Newport: Settlement History and Dive Site

Newport combines a clearly dated origin with a practical note for divers. For travelers interested in the origins of the place name or planning to include diving in their trip, these are two distinct topics.

History and Dive Site in Newport

In 1875, John Godden named the settlement he had founded at Fuik Bay Newport. This date links the area's history to a specific founding and naming. For divers, there is another immediate piece of planning information: the Newport dive site is on private property and cannot be accessed from the shore. Check access locally before including the dive site in your plans. History and access describe different aspects of Newport: one places the settlement in time, while the other concerns planning around the dive site.

Nature and Culture in the Wider Destination of Curacao

The wider destination of Curacao offers other distinct nature and culture topics. In Christoffel Park, the northern route (blue) and the mountain route (green) are paved and can be driven in any car. The hiking trail is a separate feature: bromeliads, orchids, lichens, and Spanish moss can be found along a trail in Christoffel Park. These two details describe different ways to experience the park: driving the named routes and seeing plants along a hiking trail.

At Shete Boka National Park, you can walk along the limestone cliffs above the cave. Hato Cave covers 4,900 m² and contains limestone formations, pools, a waterfall, and a statue of the Madonna. A colony of long-nosed fruit bats also lives in the cave; they are rarely seen. Hòfi Mango was once a plantation and contains more than 700 mango trees. These nature and park topics range from a walk along limestone cliffs to cave features and the former use of a park.

The urban history of the wider destination of Curacao can also be explored through specific places. Punda is the oldest part of Willemstad. The district was established in the 17th century on the eastern side of Sint Anna Bay, next to Fort Amsterdam, and was the city's only district with a defensive structure of walls and ramparts. Both the period when Punda was founded and its fortifications are therefore key to understanding it.

The Savonet Museum tells the story of the Savonet plantation and the adjacent Savonet area in a 19th-century plantation house. The Curaçao Museum showcases Curaçao's geological history and pre-Columbian artifacts. Its topics also include maps and illustrations of the Americas and the Caribbean, as well as the occupations, beliefs, and way of life of Afro-Curaçaoans after the abolition of slavery; a traditional plantation kitchen is also on display.

Landhuis Chobolobo is a 19th-century country house where, among other things, Blue Curaçao liqueur is produced. Along with the museums and Punda's urban history, it offers another cultural point of interest in the wider destination of Curacao.

Discover more destinations: Barber, Sabana Westpunt, Tera Kora, Sint Michiel, Sint Willibrordus, Jan Thiel.

Go to the main travel guide: Curacao.