The Kenepa Plantation in Curaçao
Welcome to Kenepa Plantation Postcard – Episode 9. We are are visiting the Kenepa Plantation, located in the western part of Curaçao, is named after the fruits of the Kenepatree. This sprawling country estate, constructed in 1693, was fully restored by the government’s Monument Foundation in 2005.
Although it was once one of Curaçao’s largest and wealthiest plantations, producing divi-divi seed-pots and sheepwool, this location is truly best known in the island’s history as the place where the seeds of slave emancipation first took root. Though slavery was not officially abolished on Curaçao until 1863, the road to emancipation began right here at Landhuis Kenepa.
“Echoes of the past now resonate loud and clear where aspirations of freedom were once reduced to hushed tones and secret drumbeats…”, says Sue Campbell, Award-Winning Travel & Lifestyle Writer specializing in Tropical Hotspots.
In 2007, a museum displaying rituals, customs, history, and culture from an Afro-Curaçaoan point of view was established at Landhuis Kenepa called Museo Tula. The enlightening permanent and revolving exhibits can be viewed independently or with a guide for groups. Also, on site you will discover a gift shop with local crafts and the Creole Kitchen, a unique café featuring Creole-Caribbean-African cuisine. Guided eco-tours of the surrounding countryside, including a 17th-century garden, are also available.
About the Kenepa Plantation in Curaçao
The Playa Kenepa beaches are two of the most popular beaches located on Curaçao. Playa Kenepa Grandi (Grote Knip) and Playa Kenepa Chikitu (Klein Knip) are regularly visited by both tourists and locals because the natural beauty and serenity that they exude.
Travel Tip: According to USA Today, “Playa Kenepa is the Bentley of beaches with cliffs that shade the cove and warm waves that keep a beat with the coconut palms. Inviting with sugar-white sand, the small beach has a funkier vibe than the bigger beaches on the more touristy side of the island. Party-hearty daredevils jump from the peaks, snorkeling is sublime, and vendors dish up big plates of yummy island food.”
Driving from the historic Kenepa Plantation Landhuis you will first encounter Kenepa Chikitu, one of the prettiest beaches on the island, which is a small cove with lots of shade and white sand. This is a hidden treasure for beachgoers, snorkelers, and scuba divers alike.
With an easy shore entry from the beach, you can head out to the drop-off along the cliffs, where you discover a beautiful abundance of bio-diversity including gorgonians, orange cups corals, schooling fingerlings and some small caves.
One of a Kind Beach
Playa Kenepa Grandi (“big beach”) is a much larger beach further along the road, in an isolated and practically deserted region of the plantation. However, this does not mean that the place is not crowded, especially on weekends, when residents will enjoy this “one of a kind” public beach.
Driving down the barren road from Kenepa Chikitu you will first encounter the parking lot and then the water starts to come into sight where you will immediately be awestruck by the intensely vivid turquoise sea that lies beneath the surrounding cliffs.
The sun’s rays reflecting off the white sandy sea floor causes the many shades of blues to come to life, enticing you to dive in and immerse yourself into the warmth of these Caribbean waters by enjoying a breath-taking snorkeling or scuba diving experience.
The Perfect Place
The Kenepa Plantation is the perfect place on Curaçao to get away from it all, to get lost in nature and spend a relaxing day on the beach with an aquatic wonderland just a few foot-steps away, across the sand of these magnificent beaches.
Since both beaches are public, there is no entrance fee required. But there are beach beds and umbrellas available for rent, along with snorkeling gear, transparent kayaks, and paddle boards. For more information, please contact a recommended Curaçao Dive Operator.
More Postcards from Curaçao!
Have you enjoyed the Kenepa Plantation Postcard? Then dive into Episode 10 where we visit the Avila Beach Hotel which is the oldest operational hotel in Curacao with a history that dates to 1780.
Discover all 16 episodes from the complete Postcards from Curacao series and don’t forget to subscribe to our Dive Curaçao YouTube Channel to be automatically notified.
Sincere Love from Curaçao,
Bryan Horne, Dive Curaçao
Tilo and Yvonne Kuhnast, Nature Pics Films
Videos produced and edited for Dive Curacao in cooperation with Nature Pics Films.
Photography courtesy of our partner: Gail Johnson Photography
