!!! NEW Carnaval on Curacao !!!

Location | Getting there | Language | Currency | Entry Requirements | Driving | Electricity | Time Zone | Departure Tax

Location The islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are spread out through the Caribbean. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, a.k.a. the Leeward or ABC-Islands, are located just of the Venezuelan coast in the south of the Caribbean Sea. Aruba lays the closest to the coast, just 15 miles. Curacao is 35 miles from Venezuela, so on clear days you can see the continent. Bonaire is a little bit further out the coast. The other islands, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten, a.k.a. the Windward or SSS-islands lay about 550 miles more to the north. The lay in the north eastern part of the Caribbean ring, very close to the British island of Anguila and the French St. Bartolomy. All these islands lay within viewing distance of each other.

Getting there Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire and St. Maarten are easily accessible by air with many daily non-stop flights from Miami, FL; Atlanta, GA, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. There are also good connections with major South American Cities like Caracas, Venezuela; Bogotá, Colombia, and Quito, Ecuador. And in access of that there are daily flights between the islands and Amsterdam, The Netherlands plus connections to Brussels, Belgium and Paris, France. To get to Saba and Statia you first have to go to St. Maarten and take a small inter-island flight. There are also many connections to other islands in the Caribbean. Especially Curacao and St. Maarten can serve you as a base for island hopping. Important airlines include: American Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, ALM Antillian Airlines, Winair, Air France, LIAT, Martinair, USAirways, Air Aruba, Avianca, Surinam Airways (SLM), and many others.

Language While Dutch is the official language of the islands, the people from the ABC-islands also have their own language: Papiamentu. This is a creole language based upon Spanish and Portuguese, with Dutch, English, and African influences. But everybody speeks English on these islands, as well as Spanish. Everybody is taught these languages in school and Arubans and Antillians have a good sense for languages. On the windward islands the local language spoken is English.

Currency Aruba has the Aruban florin and the Antilles use the Antillian guilder. These currencies have the same value, but cannot be used in the other country. They both are linked to the U.S. Dollar, with the official exchange rate being USD 1,00 equals 1,78 guilder / florin. On Aruba and the windward island prices are often quoted in U.S. Dollars, which is not the case on Curacao and Bonaire, but everywhere dollars are excepted, often even the 50 and 100 dollar bills. When paying in shops, you will get an exchange rate of 1 : 1.75, which is way easier to calculate (both for you and the cashier).

Entry requirements For U.S. and Canadian citizens either a passport, birth certificate or proof of citizenship with photo ID and a return ticket are required. For all other nationalities a valid passport is required.

Driving Any U.S. or international license is acceptable. Just like the U.S. and Europe, cars are driven on the right-hand side of the road. The speed limit is 40 km per hour in build up areas and 60 in the country. On Saba these limits are lower, but you cannot drive faster anyway.

Electricity 110-130 volts a.c. 50 cycles. Many U.S. appliances that operate on 60 cycles will work fine, except items like hair dryers, irons and some battery charging equipment, which may overheat if used for an extended period of time. European appliances that run on 220 volt cannot be used, unless you have adapters.

Time zone The islands follow the Atlantic Standard Time, which is 1 hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time and equals Eastern Daylight Time. There is no daylight saving time on the islands. The difference with Central European Time is 5 hours during the winter and 6 when daylight saving time is in effect in the summer.

Departure Tax When leaving the islands you will have to pay a departure tax. The amount depends on your destination. If you fly between the islands of the Netherlands Antilles this tax is U.S.$ 6,=. For all international flights, including flights from and to Aruba, the tax is U.S. $ 20,=.