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Important Facts |
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Complete
name: Curaçao
- Capital: Willemstad |
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Area:
444 Km2 |
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Population:
143,000
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Government:
Autonomous part of the Netherlands. |
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Time
Zone: GMT
-4 Hs. |
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Language:
Dutch, Papiamento, and some English and
Spanish |
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Religion:
Catholic,
Methodist, and Jewish |
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Visas: Visas
are not required in Curacao. American and
Canadians citizens are not required to present
their passport; they can enter with their
birth certificate. Others must have their
passports up to date. It is required to
have a return ticket. |
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Electricity: 110-130V,
50Hz |
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Origins:
African, and a mixture of African and Dutch |
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Special Precautions: Extreme
sun burn, fire coral, dehydration. |
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International Phone Code:
599 Area
Code:
9 |
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Industries:
Petroleum,
phosphate, tourism, water sports |
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Cost |
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Currency:
Netherlands
Antilles Guilder (NAF) |
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Dining:
Budget: US$ 5-15
Moderate: US$ 15-40
Top end: US$ 40 and above |
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Lodging:
Shared room: $ 30-75
Moderate: US$ 75-135
Top End: US$ 135 and above |
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Best time to Travel |
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The
temperature is not a problem when traveling
to Curaçao, it is always sunny and the
average temperature is 82.4°. Constant trade
winds keep humidity low.
The rainy season is from November to December.
The island is just below the hurricane belt,
so there is no need to worry about them. The
best months to dive are September and December.
During February, “Carnival” is a
major attraction but prices are higher during
this time and you will need to make your reservations
early in advance.
Like in the rest of the Caribbean, the high
season is from December to April. To find better
prices it is advisable to visit the island out
of this period. |
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Transportation |
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The
best way to travel to the island is by air.
Another is by cruise ships, but they are less
frequent. From the United States, Air Aruba,
American Airlines, Guyana Airways and United
Airlines have frequent flights from Miami, Atlanta,
Chicago and New York. From Europe, KLM offers
daily flights from Amsterdam. TAP Air Portugal
has flights from Lisbon. Other flights connect
via San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Air Aruba and ALM fly between Curaçao,
Aruba and Bonaire. Avensa has daily flights
from Caracas, Venezuela.
Airport taxes are US$ 10 for international flights
and US$ 6 between neighboring islands.
Transportation (within
Curaçao)
The
Hato International Airport is 12 Km (7,5 miles)
NE from Willemstad. There are car rental agencies,
taxis and buses at the airport. Many hotels
offer transportation from and to the airport
for their guest.
Most visitors rent cars and jeeps to travel
to the different diving spots. Driving is on
the right side of the road and drivers must
be cautious for wild donkeys and goats.
The traffic can be quite chaotic and it is easy
to get lost. Using a map is very helpful. The
best option to travel around Willemstad is to
use the public buses. In the city taxis abound.
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