Best Snorkelling Tours in Curaçao

Best overall experience: Klein Curaçao

Klein Curaçao is the best snorkelling day in Curaçao for most visitors. The reef slope is a short swim off the beach, and green turtles feed in the seagrass shallows as a matter of routine, so you do not need a guide or a second boat to find them. The island is uninhabited and about 10 km off Curaçao’s south-east tip, so a boat trip is the only practical way there.

The Mermaid leaves the Fishermen’s Pier at Jan Thiel at 06:45 every day except Saturday. The $155 fare includes breakfast on the island, a barbecue lunch, shaded palapas at its beach house and snorkel masks to borrow. Alcoholic drinks are extra, at about $5 for a beer. It has 4.8/5 from 351 reviews, the most on the route.

Miss Ann costs the same and suits you better if the snorkelling is the main point: it runs a guided snorkel safari with the gear included, and its beach house has restrooms, a freshwater shower and a beach bar. It sails from Marina Santa Barbara, with a crossing of about an hour by the operator’s reckoning. It has 4.8/5 from 271 reviews.

The outward crossing heads into the trade wind and can be rough. If that is a concern, read which boat handles the crossing best. For what the water is like once you arrive, see our Klein Curaçao snorkelling and turtles guide. If you would like to get there on two hulls, the best catamaran tours in Curaçao covers the Irie and Gold Seahorse catamarans.

Best if snorkelling is the only priority: a half-day coastal trip

A half-day coastal trip gives you more time in the water for each hour you spend on the boat. The Irie snorkel cruise stays in sheltered water for 4.5 hours. You snorkel the Tugboat Wreck, which is shallow enough to see clearly from the surface, then a shallow reef inside Curaçao’s national underwater park. The $100 fare covers a barbecue lunch, an open bar and the mask and snorkel, on a double-decker motorised catamaran from Caracasbaai. It has 4.7/5 from 94 reviews. Non-swimmers should not plan on snorkelling the wreck unaided.

For a shorter outing, the Blue Room Cave tour costs $56 for two hours along the west coast, with a swim into the Blue Room sea cave and snacks aboard. It has 4.8/5 from 23 reviews, a smaller sample than the trips above.

If you want beaches as well as snorkelling, the west coast catamaran trip at $150 takes a full day: Kokomo Beach, Cas Abao Beach and the Blue Cave, with a barbecue lunch and a bus back to town. It has 4.7/5 from 56 reviews.

Best for turtles: Playa Piskadó and the west coast

Klein Curaçao is the easiest place to see turtles from a boat trip. On the mainland, the best-known turtle spot is Playa Piskadó, also called Playa Grandi, a fishing beach at Westpunt. Turtles gather there because fishermen clean their catch at the pier. It can get crowded, so keep your distance, never touch or chase a turtle, and read the signs from Sea Turtle Conservation Curaçao before you get in.

The Kenepa Grandi turtle tour goes to Playa Grandi to snorkel with the turtles, stops at the flamingo sanctuary and finishes with a swim at Grote Knip beach. It costs $75 for four hours, includes pickup from your hotel or the cruise port, and has 4.5/5 from 37 reviews.

By boat, the Blue Room Cave and turtles trip leaves Santa Martha Bay for five hours, with a turtle swim, the Blue Room and pizza and drinks on board. It costs $102 and has 4.9/5 from only 11 reviews, so treat the rating as an early one.

Best for families

Mermaid, Miss Ann or a shorter half-day tour suit families best. On Klein Curaçao the island is easy for children; the crossing is the hard part. Go if yours are comfortable on boats, and pick a boat with a beach house, because shade, a toilet and a shower matter on an island with almost no trees. Miss Ann has the most complete facilities, and the Mermaid has its own palapas and beach chairs. Klein Curaçao with kids covers ages, food and the crossing in more detail.

If your children are not good on boats, choose a half-day trip. The Irie snorkel cruise has no open-sea crossing, and the turtle tour goes by road with hotel pickup.

Best for groups: a private snorkelling charter

A private snorkelling trip lets a group choose its own stops and pace. The private beach hopping and snorkeling tour costs $330 for seven hours with a local guide, mixing west coast beaches, snorkelling and off-road driving. It goes by road, not by boat. It has 4.9/5 from 14 reviews.

If you want to be on the water, the private boat tour with Captain Dirk costs $517 per boat for three hours and has 4.9/5 from 9 reviews. Another option by road is the private customisable tour at $440, which includes Shete Boka National Park and a turtle swim; it has 5.0/5 from just 6 reviews. Our private boat tours guide compares the boats in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best snorkelling in Curaçao?

For a boat trip, Klein Curaçao, with a reef slope a short swim off the beach and turtles in the seagrass shallows. On the mainland, the Tugboat Wreck, the Blue Room sea cave and the turtles at Playa Grandi are the stops the tours above visit.

Can you snorkel with turtles in Curaçao?

Yes. Green turtles feed off Klein Curaçao’s west beach, and turtles gather at Playa Grandi (Playa Piskadó) at Westpunt. The Kenepa Grandi turtle tour and the Blue Room and turtles trip both include a turtle swim.

How much does a snorkelling tour in Curaçao cost?

On our booking partner, from $56 for the two-hour Blue Room trip and $75 to $100 for a half day, to $155 for a full day on Klein Curaçao. Private guides and boats start at around $330.

Is snorkel gear included?

On the four Klein Curaçao boats bookable through our booking partner and on the Irie snorkel cruise, yes. For the shorter trips, check the listing, and bring your own mask if you have one that fits.