Curacao, a gay-friendly Caribbean island 40 miles off the coast of Venezuela, has many pleasures for divers and their non-diving partners as well. Beautiful beaches, rich history, impressive architecture and lively nightlife are just some of the highlights Curacao offers. Our week on this beautiful tropical island includes visits to the best local dive sites with time to enjoy numerous land-based activities.

1: Arrival Day

Upon arrival you will be transferred to our hotel. Our weeklong adventure will start with a welcome dinner and orientation. Depending on your arrival time you can relax and soak up the sun until the group arrives.

2-7: Diving, Day Tripping and Seaside Delights

The following is an overview of the activities included or available during our tour.

Diving: each day will include two-tank dives with excursions to the best dive sites. Popular sites we may visit include Alice in Wonderland, also known as Playa “Kalki,” just a shore dive away. There are magnificent reefs featuring green moray eels, lobsters, and mushroom shaped star coral formations, as well as a vivid array of brightly colored reef fish. Visibility averages 100 feet.

Mushroom Forest, one of Curaçao’s most popular dive sites, is only 30 minutes away by boat from the resort. The site features a sloping reef with huge mushroom shaped coral formations. Average visibility is 90 feet. Watamula, which some say is one of the most untouched dive sites off Curaçao, is only a five to seven minute boat ride from the resort. The site features spectacular formations of hard corals, coral gardens and a large variety of maritime life. Visibility averages 90 feet. We may also have a chance to see the Fokker Fairchild 27 airplane, a new artificial reef for maritime life. These are just a few of the many boat and shore excursions available.

During our stay there will be opportunities to explore the island as well. Sightseeing on Curaçao comes in many flavors. Walk on ancient cobblestones past homes and shops that date back to the 1500s. Willemstad straddles an ocean-shipping channel laid out like a busy Amsterdam canal. When freighters and cruise ships are passing through the narrow channel, a miniature ferry carries pedestrians back and forth between the twin banks of the colonial Old Town. A floating pontoon bridge is hauled into place the rest of the time, allowing strollers easy access to both halves of downtown.

Diversity enlivens the island whose growing populations of immigrant Haitians, Colombians and Venezuelans contribute to a spicy ethnic stew. Old-timers speak Dutch or English, but papiamento, a Dutch Creole mix, is the language of the street.

With one of the oldest Jewish communities on in the Western Hemisphere, Willemstad boasts two synagogues, one founded by Sephardic refugees who arrived here from Spain in the 1650s; and the other, "new" congregation dating back to the 1930s arrival of European Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. Strolling the tiny 16th-century streets, you can enjoy shops dealing in Dutch crystal and high-end diamond jewelry, much of it imported from the Netherlands; fine restaurants; and art galleries, including some housed in the battery of stone forts built on either side of the harbor's mouth. In addition, we will have a chance to visit the Museum Kura Hulanda, an anthropological museum that focuses on the predominant cultures of Curaçao, including a world-class exhibit on the African diaspora created by the slave trade.

There is plenty of nature and wildlife to see landside as well. Curaçao is home to many lizards, iguanas and tropical birds. Wild goats can be found everywhere, out on the street and in the neighborhoods. Since Curaçao is comparably dry, cactus trees in all shapes and sizes grow next to aloe plants and rough bushes. Curaçao is also famous for its Divi-Divi trees that always grow in the direction of the wind.

The island, formed by a volcano, has its highest point at Mount Christoffel (about 300 meters / 900 feet high) surrounded by Christoffel Park in the north-western part of the island, a great place to hike, not far from our Lodge. The famous landhouses (once the land barons' homes) are worth a visit for their architecture and history. Many have been restored and renovated and give a nice insight into the early settlers' lives. The Hato Caves are a great place to learn more about Curaçao's geological history. Outside the cave Caquetios Indians carved Petroglyphs into the rock wall indicating that some of their religious ceremonies took place there about 1500 years ago. Last, but not least, simply walking around in Punda (the old town), crossing the Emma bridge, looking at the waterfront, and observing people and their activities is a nice way to pick up the flavor of the Caribbean and Curaçao.

The sun shines most of the time and the average temperature is 82° F / 27° C. It doesn't get much colder at night than during the day, and in the winter it is hardly any colder than in the summer. The constant trade wind from the east keeps the island breezy and cool. Curaçao is fairly dry compared to other Caribbean islands and less tropical here as it lies south of the hurricane belt. Good weather, great diving, history, good food, lively nightlife and island hospitality make Curacao a great gay-friendly getaway and the perfect place for a new Alyson Adventure!

8: Departure Day

Soak up the last bit of sun, taking an early morning plunge in the clear blue water, or relax until your transfer to the airport and safe travels home.