Bandabou

Bandabou, which means "the side below" in Papiamentu, is the rural western half of Curaçao, the wide, sparsely populated stretch beyond the city where the island shows its wilder, greener face. This is the Curaçao of cactus-studded countryside, restored plantation houses (the historic "landhuizen"), goats wandering the roadsides, and small fishing villages on quiet bays. It is the part of the island to slow down, explore by car, and trade the resort strip for nature and history.

Two national parks anchor the area. Christoffel National Park protects the island's highest hill, Mount Christoffel, with hiking trails, rare wildlife including the Curaçao white-tailed deer, and a summit climb rewarded by an island-wide view. On the windward Atlantic coast, Shete Boka National Park is a string of rugged inlets where the surf crashes into limestone, with a famous blowhole at Boka Pistol and a sea-turtle nesting bay.

Quiet coves and a hidden cave

• Playa Lagun is a tiny cliff-framed fishing cove with calm water and reliable snorkeling, sometimes with turtles.
• Playa Jeremi and Playa Santa Cruz are unspoilt local beaches with little development.
• The Blue Room, a half-submerged sea cave near Santa Cruz, glows electric blue when sunlight filters in through an underwater opening; you swim or kayak in to see it.

Because Bandabou covers so much ground, it rewards a full day or more of exploring. Distances are real out here and signage is patchy, so a rental car and a half-tank of patience help. The leeward coves on the southwest are calm and swimmable, while the northern Atlantic coast within Shete Boka is wild and dangerous for swimming, strictly for watching the waves.

Bandabou pairs naturally with the wild beaches of Westpunt at its far tip and the flamingo lagoons of Sint Willibrordus closer to the city. Most people base themselves in Willemstad or the southeast and head into Bandabou for nature, history and the island's emptiest beaches.