Curaçao: Amphibious Bus Tour City & Spanish Water Bay

4.90

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already laughing as our guide steered us through Pietermaai, pointing out those wild pastel buildings—pink, turquoise, yellow—like someone spilled a box of chalk on the city. I remember a warm breeze sneaking in through the open window and the smell of something sweet (maybe guava?) from a street vendor. Our guide, Roselyn, kept tossing out little facts about UNESCO architecture and how her grandma used to live above a bakery here. I loved that detail. The bus felt oddly normal until it didn’t.

Rolling through Saliña, we saw locals waving or just doing their thing—one guy balancing a crate of mangoes on his bike, which I still don’t understand. Roselyn explained how this area is more “real Curaçao” than the touristy bits. The road started to get quieter as we hit Caracasbaaiweg; you could see flashes of blue between the trees and then suddenly—no warning—the bus didn’t stop at the water’s edge. It just kept going. My stomach did this weird flip (I may have squeaked), and then we were floating in Spanish Water Bay, sunlight bouncing off everything.

I didn’t expect how peaceful it’d feel once we were gliding along the bay—just gentle waves against the hull and everyone sort of stunned into silence for a second. You could smell salt and sunscreen; someone behind me whispered “is this real?” I caught Roselyn grinning like she’d seen this reaction a hundred times but still enjoyed it. When we finally rolled back onto land toward Willemstad, there was this low hum of chatter—everyone comparing who screamed or laughed hardest when we splashed in. Honestly, I still think about that moment when road turned to water without missing a beat.