
The Washington Slagbaai National Park occupies a rugged, cactus-filled expanse in the northwest corner of Bonaire. During the slave-owning era, the Dutch used it as their main production base, producing salt, goat meat, timber and other commodities. In the late 70s, in order to protect its unique biomes and landscapes, they declared it a nature sanctuary.

The Danes founded Charlotte Amalie in 1666, and soon thereafter, beer halls abounded there. The town prospered until successive tragedies and the abolition of slavery condemned it to decline. In the early XNUMXth century, the United States acquired the Danish West Indies. Charlotte Amalie evolved into a busy cruise port.

During his second voyage to the Americas, Columbus landed on an enchanting exotic island. He named it Savona, in honor of Michele da Cuneo, a Savoyard sailor who saw it as an outstanding feature of the greater Hispaniola. Today called Saona, this island is one of the beloved tropical edens of the Dominican Republic.