Klein Curaçao

Yes, definitely! It’s no surprise that a day trip to Klein Curaçao is by far the most popular excursion booked by tourists on Curaçao. The beautiful beach is the longest on Curaçao, the water is crystal clear, and you absolutely have to take a photo at the iconic lighthouse. A day trip to Klein Curaçao is a real treat and a nice change of pace during your vacation.

Actually, you could say that all trips to Klein Curaçao (sold through NaarCuracao) are good. They all include drinks and a BBQ lunch. Still, there are differences between the day trips. The experience with one boat is completely different from that with another provider. That doesn’t mean one is “better” than the other. It just depends on what’s important to you on a day trip to Klein Curaçao. Do you want to party and have a trip that includes alcoholic drinks, or are you looking for a more peaceful experience—and therefore prefer a trip that doesn’t include alcoholic drinks? Do you want an extra adrenaline rush from speeding across the water, or are you looking for that beautiful “Caribbean experience” of sailing leisurely toward the sun on a catamaran with the wind at your back? The differences between the boats are what determine which trip to Klein Curaçao is best for you.

All day trips to Klein Curaçao include food and drinks. This will keep you going all day, but there can be differences in what they offer. Only Miss Ann and Mermaid offer a full breakfast buffet on Klein Curaçao; the other boats serve a sandwich on board or nothing at all. If you’d also like to enjoy a tasty cocktail, be sure to check carefully which tour you’re taking, as some boats only offer non-alcoholic drinks. The catamarans operated by BlueFinn and Irie Tours, for example, include a wide selection of alcoholic beverages as part of the trip.

Klein Curaçao is—by far—the No. 1 excursion on Curaçao. There are several large boats that sail almost daily. As a result, you can assume that there’s little difference in how crowded Klein Curaçao is from one day to the next. You can expect about 400 to 500 people to visit Klein Curaçao every day. That might seem like a lot, but people spread out across the boats and the long beach at Klein Curaçao (the longest beach on Curaçao), so you can always find a quiet spot if that’s what you’re looking for.
On weekends, it can be a bit busier than on weekdays because locals also come to enjoy their day off with a wonderful day at Klein Curaçao.

Klein Curaçao is located about 12 km east of Curaçao. However, that distance is measured from the easternmost point of Curaçao, and day trips depart from a somewhat more central location. That’s why most boats travel about 27 km to Klein Curaçao.
The fastest boat is—not surprisingly—the Powerboat, which makes the crossing in 45 to 50 minutes. Miss Ann is the fastest of the larger boats, and the catamarans take just under two hours.
It’s good to know that virtually all boats have structured their day trips so that you spend about the same amount of time on Klein Curaçao. The Powerboat’s fast trip takes a total of 6 hours; if you take the Mermaid, the trip lasts 10 hours. The difference in trip duration is mainly due to the varying travel times for the outbound and return legs.

If you’re considering a day trip to Klein Curaçao, here are a few things to keep in mind beforehand:

– Facilities: Please note that on Klein Curaçao, you can only use the facilities provided by your boat. There are no shops, beach bars, or restaurants on the island, nor is there a diving school or equipment rental service.
– Shade: For shade, you’ll mainly have to rely on what the boat provides. There’s very little “natural shade” to be found on Klein Curaçao. Mermaid and Miss Ann offer a spacious beach house with plenty of shade. The Powerboat also has some shade in its beach hut. On the catamarans operated by BlueFinn, Irie Tours, and Gold Seahorse, among others, you’ll have to find shade on the boat or—with a bit of luck—at one of the communal palapas (palm-leaf umbrellas) on the beach.
– Seasickness: The morning trip is always against the current. That means the boat can rock quite a bit, and there’s a chance of seasickness. Are you prone to seasickness and really don’t want to get sick during this trip? Then take the Powerboat—that trip is 99% guaranteed to be “seasickness-free” thanks to its speed combined with the boat’s design. Or read these tips for preventing seasickness on a day trip to Klein Curaçao.

Several tour operators offer day trips to Klein Curaçao, and prices vary. Prices start at around US$ 135 and go up to around US$ 170. Since the day trips are ultimately paid for in U.S. dollars, the price listed here on the website may vary from day to day due to exchange rate fluctuations. Check out the boats and their rates at the top of this page.

No, that’s practically impossible. You’ll be gone all day. Most boats leave before 8:30 a.m., and they don’t usually return to the harbor until at least 4:30 p.m. So that leaves little time to do anything else that day.
What you can do, however, is combine the Klein Curaçao trip with a Sunset Cruise. This is offered as a single trip on the large catamaran, but only on Mondays. More about Klein & Sunset.
If you book one of the Klein Curaçao combo deals with a 10% discount, it’s always scheduled for two separate days; doing it all in one day isn’t possible.

There is no natural shade on the beach at Klein Curaçao. No palm trees or tall rocks to hide behind. There are a few communal palapas (palm-leaf umbrellas) available on the beach, but there aren’t enough for all the guests on the island. You’ll mainly have to rely on the shade provided by your day trip. At Miss Ann and Mermaid, you can “claim” your own spot with a beach bed for the entire day in their spacious beach house—which is generally always in the shade. The Powerboat has a somewhat more basic beach hut on the beach where you can also sit out of the sun for a while. On all other boats, you’ll have to find shade on the boat itself.

Water shoes are not really necessary, almost all over the beach you can walk from the soft sand straight into the “rock-free” sea. Note, however, that if you want to explore the island by walking to the dilapidated lighthouse and the shipwrecks that have washed ashore, shoes would come in handy. Especially near the shipwrecks are sharp stones and also during the hike you have a chance of seeing “pika’s”, the plants with big spines, next to the path.

Yes, that’s possible. There are various private trips to Klein Curaçao available. Prices start at around €1,500 for a trip with up to 10 people, including drinks and a BBQ lunch. The advantage of a private boat is that you can throw your own party, set your own departure times, and make all kinds of requests regarding the catering.
More information about the private boat to Klein Curaçao

Yes, it’s possible to spend the night on Klein Curaçao. It’s a unique and wonderful experience. In the early evening, you’ll watch the sunset from the beach, and then enjoy a lovely (romantic?) evening by the campfire. You’ll sleep on the beach, under the open sky. You’ll need to bring your own gear (sleeping bag, pillow, etc.) and some food and drinks.
There are two ways to do this:
– with a guide: this is only possible by private boat. The captain stays on the boat to sleep, while you sleep on the beach. The advantage is that there’s always the option to leave the island (in case of an emergency). The downside is that a private trip is, of course, more expensive than the open trips.
– Without a guide: Find a boat that goes to Klein Curaçao on two consecutive days and book tickets for those two consecutive days. We recommend doing this with Miss Ann, because then you can also use their beach bed to sleep on at night, and they have a toilet and shower in their beach house. So on Day 1, you’ll simply take the boat to Klein Curaçao with all the other day visitors. But when the boat heads back in the middle of the afternoon, you don’t board it. Instead, you stay behind on the beach for a wonderful overnight stay. The next morning, the boat returns with new day visitors, and you can take the afternoon boat back to Klein Curaçao. The downside is that you’re completely on your own—for example, you can’t leave the island at night in case of an emergency, and you can’t use your cell phone to call emergency services if something happens.
And in any case, if you decide to do this, be sure to mention it when you make your reservation so the crew can help plan and ensure your experience is as wonderful as possible.