PHOTO: Dinah Veeris stands before a cottage at Den Paradera Garden. (Photos by Cherese Weekes)

Curacao may be renowned for its status as a tourism destination, but its lush natural beauty also speaks volumes.  Just ask Dinah Veeris, a local herbalist who has utilized the island’s medicinal plants to create the Den Paradera Garden, which means “the place where you feel at home.” 

And indeed visitors are meant to feel completely at ease from the moment they are greeted by the host who was vibrantly dressed in bright pink on the day I visited the garden.

Since the 1980s, Veeris has been an advocate for healthy living after taking advice from her mother and quitting her job to jump full force in preserving Curacao’s most indigenous plants. As a result, many visitors travel from near and far to become one with nature as well as seek healing in her garden.  Singing traditional songs while telling captivating stories about the history of the trees and their significance along the way, the deeper Veeris guided her guests through her garden, the more enchanting it became.

Each tree holds a key to the past as Veeris picked leaves from their branches, explained their natural powers and occasionally ate them while beckoning us to do the same.  Some were spicy while others produced a minty flavor that left me salivating for more.  Still, I could not get enough of this magical garden where plants like aloe vera, which is known to produce organic ointments for the skin as well as a shampoo for hair loss, and Kadushi, a fruit distinctively known for its unique aroma and ripe purple color and also used to produce a hair strengthening shampoo, are cultivated.

The trip to the Den Paradera not only included presentations of vegetation, although hundreds of herbs are planted here, it also included sights of cottages that were both constructed out of corn stalks and tin.  In addition, Veeris is the proud owner of a historic well that sits on the property and measures 20 meters deep. 

There’s no shortage of surprises at the Den Paeadera, especially since Curacao’s organic lifestyle can be seen throughout its entire landscape.  And thanks to Dinah Veeris, when visitors of the country are looking for an authentic, historic experience they can listen to tales of the island’s rich past in the midst of its oldest shrubs.