Best Boat Trips in Curaçao

Best overall: the Klein Curaçao full-day trip

Klein Curaçao is the strongest first boat trip because it gives you a destination as well as a boat ride. The island sits about 10 km off Curaçao’s south-east tip, it is uninhabited, and a day there means a long, pale beach, clear water, a reef slope a short swim from the sand and turtles feeding in the shallows. No road leads there and no ferry, so a day trip is the only way to see it without chartering a boat.

Four boats run the crossing, and they cost $140 to $160 per person. The Mermaid has the most reviews on the route, and Miss Ann has the most complete facilities on the island, with restrooms, a freshwater shower and a beach bar at its beach house. The cheapest is Irie Tours at $140, with an open bar included. The Gold Seahorse is the dearest at $160 and the shortest day. All four side by side sets out the differences, and which one suits you helps you choose.

The catch is the crossing, which runs into the trade wind on the outward leg and is rougher than most people expect. If that worries you, the seasickness guide compares the boats.

The west coast and the Blue Room

The Blue Room is a sea cave on Curaçao’s west coast, and two or three trips are built around it. They suit a visitor who wants a boat, a snorkel and a cave without the nine-hour Klein Curaçao day.

• The west coast boat trip ($150, rated 4.7 from more than 15 reviews) is a catamaran cruise with snorkelling and a barbecue lunch. It stops at Kokomo Beach and Cas Abao Beach, visits the Blue Cave, and ends with a bus ride back to the city. Reviewers mention two catches: the ride back can take close to two hours with several drop-offs, and rough seas can keep the boat out of the cave on some days.
• The Blue Room Cave snorkelling tour ($56, 4.8 from 22 reviews) is a two-hour midday trip along the west coast with snacks, and the cheapest boat trip on the list.
• The Blue Room Cave and turtles trip with pizza ($102, 4.9 from 8 reviews) leaves from Santa Martha Bay and lasts five hours, with turtles, the cave, pizza and drinks on board. Eight reviews is a thin record, so read the recent ones before you book.

The two shorter trips are smaller operators with fewer reviews than the big boats. That is not a reason to skip them, but it is a reason to check the departure point and the time on your booking, because the west coast is a long drive from Jan Thiel.

Best shorter trips: half-day snorkel and sunset

If you want a few hours on the water rather than a day, two trips from Caracas Bay in Jan Thiel do it well, and both are run by the same operator.

The snorkel cruise lasts four and a half hours and costs $100. The route stays inshore, out through Spanish Water past the waterfront villas and then along the south coast, with a stop at the Tugboat Wreck, which is shallow enough to snorkel rather than dive, and a second stop on a shallow reef. A barbecue lunch and an open bar are included, as is a mask and snorkel. It is the calm-water option on a windy day, and it is a good choice if you want a snorkel but not the Klein Curaçao crossing.

The sunset catamaran cruise lasts two and a half hours and costs $75. It sails through Spanish Water Bay with Table Mountain on the skyline, then heads out to open sea for the sunset, and runs on towards St Anna Bay for a view of Willemstad from the water if the weather allows. The open bar and three kinds of finger food are included, but a full meal is not, so eat before or after. Hotel pickup is an optional $15 round trip.

Sunset sails compared

There are two sunset options on the list, and they suit different evenings.

• The Irie Tours sunset cruise ($75, 4.6 from more than 60 reviews) is the quieter one: a catamaran, an open bar and finger food, with views of Spanish Water Bay.
• The Gold Seahorse sunset party ($130, 4.4 from 74 reviews) lasts three hours and adds live music and a DJ on a luxury catamaran. It is the livelier trip, and the rating is the lowest of the boat trips on this page.

Choose the first for conversation and a view, and the second if you want music and a group atmosphere.

The fast boat to Klein Curaçao

Some visitors want Klein Curaçao with less time on the water. None of the listings is a separate fast boat, but the crossing times differ from boat to boat. Miss Ann and the Gold Seahorse both quote about an hour each way, Irie Tours quotes one to one and a half hours, and the Mermaid puts the run from Spanish Water at around two hours. Those are the operators’ own figures and they are not measured the same way, so treat them as a guide.

The shorter crossing matters most for children and for anyone who dislikes the outward leg. The powerboat page looks at the motor yachts, and our guide to the crossing explains where each boat leaves from.

Best for groups: private boats

A private boat charges per boat, not per seat, so the arithmetic changes with the size of your party. Two people are almost always better off with shared seats. Four or more people who want their own departure time and route can find a charter competitive.

• The private tour with Captain Dirk costs $517 for three hours (4.9 from 9 reviews), with local stories and a sunset drink.
• The self-drive boat rental costs $269 for three hours (4.7 from 20 reviews). You captain the boat yourself with up to six people, no licence is needed, and the route is Spanish Water.
• The private beach hopping and snorkelling tour costs $330 for seven hours (4.9 from 14 reviews).

All three have short review records, so book with a date that leaves room to change. A private boat to Klein Curaçao itself is a different conversation, because it is a fifteen-mile open-water run, and prices start around $950. The private charters page does the sums.

How to choose

• First boat trip, with a full day available: the Klein Curaçao day trip, on the Mermaid or Miss Ann.
• A morning or afternoon only: the half-day snorkel cruise.
• A cheap, short taste of the coast: the Blue Room snorkelling tour.
• An evening: the Irie Tours sunset cruise, or the Gold Seahorse for music.
• A group of four or more with its own timetable: compare the private boats.
• Prone to seasickness: the half-day snorkel cruise or the sunset sail, both of which stay in sheltered water.

What each trip costs lays the Klein Curaçao fares side by side, and the full comparison of the Klein Curaçao tours ranks all the crossings.

Booking tips

Book the Klein Curaçao day trip early in your stay, because boats run once a day, sell out in high season and stand down in bad weather. A weather cancellation then has somewhere to move to.

Check three things on any listing before you pay: where the boat leaves from, what the fare leaves out, and whether hotel pickup is included. Curaçao’s marinas are spread along the south and west coast, and a start from the wrong side of the island turns a short trip into a long day.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best boat trip in Curaçao?

For most visitors it is the Klein Curaçao day trip. It combines a boat ride with a beach, a reef and turtles on an uninhabited island, and the Mermaid has the most reviews on the route at 4.8 from 346.

What is the best short boat trip in Curaçao?

A half-day snorkel cruise or a sunset sail. The snorkel cruise runs four and a half hours for $100 and the sunset cruise two and a half hours for $75.

How much does a boat trip in Curaçao cost?

On our booking partner, boat trips start at $56 for a two-hour Blue Room snorkelling tour and run to $140 to $160 for the Klein Curaçao day trip. Private boats are priced per boat and start around $269 for a self-drive rental.

Can you snorkel with turtles on a Curaçao boat trip?

Yes. Green turtles feed in the seagrass shallows at Klein Curaçao, and the Kenepa Grandi snorkel trip and the Blue Room and turtles trip both list turtles. Do not touch or chase them.

Is there a boat trip to the Blue Room in Curaçao?

Yes. The Blue Room Cave snorkelling tour lasts two hours and costs $56, and the west coast trip includes the Blue Cave among its stops.

Which Curaçao boat trip is best for a sunset?

The Irie Tours sunset cruise is the quieter, cheaper choice at $75 with an open bar. The Gold Seahorse sunset party adds live music and a DJ for $130.

Can I rent a boat in Curaçao without a licence?

Yes, on the self-drive boat rental, which carries up to six people around Spanish Water and needs no licence.