Do You Need a Rental Car in Bonaire? Our Honest Answer

Short answer: yes. If you want to see more of Bonaire than the reef in front of your hotel, you need a rental car or truck. We rented a truck for our week in Bonaire with Jackson, and we couldn’t have done the trip without it.

Here's why, how we used ours, and the few situations where you might be able to skip it. For the how-to of actually renting one (what to book, where, and what you'll need), see Bonaire Logistics: Every Fee, Tag, and Rental You Need Before You Go.

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Getting Around Bonaire

What we used to get around

1

Chogogo Dive & Beach ResortWhere we got ours

Rental trucks right at the resort. We picked ours up on arrival day.

See Chogogo →

2

Rental Cars and TrucksCompare rentals

Not staying at a resort with rentals? Compare companies for your dates. Book early for the holidays, since trucks go fast.

Compare rentals →

3

Airalo eSIMStay connected

Maps and data for driving between snorkel sites.

Get an eSIM →

The Short Answer

You need a rental car in Bonaire if you want to:

Snorkel or shore dive at more than one or two spots
Visit Washington-Slagbaai National Park
See the flamingos, the salt flats, or Lac Bay
Eat anywhere outside of Kralendijk, like Kite City Food Truck at Te Amo Beach or Hang Out Beach Bar at Lac Bay

You might get by without one if you're staying in Kralendijk, you're happy snorkeling your hotel's house reef, and you plan to book guided tours for everything else. For most families, though, that means missing a lot of what makes Bonaire special.

Why You Need a Car in Bonaire

There's no public transportation or Uber

Bonaire has no public buses, and there's no Uber or Lyft. Taxis exist, but you can't hail one on the street. You book ahead, and they get busy when big flights land or a cruise ship is in port.

The snorkel sites are spread out

Bonaire is a shore-snorkeling island. The reef runs along almost the entire west coast, and the snorkel spots are marked with painted rocks along the road (many of them yellow). You drive up, park, and walk in. Over our week, we snorkeled Salt Pier, Pink Beach, Angel City, and Tori’s Reef on the south end, Andrea and 1000 Steps up north, Bari Reef by our resort, and Wayaka II and Playa Funchi inside the national park. There's no practical way to do that without your own vehicle.

Boy in snorkel gear in the back of a truck parked next to the shore in Bonaire. — *Park, grab the gear, walk in. This is how snorkeling works on Bonaire.*

You'll be hauling a lot of wet gear

Masks, fins, wetsuits, a swim buoy, towels, water, snacks: snorkeling with a kid comes with a lot of stuff. With a truck, the wet gear goes in the bed and the car stays (mostly) sand-free.

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What we hauled every day

Mesh gear bagTossed in the truck bedShop → Kids' wetsuitWet after every stopShop → Bright swim buoyTied to JacksonShop → Kids' finsShop → Waterproof phone pouchPhones stayed dryShop →

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The national park requires the right vehicle

Washington-Slagbaai National Park is one of the best days you can have on Bonaire, and the roads inside are rough dirt tracks. STINAPA, which runs the park, officially recommends a high-clearance vehicle like a pickup, SUV, or Jeep, and some guides say you need four-wheel drive for the long route. We'd rent a 4x4 to be safe. Scooters and motorcycles aren't allowed in the park at all.

How We Used Our Rental Truck

We took a short taxi from the airport to Chogogo Dive & Beach Resort and picked up our truck right at the resort. Here's where it took us that week:

Day 1: a grocery run to Van den Tweel Supermarket for breakfast basics
Day 2: Kite City Food Truck at Te Amo Beach after our snorkel boat trip, then dinner in town
Day 3: Salt Pier, across the island to Lac Bay, and around the south end past the salt flats and Pekelmeer, with snorkel stops at Pink Beach and Angel City on the way back
Day 4: Washington-Slagbaai National Park, flamingos at Gotomeer, and lunch in Rincon
Day 5: Andrea and 1000 Steps, lunch at Daily Catch, and the dock for our fishing charter
Day 6: Tori's Reef and back to Kite City for lunch
Day 7: one last snorkel at Bari reef, lunch, and back to the airport

What About Taxis, Scooters, or Tours?

Taxis

Taxis are great for getting from the airport to your hotel. Rates are set by the government, and drivers tell you the price up front since there are no meters. Some drivers also offer island tours by the hour. For a whole week of snorkel stops, though, they add up fast, and you're always working around someone else's schedule.

Scooters and e-bikes

These are fine for errands around Kralendijk, and downtown is walkable anyway. They don't work for a family with snorkel gear, the island is hot, and you can't take them into the national park.

Guided tours

Some tours, like snorkel boat trips and island tours, can pick you up. Our Woodwind trip to Klein Bonaire was one of our favorite days. But tours only cover a few days of your trip, and Bonaire's best moments for us happened in between them.

If you’d rather not drive at all, some Klein Bonaire snorkel tours include hotel pickup, like this small-group Klein Bonaire snorkeling excursion. We didn’t take this one ourselves, but it’s an easy option on a no-car day: Klein Bonaire Marine Park Snorkeling Excursion small groups

Truck, SUV, or Small Car?

We went with a pickup truck, which is the classic Bonaire rental. The bed is perfect for wet gear, and it handles the park roads. An SUV or Jeep-style vehicle works too. A small car is fine if you're skipping the park and sticking to paved roads.

For everything else, like where to rent, what you need at pickup, insurance, and driving tips, see Bonaire Logistics: Every Fee, Tag, and Rental You Need Before You Go.

Our Tips for Renting a Car in Bonaire With Kids

Book as soon as your flights are set, especially for the holidays. December through April is high season, and trucks go first. If your hotel doesn't offer rentals, you can compare Bonaire rental cars here: Rental car options in Bonaire
Ask about car seats when you book. We got Jackson's car seat from the rental desk at our hotel, which meant one less thing to fly with.
Check your rental agreement before your park day. Rules vary by company: some only allow their pickup trucks or 4x4s in Washington-Slagbaai, and small cars are often not allowed on unpaved roads at all. If you take a vehicle into the park against your agreement, your insurance may not cover it, and you could be charged for any damage (flat tires are the most common problem). Some companies also make you pay for road service inside the park even with an allowed vehicle. When you book, tell the company you're going to the park and ask two things: is this vehicle allowed in Washington-Slagbaai, and is it insured on the park roads?
Never leave valuables in the car at snorkel sites.
Watch for donkeys and goats on the road, especially in the north.

Boy in Washington-Slagbaai National Park in rental truck viewing flamingos. — A quick stop to see the flamingos in Washington-Slagbaai National Park.

The Bottom Line

Unless your plan is to stay put at your resort, rent the car. Bonaire is built for exploring on your own schedule: pull over at a yellow rock, snorkel for an hour, grab lunch somewhere with a view, and do it all again. That freedom was a big part of why we loved this trip.