Westpunt

The distance from Jan Thiel to Sabana Westpunt is just 52 km, but the travel time is over an hour, betraying the traffic through Willemstad and the nature of the roads: two lanes for the most part although generally in good condition.

We drove to the west end of the Island — Westpunt — on our first full day in Curaçao, with stops at Christoffelpark and Shete Boka Park. Christoffelpark has both hiking trails and driving routes. By the time we arrived, mid morning, it was already quite warm, so we opted for the North Coast Driving Route (rather than the Mountain Route); our cold-acclimatized bodies were not yet accustom to the tropical heat.

Along the Coastal Route, one drives through both forested and open often desert-like areas. The road is gravel / dirt, single lane and often bumpy, but within reach of a regular passenger vehicle. The Park provides a map / self-guided tour identifying the several points along the route to stop and take a short hike. It took us just over an hour and a half to complete (the posted time is 45 minutes).

After Christoffelpark we stopped at Shete Boka Park to visit the caves Boka Tabla. They are not very big.