Hi guys
You know the shortcut back from Karpata? the one with the red rock with the bicycle stencil? The good news is that it is not impassable (at least as of 3/20). The question is; If you get to the top of the hill by the radio towers (where you would normally take a right) what happens if you take a left? I'm pretty sure it takes you down into Rincon, probably somewhere near the Grotto di Lourdes, but I've never been able to find it in the years when the bike path is too much for the average dive truck. I think it would still save time but didn't get to explore it this year. Anyone know?

Hi, I know it will take you down to Rincon. about 5 years back a friend of us drove up hill from Rincon, but I haven't been able to find that road on my own (and I keep forgetting to ask him.)

And the road is much better tan last year or the year before that.

Thanks Martin. Any chance of your friend tipping the rest of us off as to where to find the entrance in Rincon? What is the road like? Steep? Paved? I could shoot myself for not checking this out when I had the opportunity. Any info much appreciated.

Aren't the mountain bike trails printed on a map somewhere?? InfoBonaire maybe, or one of the bike rental sites???

I'll drop him an email to find out from where the roads goes up...

If you are going back to Sabadeco it can save time. If one is going back into Playa (town or resorts) it will not. Tobys analysis is very accurate in location but it is only partly concrete VERY STEEP and one is driving thru peoples back yards. Speed = dust = unpopularity. IF you are in a hurry use the main road if one is enjoying Bonaire the simple adventure of finding and experiencing this ride is sufficient reward.

Having been run off the one way road by several rental trucks going the wrong way with a who cares response to my comments one can understand the brick thru the windowshield experience that has been experinced in other locations.

Treat this island as your own back yard and it will love you back. Anyone who has actually ridden the bike trails on the island would know that many of these really are bike trails and not eco-trashing speedways for indifferent tourists. Ye shall reap as yea shall sow.

We took the first right after getting on the 2-way road past Rincon. We drove up to the transformers at the top of the hill and then took the right turn immediately after. (using the old adage - follow the power lines).

A shortcut it wasn't, but we had fun filling in the water erosion channels and scraping the car on a few "narrow" spots until we ran into a completely washed out culvert. We wound up back on the one-way shore road.

Oh well, I guess there is a shortcut back from Karpata, but what we took wasn't it.

PS - this adventure was taken in late Feb. Maybe they've fixed the track by now.

Brian, Believe it or not, Smack convinced me to take this "shortcut" in February 2004. We went up the way you went down. I was so happy when we finally got to those transformers.

It was in a little better condition then, not much but a little.

A Correction.
The first right we took was the first right after getting on the two-way road just past Karpata, not Rincon!

Hi....
Can someone guide me to a site where I can find a map of bonaire (with roads/ towns/ districts........


Thanks much

infobonaire.com Dee Dee, should be your first stop

(Message edited by seb on April 5, 2005)

here is the map page, scroll on down for a lot of map links

http://www.infobonaire.com/maps.html

Toby,

if you take the left back toward Rincon, you will come out near the former Prisca's icecream...you won't be anyway near the grotto...actually this road is much better than the road from the "red rock"