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Bonaire may just be the only island in the Caribbean that truly deserves the moniker "road trip." If you've got a friend, a couple tanks and a set of wheels preferably a Jeep you're free to take your pick of 60 dive sites along the coast, all marked by stones painted yellow. Shore diving rules at this arid island still under Dutch rule.
Of course, boat diving is available here as well, and most travelers use it as a way to get familiar with the sites. Dive centers and resorts also run trips to Klein Bonaire, a small, uninhabited island in the fold of its boomerang-shaped parent island.
The entire coastline and Klein Bonaire is a protected marine sanctuary, which may explain the abundant schools of fish, such as yellowtail snapper and bluehead wrasse (and why the record for the highest number of fish species in the Caribbean, 359, is held by Bari Reef, just offshore of Sand Dollar Condominiums).
The biodiversity extends to macro critters also. Odds are good that you'll see frogfish and seahorses: If you're not known for your spotting ability, then ask a divemaster for directions to ones they've recently sighted these little guys move slowly and rarely seek new digs on the reef.
Topside, you'll likely see iguanas sunning themselves on rocks and in the road, as well as donkeys meandering between the stovepipe and candle cacti. If you want to befriend a donkey, bring a snack to share to the Donkey Sanctuary where up to 40 at a time are housed and given medical attention.
