Rincon is Bonaire's oldest settlement and its cultural counterweight to Kralendijk. The village sits inland in a broad northern valley, where its position offered some protection from raids on the coast. Low houses spread around the pink-and-white St Ludovicus Bertrandus Church, with cactus-covered ridges rising behind them.
The centre is modest, but the stops are unusually good. Cadushy Distillery explains how local cactus became a liqueur, while Mangazina di Rei uses a former government storehouse and its grounds to tell the story of rural Bonaire. For lunch, Posada Para Mira serves Krioyo cooking above the valley.
Rincon becomes the centre of the island on Dia di Rincon, held around 30 April, when music, dancing, food stalls, and traditional dress fill the streets. At ordinary times it rewards a slower visit: walk a few streets, talk to people, and resist treating the village as a quick photo stop between Gotomeer and the national park.
The paved coastal loop from Kralendijk approaches via 1000 Steps and Gotomeer; the inland road is faster. Combine Rincon with the northern viewpoints, but give the museums and lunch enough time that the day is not simply a drive-through.