Sint Willibrordus

Sint Willibrordus is a small inland village built around a yellow Catholic church that stands well above the surrounding houses and is visible from a distance across the flat country. The Jan Kok salt pans lie just below, shallow water where flamingos feed in numbers most of the year, and the road down to them passes the old Landhuis Jan Kok. The village is the turning point for Daaibooi, Porto Mari and Cas Abao.

Background

Until the church was dedicated in 1888 the village was called Buitenbosch, or Mondi Afó in Papiamentu. Evert Margry, an architect from Rotterdam, designed the neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church, which was built from 1884 to 1888 after Vincentius Jansen laid the first stone. Mission patrons had already put up a school and an orphanage earlier in the nineteenth century. The village lies northwest of Bullen Bay, about 25 km from Willemstad, and had 588 residents in 2011. Around it are disused salt pans, among them those of Rif St. Marie, counted among the island's oldest plantations, where only a few crumbling walls survive. The rock formation El Indjan (The Indian) stands nearby.

Source: Wikipedia, "Sint Willibrordus"

What to look for

• The yellow church - the tall Catholic building the village is built around.
• The Jan Kok salt pans - shallow water below the village where flamingos feed.
• The painted houses - the village streets around the church.
• The road junction - the turning for three of the western beaches.

When to go

Year round; flamingos are on the pans most of the year and best in early morning. Midday light is harsh on the pans. The church is usually open.

Good to know

Flamingos keep their distance and binoculars or a long lens are needed. The village is very small and half an hour covers it. Approaching the birds is prohibited and disturbs them.

Nearby

Daaibooi Beach is west, and Cas Abao is northwest.

Key facts