The Breathtaking Curaçao Island Labeled As One Of The Best Day Trips In All Of The Caribbean

Curaçao, a Dutch speaking enclave in the southern Caribbean, can feel slightly detached from its laidback neighbors. Its strictly structured European architecture, array of neatly appointed history museums, and faster pace of life don't always scream lazy Caribbean vacation. Other than exploring the colorful homes and secluded coves of Curaçao's capital, the best way to immerse yourself in the quintessential Caribbean landscape is to take a day trip. Klein Curaçao (Or Little Curaçao), an uninhabited desert island ringed by exceptional white sand beaches, is one of the best options for a day trip in the entire region.

Located 6 miles southeast of Curaçao, it's only possible to access this island by boat. After around only an hour of lounging on the sun-soaked deck of a catamaran, visitors pull into the minimalistic harbor point. Everything on the island is within easy reach of the bobbing boats waiting to take their return voyages. Most routes depart from Spanish Water or Caracas Bay between 6:30-8 a.m., and head back in the afternoon. There's absolutely nowhere to securely sleep on the tiny island so if you prefer to linger in paradise overnight, opt instead to head to the exclusive beachfront beauty often called the "best luxury resort in the Caribbean."

Carefully conserved by the Dutch government, which declared Klein Curaçao's deserted shores a Wetland of International Importance, the underwater world that fringes the island is abundant. It's home to several species of turtles, including green, loggerhead, and hawksbill, who sail through the seas unperturbed by curious snorkelers. Strap on a mask and wade out into the water from any point on the short stretch of sandy beach, or make a beeline for the farthest beach huts from the pontoon for the site where the most sea turtles congregate. 

The seabed isn't carved by coral in the same way as that of some of its neighboring Caribbean islands, rather comprised of seagrass and undulating sands. It doesn't matter, though. You'll be distracted by the easy-to-spot turtles, azure blue tangs, and eclectically adorned smooth trunkfish swilling through the sea.

Gliding out over the foam mottled teal of the Caribbean Sea, catamarans carrying divers launch regularly from Klein Curaçao's ivory shore. Travelers willing to take the plunge and pay a little extra for a single tank dive will be rewarded with up close encounters with soaring turtles, flitting triggerfish, and gigantic groupers.

If your mind wanders away from a lengthy splay on the pure white sands by the sea's edge, there are also inland curiosities to explore on Curaçao. Given that the thin spit of sand is only around 0.7-square-miles in circumference, it's no challenge to walk everywhere. You can explore every edge of the island in a dedicated hour or two.

The history of the small island is surprisingly dark, considering how remote and desolate it seems today. An outpost of the West India Company, Klein was used as an island to quarantine enslaved Africans. Those suffering from sicknesses after enduring the inhuman transportation methods typically practiced by the Dutch trading company were sent to isolation on the island. Any who didn't survive were buried beneath the snow white sand.

It's difficult to get a sense of the scale of the trade that ran through this tiny island, but a vestige remains in the form of the crumbling pink walls of the Klein Curaçao lighthouse. Located in the middle of the island, the 19^th century signal wasn't entirely effective, as evidenced by the array of shipwrecks visible further along the shore.

Far from the main island's thriving culinary scene, boasting restaurants every foodie will want to try in Curaçao, eatery options tend to be thin on the ground on deserted islands. Taking a day trip out, your tour company will typically prepare simple, local food on board the boat.