Royal Tours
Boat Tours • Kayaking & Canoeing
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8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Royal Tours Bonaire is a small company that provide in kayak and snorkel tours, with an experienced, certified local guide, in the Mangroves of Lac Bay and Bonaire's National Marine Park. We offer, pick up service with our airconditioned bus and drive to our starting points. The beach of Lac Cai is one of our specials, on the way you can see Flamingo's, wild donkeys, the old historitcal salt ponds and the pile of conch shells at Lac Cai. From Lac Cai beach we kayak in our tandem clear bottom kayak into the mangrove forest, where we discover the beauty of this Ramsar listed park above the water and underwater world. We provide a bottle of water in the kayak and when we come at the beach, we have some soda's. Use of all snorkel gear is provided. It is also possible to book a private tour, where we can adapt your wishes to this tour. We prefer to keep the groups small, most activity's have a maximum of 11 persons.
Bonaire, Caribbean

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Tours and Tickets by Royal Tours
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

5.0
178 reviews
Excellent
145
Very good
28
Average
2
Poor
2
Terrible
1

Elizabeth L
27 contributions
Our guide Stan was great. He was very informative about the ecosystem and enthusiastic about guiding. The tunnels were varied and magical to explore. It was a relatively easy workout on the kayak and snorkeling but felt fun, active, and adequately challenging for people coming from a sedentary cruise. Watch out for the metal rivets on the kayak when you hoist yourself back in, since I got a nasty scrape.
Written December 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

missmyvw
SF Bay Area35 contributions
Jul 2019 • Family
I concur totally with the other 5-star reviews. We picked this particular company because, unlike the cruise ship's mangrove kayaking excursions, they had more liberal weight and age limits. Our 6-year old granddaughter enjoyed herself immensely, and even I (68 yrs old and overweight) managed to not fall too far behind. I'm not in particularly good shape these days, and although there were a couple of long stretches, if I can do it, almost anyone should be able to. The guide was quite interesting, and kayaking through the mangrove "tunnels" was also, especially if you've never seen mangrove forests before. That said, I'm glad I still had the afternoon to snorkel in the ocean. While the sponges in the mangroves were unique and beautiful, the narrow passageway became kind of murky (two of our group kicked up a lot of sand; you may luck out and get better snorkelers in yours!). Bonaire's ocean life is incredible -- if I, personally, could do only one thing on the island, I would probably opt for the ocean, but this runs a close second, and is something the other islands don't have. And I would definitely recommend this company.
Written July 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Desert mom
Tucson, AZ28 contributions
This was an awesome adventure! John our guide was amazing. He was very personable and knew so much about the environment! He was so knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions. The kayaking trip was wonderful. It was so nice being out in the beautiful ocean. Our favorite part was snorkeling in the mangroves. It was like a different world underneath the water. The sponges were so beautiful. Kayaking through the mangroves was fun too. John taught us so much about mangroves and how important they are to the environment. We could see jelly fish through the clear bottom which was really neat! At the end of the trip John prepared us some yummy snacks and drinks. We highly recommend this trip and would do it again in a heartbeat!
Written July 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Serena R
3 contributions
Nov 2022
The tour was nice and easier than I expected (no wind on that day) but the snorkel part was short and hurried, all the group just went alongside a short and narrow mangrove tunnel and back (water was shallow enough you could touch the bottom almost everywhere) so it was crowded and the people in the back could see less because people on the front had moved the bottom or scared fishes. The kayak part, on the other hand, could have been shorter as all the tunnels are very similar. I would have appreciated a more in depth naturalistic explanation from our guide who was nice overall. In short, I am happy that I went but it is improvable and not such a must do experience as other comments say.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PatrickS2961
Hi thank you for your review. With the snorkeltunnel we try to let everybody enjoy the the snorkeling in clear water. What we do is that we wait at the other end of the tunnel, so the sediment goes with the current. After that we let ourselfes floating back through the tunnel and enjoy the roots and fish. Sometimes when the water is not deep you have more sediment, and sometimes when it is deep you must swim against te current but have clear water. It depends a litle on tide, current, and the weather how the visibility is It is difficult to give a more in depth naturalistic explanation. It depends a little what kind of group you are in, and how interested they are. But you are always free to ask the guide. I remember a group who came with books and were very intrested, but we also had groups they are not interested at all. They guide will try to adapt to the group.
Written December 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

