Bon bini! You came for the soccer, but you’ll leave in love with the island. Here’s your Blue Wave guide to Kòrsou between matches.
Willemstad, the colourful capital
The UNESCO-listed capital is one of the most colourful cities on earth, with 750+ Dutch-colonial buildings in vivid pinks, blues and yellows. Walk the Handelskade waterfront along St. Anna Bay, cross the floating Queen Emma Bridge (the ‘Swinging Old Lady’), browse the floating market, and explore the pedestrian streets of Punda and Otrobanda up to Fort Amsterdam.
Hato Caves
Just north of Willemstad, the Hato Caves are over 200,000 years old. Guided tours reveal limestone formations, a water pool and a colony of long-nosed fruit bats. Around 1,500 years ago the island’s first people, the Arawak, left petroglyphs on these walls, and the caves later sheltered escaped enslaved people. Open daily 9am to 3pm.
Christoffel & Shete Boka
In the wild Banda Bou (west), Christoffel National Park holds the island’s highest peak, Mount Christoffel, best hiked at sunrise. Next door, Shete Boka National Park follows a dramatic coastline, watch the waves explode out of Boka Pistol like a gunshot, and walk to the natural bridge at Boka Wandomi.
The beaches
- Grote Knip (Playa Kenepa), the island’s most photographed beach.
- Cas Abao, turquoise water with snorkelling among turtles and eagle rays.
- Playa Porto Mari and Mambo Beach, easy days close to the capital.
Eat like a local
Try the island’s signature Keshi Yena, a slow stoba stew, and cornmeal funchi. After the final whistle, the whole island heads to the Truk’i Pan food trucks. Dushi! (More in A Taste of Krioyo.)
Masha danki for visiting, and ban Kòrsou!
