Boka Slagbaai

It is not a drive you make casually: the park entrance is about an hour from Kralendijk, and from there it is another stretch of unpaved road that most rental agreements do not cover.

The bay itself is worth the effort — a curved beach with the park's restored ochre plantation buildings behind it, good snorkelling straight off the sand, and almost nobody there. Flamingos feed in the salt pond nearby.

Go early. The park gate closes to new arrivals at half past two in the afternoon and everyone must be out by five, so a late start means turning around. Park entry is charged separately from the nature fee and paid at the gate. Set aside a full day for the park; Boka Slagbaai is one stop on it, not a trip of its own.