Americas

[Visited: February 2001, and before]

Curacao is small, it is easy enough to make a tour of the island in just a few hours. Yet, it has a surprising variety of landscapes, ranging from barren rocky plains, to dry earth areas where cacti stand out against the eternal winds, and a North coast where the waves of the Ocean fight their battle against the stubborn stones.
Directly as you leave the capital Willemstad, you can see rocky hills sticking out of the landscape. They are mostly overgrown by green vegetation. Then it depends where you go. Going to the North coast brings you to the almost uninhabited area of the island, with few small villages and a relentless wind. You can see waves crushing on this landscape already from a distance. When you reach the coast, you can witness the Ocean's eternal battle against the rocks of the island. It makes for spectacular displays of water spouting in the blue Caribbean air.
As you complete the tour of the island, and turn around its extremety near Westpunt (West Point) you come to a more quiet area. This side of the island is protected against the wind. Flowers abound, vegetation is dense, and there are lovely secluded beaches perfect for a lazy day out in the open or as a base for scuba diving. Instead of a wild ocean pounding the shore, here the sea is shallow, there are almost no waves and the colour of the sea is turquoise. Very much Caribbean!

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Landcape of Curacao (Netherlands Antilles). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Landcape of Curacao.
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