about in. Early morning is the best time to explore the Superior Producer; it's a deep dive, the sea has not yet had a chance to build, and the visibility is at it's best. A strong current of at least 1 knot is usually running. It is deep, monitor your time carefully. Look for grouper, barracuda, coral and anemones.

Porto Marie (The Valley)
Unique and diverse, the Valley site is one of the most popular sites on the island for good reason -- two parallel reefs with a "valley" between are home to a wide variety of reef life. Often you will see fish here that are rare at other sites on the island, such as pairs of cornetfish, and nurse sharks. Located at Porto Marie Beach, about an eight minute drive from Willibrordus church. An admittance fee of NAFl. 3.50,= pp is charged and parking is free. A nice snack bar is located on the beach, as are changing facilities, fresh water tanks for cleaning your equipment, showers, and toilets .Enter over a sandy bottom with some coral rubble; it is about a five minutes swim to the first reef. A mooring buoy has been placed in the center of the bay for boat dives; this is a good reference point to begin shore dives from. Minimal current or wave action is present; visibility is usually very good, over 30m (100 ft). At the buoy the depth is about 9 m (30 ft) sloping to the nearby first reef, which is at 15 m (50 ft). Swimming straight out will take you over the first reef, then to a sandy bottom, and finally to the second reef starting at about 18 m (60 ft). The Valley is home to lots of colorful reef life: angelfish, parrotfish, groupers, brown chromis, yellowtail snapper triggerfish trumpetfish, cornetfish, sea turtles, lobsters and sting rays. Coral coverage is abundant and healthy.

There is plenty for non divers to do - shopping, sightseeing, watersports and eco-tourism. In the backcountry - kunuku - there is a 10-square-mile nature preserve which has species of flora and fauna found nowhere else in the Caribbean. Eco-tourists will want to visit the 4,500-acre (18 sq km) Christoffel National Park to see protected iguanas and tiny Curaçao deer. They can also take in the island's ostrich farm and sea aquarium - one of the region's largest - where they can swim with lemon sharks.

We've left one of the best features of Curaçao to the end - the famous blue, orange, red, green, and clear liqueurs made here from the bitter laraha oranges grown on trees imported by the Spanish from Valencia.

U.S. currency is accepted everywhere, as are Travellers Cheques and most major Credit Cards. Debit Cards are accepted at a few large shops and supermarkets. Prices are quoted in the national currency, the Netherlands Antillean guilder (also called the florin), abbreviated NAFl. or ANG. It is pegged to the US dollar at a stable rate of US$ 1 = NAFl. 1.77 for cash, 1.78 for traveller's cheques. Exchange rates may vary slightly at stores and hotels. Bills of US$50 and US$100 can be hard to cash. The larger denominations of guilder bills (100 and 250) are hard to cash for small purchases. There are currently two versions of guilder coins in circulation. The old square nickel and the newer square fifty cent piece are among the few square coins in the world; along with the 2 1/2 guilder coin they are popular souvenirs, particularly for children. There is no black market and there are no restrictions on how much money you can bring into the country.

Climate:
Located in the tropics, just 12° north of the Equator -- and outside of the hurricane belt -- Curaçao has a warm, sunny climate year round. The average temperature is about 27° C ( mid 80s F). Refreshing trade winds blow constantly from the east, picking up in the spring months. The rainy season, October to February, is marked by short, occasional showers, usually at night, and continued sunny weather by day. Total annual rainfall averages only 570 mm (22 inches). Occasionally a tropical storm brewing elsewhere in the Caribbean can cause uncharacteristically cloudy weather for a day or two.

Getting There:<br>
KLM flies to Curacao from 15 regional airports in the UK (via Amsterdam). Alternate routes are via Madrid with Iberia and various U.S. Gateways.

Buy Now....

Buy Now....

Like its neighbour Bonaire, the diving is easy - there is something for everyone - and there are plenty of shore dives to keep prices down. The best dive sites are at the west end of the island. Curaçao is one of the drier islands of the Caribbean and below the hurricane belt.

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