Shete Boka National Park: the north coast, inlet by inlet

Curaçao's north coast is rocky and exposed to the waves. The sea has cut a line of narrow inlets, the bokas, into the limestone, and Shete Boka is named for seven of them. The national park that carries the name protects almost ten kilometres of this coast, right next to Christoffel National Park at the island's west end.

It is one of the island's easiest wild places to visit: you can drive to most of the inlets, and the walks are about an hour each. It is also a place where a lot of the information online is out of date. The park changed its hours on 1 July 2026, and its own FAQ page still shows the old ones. This note uses the park's current hours page and Carmabi's announcement, both checked on the date above.

Opening hours: earlier since July 2026

Carmabi, the foundation that manages the park, announced on 24 June 2026 that Shete Boka would open one hour earlier from 1 July, at 08:00 instead of 09:00, so that visitors can enjoy the cooler morning hours. The current hours are:

Entrance fees

Carmabi raised the tourist fee at Shete Boka from $10 to $15 in November 2023, as reported at the time by the Curaçao Chronicle. The park's hours page lists these rates today:

To pay the resident rate you need to show a valid Sèdula or a local driving licence. The park is explored on your own; staff sometimes host special activities or guided tours that you can join. A park map is available at the entrance, and it is worth buying, since it shows the pocket bays and the routes by car and on foot.

The inlets, one by one

The park counts seven inlets along its coast. These are the four it describes in most detail, and the ones most visitors come for.

Boka Tabla

The headline act. As the park describes it, waves thunder into an underground cavern beneath the bluff, and steps cut into the rock lead down to the cavern's mouth, so you can watch the surf come in from almost inside it. Walkways along the limestone above Boka Tabla give a long view of the north coast. You can drive straight to Boka Tabla after entering the park, which makes it the place to start.

Boka Pistol

Named for its sound. The park singles it out for the loud crack of the waves pounding into the inlet, like a shot from a pistol.

Boka Wandomi

Here, the park notes, the sea has worn a natural bridge through the limestone, with high bluffs on either side. It is the end point of one of the park's two walking trails.

Boka Kalki

A quieter inlet, and one where sea turtles sometimes nest. You pass it on the way to Boka Pistol.

The two trails, and the drive

The park has two hiking trails, and you are free to choose between walking and driving; most of the bays can be reached closely by car.

• Boka Pistol Trail, about 1 hour. From Boka Kalki to Boka Pistol.
• Boka Wandomi Trail, about 1 hour. Over rolling hills down to Boka Wandomi and the natural bridge, then along the limestone bluffs, with a short walk on the north coast back to Boka Tabla.

The trails are loose, uneven gravel. The park recommends the car routes for anyone with reduced mobility.

Turtle season

The park describes about ten small pocket bays where three species of sea turtle are known to lay eggs. The nesting season runs from approximately May to December, and Carmabi researchers monitor the beaches through that period. In other words, if you are reading this between May and the end of the year, you are visiting in season.

Seeing a nest or a hatchling is never guaranteed, and the bays are not places to walk onto. Stay on the trails, car routes and observation platforms, as the park asks, and let the beaches be.

Rules and practical notes

From the park's FAQ and regulations:

• Entrance is at your own risk; this is an exposed, wave battered coast.
• Stay on the trails, car routes and observation platforms.
• No smoking and no fires.
• No stone stacking.
• No littering; take it out with you or use the bins.
• Bring enough water and sunscreen, and wear suitable clothes and shoes.
• Leashed pets are welcome, unlike next door at Christoffel.
• Lock your car, leave nothing in it and switch your lights off.

The park also asks visitors with asthma, diabetes or a heart condition to limit exertion and time in the heat. In an emergency inside the park, call the park emergency line on +5999 520 1685; for anything life threatening, call 911.

Pairing it with Christoffel

Because the two parks sit side by side, they make a natural west end day. The mountain climb at Christoffel must start by 10:00, and Shete Boka now opens at 08:00 and takes visitors until 15:00, so the order almost chooses itself: climb first in the cool of the morning, then drive to the coast for the inlets. Our field note on the Christoffel National Park hike sets out that morning hour by hour.

Flying in? Fill in your Digital Immigration Card within 7 days of departure. New to the island? Start with Good to know on our front page for the essentials on climate, language and currency, or walk through the collection. To stay close to the island between visits, you can join the members club.

Sources

Checked on 17 October 2026. Hours, fees and rules can change without much notice, so confirm with the official source before you go.

• Shete Boka National Park: opening hours and fees
• Shete Boka National Park: FAQ and regulations
• Shete Boka National Park: activities and trails
• Shete Boka National Park: home page
• Carmabi, 24 June 2026: Shete Boka to open one hour earlier from 1 July 2026
• Curaçao Chronicle, 24 November 2023: Carmabi adjusts park entrance fees