How long is a Klein Curaçao day trip, and how much of it is on the island?
5 min read
There is no half-day version: all four Klein Curaçao boat trips on GetYourGuide fill 8 or 9 hours. For most people the yacht trip with beach house access is the best use of that day at €138.55: 9 hours, 4.8 stars from 288 reviews, and a crossing its page gives as one hour. The shortest day belongs to the catamaran yacht tour at 8 hours and €138.55; the cheapest, at €122.98, is the catamaran day trip.
| Tour | Listed duration | Crossing as stated | Meeting point | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Day Boat Trip (Mermaid) | 9 hours | about 2 hours | Fishermen’s Pier, Spanish Water, 6:45 am | €134.08 | 4.8 (363 reviews) |
| Yacht Trip with Beach House Access | 9 hours | 1 hour | Santa Barbara marina, check-in 30 minutes before departure | €138.55 | 4.8 (288 reviews) |
| Catamaran Day Trip with Snorkelling | 9 hours | 1 to 1.5 hours | not stated | €125.14 | 4.7 (128 reviews) |
| Klein Curaçao Catamaran Yacht Tour | 8 hours | about 1 hour of sailing | Kima Kalki Marina, Spanish Water | €143.02 | 4.5 (311 reviews) |
Where the nine hours go
The listings give a total and a crossing, and the island time is what is left. The Mermaid’s page does not say whether its two hours are one way, but if they are, four of the nine hours are spent at sea. On the yacht, with one hour each way, about seven remain, and breakfast, lunch, the swim and the lighthouse walk all have to fit in that. Treat both as rough sums: the pages do not say whether boarding is inside the nine hours, and a reviewer of the yacht trip timed the crossing at 1 hour 15 minutes.
The pages also show starting times only once you pick a date, so do not book a dinner for the same evening until you have seen the return time.
The Mermaid: the early start
The Mermaid leaves at 6:45 am every day except Saturday, which is the earliest call of the four. Its page says a crew member shows you where to park, and a taxi transfer can be arranged with the operator. If you would rather drive yourself at that hour, you can compare hire cars for Curaçao.
What the long crossing buys is the island setup: a beach house with shade, breakfast on the island and a barbecue lunch.
Check dates and prices for the Full Day Boat Trip
The yacht: shortest crossing of the nine-hour trips
One hour out and one hour back is the stated saving, and it matters because the outbound leg is the part reviewers of several of these boats complain about. The catch is a transfer: guests are ferried between yacht and beach in a smaller boat, which costs a few minutes at each end. Check-in opens 30 minutes before departure.
View dates for the Yacht Trip with Beach House Access
The catamaran day trip: a slower morning, an open bar from 12:30 pm
At 1 to 1.5 hours the crossing sits between the other two. Its page offers a walk to the lighthouse and the shipwreck on the far side of the island, or simply a shaded spot, and the open bar starts at 12:30 pm, so the early part of the day is breakfast sandwiches and the sail. It is the cheapest of the four by €13.17.
See availability for the Catamaran Day Trip
The catamaran yacht: one hour less
Eight hours with about an hour of sailing is the only way to shorten the day, by one hour. It costs €4.40 more than the two €136.15 trips and has the lowest rating of the group, so it only makes sense if the clock is the deciding factor.
Check the Klein Curaçao Catamaran Yacht Tour
If you only have a few hours
Nothing to Klein Curaçao is shorter than eight hours. For a short outing on the water, the Spanish Water snorkel cruise is listed at 4 hours 30 minutes and the sunset catamaran cruises at about 2 hours 30 minutes. Neither goes to Klein Curaçao.
What to book
Book the yacht trip with beach house access: the same price as the Mermaid, an hour less each way by the stated times, and the same 4.8 rating. Pick the catamaran yacht only if one saved hour decides it.
