Curaçao

Curaçao – What you should know

Curaçao lies off the coast of Venezuela and therefore south of the classic hurricane belt — which sets the island apart from almost every other Caribbean destination. The climate is semi-arid, with trade winds and little rain: from February to July only 15–35 mm (0.6–1.4 in) falls a month, on one to four days. Daytime highs stay between 29 and 32°C (84 and 90°F) all year, and the sun shines 8 to 9.5 hours a day on average.

The rainy season falls between October and December: November is the wettest month with just over 140 mm (5.5 in) and nine rain days, followed by October with about 105 mm (4.1 in). The showers are mostly brief, and the water stays comfortable at 27–29°C (81–84°F) anyway. For visitors this means there is hardly a true low season, and even in summer the steady wind makes highs of 32–33°C (90–91°F) more bearable — but with UV values around 9, sun protection should be consistent.

Curaçao is not a jungle island but a sparse, tidy cactus landscape with dozens of small coves, many with a reef right off the beach — diving and snorkelling work all year. Willemstad, with its colourful Dutch gabled houses, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the trip to Klein Curaçao, an uninhabited neighbouring island, is a day-out classic. Unlike the green islands of the Lesser Antilles such as Martinique or Guadeloupe, there is little rainforest hiking here, but the weather is more reliable.