A Short Cliff Hike to Kokomo Beach
After visiting Boka Sami and the dilapidated Fort St. Michiel, we found a trail which leads up the hill and along the cliffs to Vaersenbaai, which is home to Kokomo Beach. A short, mildly strenuous walk through the woods, followed by incredible views from high above the Caribbean, and then cooling off in clear blue waters? Sigh, if only all our hikes were like this!
The trail begins at Boka Sami, after crossing a bridge over the inlet which feeds St. Michiel’s Bay. There is another hike which leads around this lagoon, where you can almost always see flamingos, but that’s for another day; today we’d be going up into the hills.
The great majority of the trail is uphill, through a dense forest. The path is well-worn, so there’s no need to worry about getting lost, but it feels almost forgotten. The only other living being we saw on the trail was a white-tailed deer, far up ahead of us; it spotted us immediately and darted off into the woods, before we could get a picture.
Soon enough, the trail reached the coast, giving us a view from the clifftops over the Caribbean’s crystalline waters. We walked along the rocks, discovering the paltry remains of Fort Vaersenbaai, which once protected the bay, and rested at a picnic table which has been set up for people to enjoy the panorama.
We now descended to the beach, where we spent the rest of the day swimming, snorkeling, laying out and eating. Kokomo Beach’s restaurant is a great lunch spot. On the advice of Anton from Scubaçao, we ordered the nachos. It was a huge plate, and for a very reasonable price. As we were eating, a pair of fearless iguanas inched along the railing, ever closer to our table, before finally walking straight onto it. Who knew iguanas craved nachos?
We had left our car at Boka Sami, so after lazing about and stuffing ourselves, we had to hike back on the same path we’d come by. No problem; it’s just a couple kilometers long, and was a nice Verdauungsspaziergang (a fun German word we don’t have in English, but something like “digestion walk”). Overall, this had been an easy, trouble-free excursion, perfect for those who like to combine beach days with just a little exercise and nature.
Locations on our Map: Boka Sami | Vaersenbaai