John R
Tomball, TX14 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
We were picked up at our hotel and that was when the tour began. We went down a back road, and saw a hundred or so pink flamingos that were less than 100 feet from us! We all bailed out and took pictures. Then when we got to the edge of the mangroves, we loaded into kayaks and followed our guide Michel into them, down narrow waterways, through "tunnels" created by the mangroves with Michel stopping periodically to explain the environment we were in, and it was very different than any place I had been before! While I was leery of being in a kayak to begin with, being a guy that is 6'7" tall and weighing 300 pounds, and while we were riding low in the water, they used a larger kayak for me and my partner, and our 500 pound load made it all the way through without having to bail the boat! So don't let the lack of kayaking experience scare you off from this wonderful tour. It certainly was well worth the price, and Michel served us a nice fruit punch after our trip that quenches your thirst. This is a tour that definitely has more to it than you would think.
Written April 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trish S
10 contributions
Jan 2023
loved the kayak experience. Great guide with good stories and fun facts. Really helpful. We needed transport which was an adventure. Our guide was prompt and so much fun to be with. Bonaire is populated with the best young guides and workers in the Hospitality Industry. What a joy!
Written February 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TyPaPearson
Tyrone, PA14 contributions
Jan 2023
Stan was an awesome guide. Giving us even more appreciation for the environment. The kayaking through the mangroves was one we will never forget. The snorkeling was also amazing. This trip was well worth the price; which was very affordable. Stan even went out of his way and gave us a great tour of the island while taking us back to our cruise ship
Written January 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Neolithe
Lynchburg, VA47 contributions
Dec 2022 • Friends
It was a great tour! Our driver and guide Youri was great. We had a mix up in time and Youri waited for us. Youri was very knowledgeable with both local history and Mangrove biology. Even in the pouring rain it was a wonderful tour. The bugs are pretty bad, so bring bug spray.
Written December 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kimberly C
Decatur, GA21 contributions
Oct 2022
We were excited about our tour from the cruise port. They picked us up with no issues and Patrick told us about the island, bird sanctuary, and shared other great historical gems. Once we arrived we were grouped with others and told to leave any bug spray and/or sunscreen in vans as these are not allowed in the Mangroves. While they did ask if everyone could swim they did NOT provide any life vest which I thought was VERY odd. (Life vest should be required). We were given good instruction on how to handle the kayak however for beginners I would highly recommend more test runs in the water with newbies before heading out. We paddled through many tunnels, across a different lake, and back through more challenging tunnels...so while I enjoyed the kayaking it was very strenuous. So if looking for a relaxing experience this is NOT it. The one guide was at the front of our group the entire time and no guide was in the rear. When we got ready to snorkel (inside the mangrove) we were told about the single cell organism that 'might' sting you!!! I do NOT recommend snorkeling in this area at all...water is murky and the organism left me and my husband as well as others in the group welted from stings and to make matters worse the next day we had HIVES all over our stomachs. Snorkeling should be restricted to closer to the beach where you start and NOT in the mangrove tunnels as we had to swim back against the current which was even more difficult and without a life vest. In short, if you are an advanced kayaker and great swimmer you'd like this, but in hindsight I would not recommend this due to inadequate safety measures and the likely possibility of getting stung (life vest, more guides during kayak tour, snorkel only near beach)
Written October 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PatrickS2961
Hi Kimberly, thank you for your review, and your points. We ask the people if they can swim, so when they don't can swim we have a lifejacket or a snorkelvest for them. But for the people who can swim, they are free to choose if they want to wear a lifejacket. Where we kayak, 99% is less then a meter deep and there are no waves, besides that nobody ever fall in the water while kayaking. So the most people choose to not use a lifejacket. We use 1 guide in front, but have 14 points in our route where we wait for everybody, most of the time the group will be very compact. If you feel uncomfortable, you can tell the guide and he will put you direct behind him. About the snorkeling, we snorkel in nature, and yes you can be unlucky, that there are some micro organismes in the water that can sting. You can protect yourself against that when you wearing a UV shirt and trousers with long sleeves. Or a long snorkeling suit. The spot that you mentioned for snorkeling next to the beach, I think for every snorkelspot, if you don't know, where to snorkel, and at what time, know the current, it could be a dangerous place. The place 50 meters from where we start. where the water is 50 centimer deep, can be full of hydroids (the thing that stings). I think for the most points you mentioned, I think we have to communicate this better to the people. Like the water is almost everywhere less then 1 meter, but because it can be murky, you don't see it. Probably you feel more comfortable. Or that you can say, hee I don't feel comfortable as last kayak, so we can put you behind the guide. I can tell you because I did this tour with you, we do this tour already so long, without any problems, that we sometimes forget you don't know. I will take that with me in our meeting from the kayakguides We will take some extra lifejackets with us. So we have more lifejackets besides the snorkelvests.
Written December 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

t_rrrex
Orlando, FL14 contributions
Patrick and Uri were great! They picked up our group from the cruise port and took us to the kayak launch point and provided dry bags and snorkels, then stroopwaffels and juice when we were done kayaking. Uri was our guide during the kayak portion, and he was very friendly and professional and knowledgeable about the mangroves and Bonaire. Most of our group were able to keep up, although I would not recommend this trip if you have never paddled, as it’s not strenuous, but a few people in our group joked about how much work it was and they were ready to relax since they were on vacation. If you’re looking for something active to do, this fits the bill. We got in some kayaking, snorkeling and swimming and on our way back to the cruise port, Patrick told us more about the island. Very informative, and I would definitely do this again if I find myself on the island again.

I would advise anyone who is fair skinned or prone to burning to wear a long sleeve shirt/rash guard and other sun protection (hats, sunglasses, etc) because sunscreen and bug spray are not allowed in the mangroves. You won’t be able to (re) apply sunscreen once you start the tour, and much of it isn’t shaded.
Written October 25, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PatrickS2961
Hi, thank you for your nice review, and tip, the long sleeve UV shirt.
Written December 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Royal Tours (Bonaire) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go