Rincon, Bonaire: The Oldest Village in the Dutch Caribbean
Founded inland to hide from pirates, and still the cultural heart of the island.
Why Go
Rincon sits in a valley in the north of Bonaire, and the reason it is there rather than on the coast is that the Spanish put it out of sight of the sea in the sixteenth century so passing raiders would not find it. It is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the Dutch Caribbean, and it remains the island's cultural centre — the place the language, the music and the food are strongest, and where the island's biggest festival happens each April. It is also where you find a distillery making liqueur out of cactus.
The Experience
The village occupies a bowl of green between hills, which is a startling change after the flat scrub and salt pans of the south. Low houses in ochre and blue line a few streets, there is a church at the centre, and the pace is slower even by Bonairean standards. What Rincon has that Kralendijk does not is depth: this is where families have been for generations, and the cultural institutions here are run by people explaining their own history rather than presenting it. Around the village the land is dry and rocky, climbing toward the national park entrance a few minutes north. Goats are everywhere. On Dia di Rincon at the end of April the population multiplies and the whole island arrives. The village is also the clearest evidence that Bonaire had a life long before it had divers. The island is marketed almost entirely on what is underwater, and Rincon is where the case for the other half is made — the language, the music, the food and four and a half centuries of continuous settlement, none of which appears in a dive brochure.
What to Try
The Cadushy Distillery makes liqueur from the cadushi cactus that grows all over the island, and the tasting is genuinely worth an hour — it is the only distillery in the Dutch Caribbean doing anything like it, and the garden is a pleasant place to sit. Mangazina di Rei is a cultural park in a restored nineteenth-century storehouse, with gardens, traditional buildings and regular music; it is the best single explanation of Bonairean culture available anywhere on the island. The Echo Dos Pos Conservation Centre works on the yellow-shouldered parrot, which is endemic and endangered, and visits are by arrangement. Museo Chich'i Tan covers village life. Eat at Posada Para Mira for the view over the valley, Kos Bon So and Breezy Delight for local plates, and Le-Ma-Se for something simpler. Rincon Supermarket is the practical stop before the park.
Insider Tip
Combine Rincon with Washington Slagbaai rather than treating them as separate trips. The park entrance is a few minutes north of the village, the park closes its gate to new arrivals in the early afternoon, and Rincon is the last place to buy water and food before you go in. Do the park in the morning and come back down to the village for a late lunch and the distillery, which is the right way round — the park has no facilities and Rincon has all of them.
The Practical Stuff
Rincon is about twenty to twenty-five minutes north of Kralendijk on the inland road, and roughly half an hour from Flamingo Airport. You need a vehicle; there is no useful public transport on Bonaire and the village is inland with the sites spread around it. Parking is free and informal. The Washington Slagbaai National Park entrance is a few minutes further north and requires a STINAPA nature tag, the same one divers buy. Shops keep ordinary hours and close on Sundays, and much of the village is quiet outside festival days. Bonaire lies outside the main hurricane belt, so conditions are consistent year-round, though the interior is hotter and stiller than the windward coast.
Common Questions
Why is Rincon inland?
The Spanish founded it in a valley out of sight of the sea in the sixteenth century so that passing raiders would not spot it. It is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the Dutch Caribbean.
What is the Cadushy Distillery?
A distillery in Rincon making liqueur from the cadushi cactus that grows across Bonaire, along with other spirits. The tasting takes about an hour and the garden is a good place to sit.
What is Mangazina di Rei?
A cultural park in a restored nineteenth-century storehouse above the village, with gardens, traditional buildings and regular music — the best introduction to Bonairean culture on the island.
When is Dia di Rincon?
At the end of April. It is Bonaire's largest festival and effectively the whole island comes to the village for it, so expect the place to be transformed and accommodation to be tight.
How far is Rincon from Kralendijk?
About twenty to twenty-five minutes north on the inland road, and roughly half an hour from Flamingo Airport. You need a vehicle.
Can you reach the national park from Rincon?
Yes, the Washington Slagbaai entrance is a few minutes north. Buy water and food in the village first, because the park has no facilities and closes its gate to new arrivals in the early afternoon.
Pair It With
- The Cadushy Distillery — Cactus liqueur, and the island's only distillery.
- Cultural Park Mangazina di Rei — Bonairean culture explained by Bonaireans.
- Washington-Slagbaai National Park — The park gate, minutes up the road.
