The southern end of Bonaire is an industrial landscape on an extraordinary scale: shallow evaporation ponds shift from blue to rust and pink, white salt mountains rise beside the loading works, and a narrow public road runs between the pans and the sea. Salt is still produced here, so barriers and warning signs mark working ground rather than an open nature reserve.
Pekelmeer and the protected sanctuary support Caribbean flamingos, but they are often distant and numbers vary. Bring binoculars and use roadside pull-offs without crossing the fence. The pink water is caused by salt-loving microorganisms, not by the flamingos.
The salt road also passes the slave huts and obelisks. Stop there separately: the small stone shelters explain who once carried out the brutal labour behind the serene-looking pans.