Private Eco Jeep and Beach Tour

[ajames]

My wife Ann and I (aged 60 and 61, respectively) returned last Sunday from a fabulous seven-day cruise aboard HAL's Westerdam. We had stopped in Curacao for a day, arriving at 8 am and leaving at 5 pm. On referral from another Cruise Critic posting, we had booked a full-day tour with Curacao-Actief. We were met at 9 am by Zander and boarded his 4x4 jeep. En-route to the countryside, Zander drove through several interesting neighborhoods. Most interesting, we saw the home and funky outdoor sculpture of a native artist.

 

Within about half an hour, we were off-roading along the undeveloped East coast and northern section of the island. It was quite the wild ride at times. At one point, we drove into a dried up river bed and I could not believe what he did to get us out of it again.

 

Throughout the tour, Zander provided a running commentary, identifying plants, birds and wildlife (e.g., iguanas and smaller lizards). Zander is native-born Dutch, but he was educated in the Netherlands and speaks half a dozen different languages. Zander is a passionate and knowledgeable Curacao enthusiast.

 

As part of the excursion, we toured a cave that had been used for voodo ceremonies in recent times. Earlier, it had been a slave hideout. The cave is now home to nectar bats. We could see them hanging from the ceiling and whizzing about us, but they kindly avoided getting too close.

 

We stopped for swimming and snorkeling at two very nice beaches on our way back down the West coast. At the second beach, Zander joined us in the water, and he dove down to identify various fish life (including a highly venomous sea snake). I had no difficulty spotting the "mermaid" on my own.

 

We had unlimited lime drink and cold water available throughout the tour. We also stopped for a late morning “pastry break,” with homemade “pastiches” (meat and cheese-filled, deep fried pastry). And Zander catered a light lunch with bakers’ rolls and egg, crabmeat and tuna salad fillings, as well as watermelon.

 

Perhaps the highlight of the day came during our “sanitary stop” at the national park. A park employee was feeding “sugar thief” birds from his hand. While talking to the man, he asked me to open my palm and poured sugar into it. Within minutes, I had one eating out of my hand, and Ann has the pictures to prove it.

 

Zander brought us back to the ship at 3:30 pm, and he gave us a farewell gift of locally-made candies. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and we felt as if we had made a real friend in Curacao. The excursion is not inexpensive ($96 each), but it’s an incredible value. The tour lasted six and a half hours, and we had Zander’s undivided attention throughout.

[S Dakota]

Thanks for the post. I am considering Actief for their half day tour. Other than the bats, how was the cave tour? Length? Interesting? Ease of moving around? Thanks.

 

Bob

[ajames]

We were in the cave for about half an hour. You had to watch your step and headroom, but it wasn't especially strenuous--and we didn't walk that far. We thought it was fascinating.

[S Dakota]

Thanks for the information.

[reklawr]

We did a Curacao-Actief tour a few years back it they really do take good care of you. The really nice thing was that we rarely saw any other tourists for most of the day.