The Curacao Cure - Part 13

Diving is not allowed for 24 hours before a flight, though snorkeling is alright, so we had to do some land activities for the day before we departed for home. So we decided to take a hike to Mount Christoffel which is the highest point on the island at 375 meters or 1240 feet.

We drove to Mount Christoffel Park and on our way we saw a line of wild donkeys headed for who knows where.

When we arrived, we parked at the Savonet Plantation House, which was built in 1645, paid the entrance fee and began our hike.

We kept our eyes peeled for the rare Curacao white tailed deer, only 250 left, but never did see any. But, we did see iguana and the Humbolt’s white orchids.

We also saw many cacti on the way up to the mountain.

Some of the hiking was rather rough and like rock climbing.

But, being at the summit was worth the trip. It was exhilarating to be there and the view was marvelous.

We were all starving and that night we had a fabulous dinner for our entire dive group at Fort Nassau, which is situated up on a hill overlooking the Punda side of the Queen Julianna Bridge. The atmosphere was festive because the whole group was together and it was our last day. We took many group photos both inside and outside the restaurant. As evening fell, we went outside to enjoy the spectacular views of Willemstad at night.

In this photo of the Queen Julianna Bridge the red box shows Fort Nassau.

This is an ocean ward view from the center of the Queen Julianna Bridge, which is similar to that of the view from the Fort. The Fort is actually at a higher elevation.