Salt Pier and Pink Beach

Salt Pier and Pink Beach – perfect contrast

South of Bonaire offers a fascinating contrast between the industrial history and the wild beauty of nature. Salt Pier, an iconic spot famous for its huge mountains of salt, is just a short walk from Pink Beach – one of the island’s most photogenic beaches, which once had pink sand. These two spots are just minutes apart, but offer completely different experiences.

Salt Pier

Salt Pier is one of the most famous spots on Bonaire, not only for its industrial look, but also for its phenomenal snorkeling and diving conditions. As the name suggests, it is a pier that is used to export salt – one of the island’s main commodities.

Bonaire has been one of the main salt producers in the Caribbean since the 17th century. To this day, there are extensive salt fields where water is gradually evaporated in the sun until there are no salt crystals left ready for harvesting. Afterwards, the salt is loaded onto ships just off Salt Pier and exported around the world.

Even the path to the pier offers a magnificent view. From one side you can see the pink water and piles of salt, from the other the sea, which hides one of the most beautiful diving spots. Unfortunately, most of the underwater beauty is hidden deeper, so you won’t see much by snorkelling – you have to dive deep.

Pink Beach – The Secret of Pink Sand

Just a few minutes drive from Salt Pier is Pink Beach, one of Bonaire’s most interesting beaches. The name suggests that the sand should be pink, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Pink Beach used to have a more pronounced pink hue, but that has changed over the years.

It is largely due to erosion caused by storms and hurricanes, which have washed away much of the fine sand containing crushed coral and shells of foraminifera (microscopic organisms with reddish colouring). Although hurricanes do not directly hit the island, these that form in the Caribbean Sea affect the currents and waves around Bonaire and gradually change the beach itself.

Nevertheless, Pink Beach remains a wonderful place to relax. Here the water is crystal clear, calm and ideal for snorkelling. It has fine sand mixed with coral and rocks, with rocks dominating the sea. So don’t forget to wear your water shoes!

Although you probably won’t see the original pink sand anymore, the beach is worth at least a short stop. If you plan to dive at Salt Pier, you can stop at Pink Beach to rest and recharge.

But watch out for wind and waves. They are treacherous. You should definitely continue south from Pink Beach. There are historic slave houses as well as the island’s oldest lighthouse, Willemstoren