Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao make up the ABC islands, those that do not get hit by hurricanes. Aruba is located in the Caribbean Sea, 50 miles northwest of Curacao and 18 miles north of Venezuela. Aruba is lined with white sand beaches that will not burn your feet, a rugged coastline in the northeast and a desert interior. Oranjestad, literally “Orange Town”, is the capital. The two official languages of Aruba are Dutch and Papiamentu, a creole that evolved from Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese. Everyone speaks English.
The temperature in Aruba remains close to 81 degrees year round, with a (not so) rainy season from October through January. The heat is lessened by the CONSTANT trade winds. Aruba is 20 miles long and 6 miles wide at the widest point making renting a car a great plus to seeing the entire island.
Aruba Bonus: Aruba’s drinking water is some of the cleanest in the world. The island’s H2O comes from a saltwater desalination plant and meets the World Health Organization’s highest standards for drinking water. A “Balashi Cocktail” is referring to a glass of Aruban water.
Arikok National Park Tour
Arikok National Park covers 20% of the island. You can explore Arikok on your own or with a tour. The Viator tour offers the knowledge of a park ranger to point out all the flora and fauna along your walk. You will learn about the poisonous cacti to avoid and the thorns that will cause an itchy rash to spread over your entire body. Explore a historic adobe home made of earth and organic materials (mud brick) surrounded by a fence made of cacti. Discover the rock paintings of the Caquetio Indians, left almost 2,000 years ago on the Cunucu Arikok trail. The tour is approximately 1.5 hours which is plenty with the heat.
After the guided tour we ventured into Arikok with our tiny little rental car. We now understand why it is a good idea to rent a jeep in Aruba. The rocky dips in the road are frequent and difficult with low clearance vehicles. You can not get to parts of the Arikok National Park, such as the natural pools, without a jeep or UTV. The Fontein Cave is the most popular of the caves as it is the only one that has the drawings of Arawak Indians on the ceilings, providing a real sense of island history to this cave. The Guadirikiri Cave is famous for its two chambers, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through holes in the roof of the cave. The cave extends for about 100 feet. In the darker portions of the cave nest hundreds of harmless bats that you can see flying sporadically around.
We ventured
UTV Tour of the Island
Kini Kini offers ATVs and UTVs. The UTV has 2 seats and a cover to provide shade. You are not required to wear a helmet in the UTV but it helps with all the dust. Your informative guide stops at notable landmarks including Alto Vista Chapel, Baby Natural Bridge, and the ruins of the Bushiribana Gold Mill before you have free time to refresh with a leisurely swim. I do not recommend swimming at these stops. It is extremely rough and we witnessed a couple get into trouble. Our tour guides were extremely high energy and friendly. Two stops had food and beverages available.
Snorkeling
If you rent a vehicle you have the option to explore the MANY beaches of Aruba. Bring your snorkeling gear! Many of the snorkeling destination can be reached from shore or boat. The two beaches we snorkeled from were Baby Beach and Mangel Halto.
Baby Beach is very popular due to its protected waters which makes it a great beginners beach. Damian is a beginner swimmer and has never been snorkeling. This was the perfect beach to practice. We saw some little fish along the coral while also enjoying the shallow sandy bottom.
Mangel Halto is a mangrove lined beach next to the town Savaneta with many locals. The shallow, calm waters are perfect for leisurely snorkeling and swimming.
Pelican Adventure Snorkeling consists of a three hour sail with two snorkel stops. The boat provides life vests, snorkels, fins, snack, unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (no wine or beer), and music! The first stop is the the marine sanctuary, Catalina Bay. This was Damian’s first time snorkeling in water deeper than he can stand. The guide was amazing and personally took him out. The fish loved little pieces of bread. The second stop was much rougher and deeper at the Antilla Shipwreck. I didn’t spend much time snorkeling at this stop and Damian did not go in at all. We enjoyed the catamaran hammock for the sail back to dock while watching the kite boarders showing off around the boat.
Renaissance Island
Renaissance Island, a 40-acre private island, is owned by Marriott’s Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino. The water taxi picks you up INSIDE the Renaissance Hotel. If you are a guest of the hotel, the ride to this private island is free. The water taxi pick up is every 15 minutes, with the ride to the island being about 15 minutes. Renaissance Island is open from 7am to 7pm.
There are two sections to the island. To the left is the family friendly Iguana Beach and to the right is the adults only Flamingo Beach. Flamingo beach has … guess what, flamingos roaming freely, a beach bar, lounge chairs, hammocks and private cabanas. Iguana Beach is home to Papagayo Bar & Grill where you can grab a bite to eat and a handcrafted cocktail. While we were on Iguana beach we also saw a few flamingos so they do go back and forth. Iguana beach also has lounge chairs, private cabanas (one with a slide) and hammocks.
Ostrich Farm & Donkey Sanctuary
The Ostrich Farm is home to many emus and ostriches. Tours run every 30 minutes from 10am-3pm. We arrived at 10am and had our own private tour. Our tour guide spoke about the speed, mating rituals, history, and care required for the animals. We were there during mating season and witnessed many of the males performing their mating dance. Some of the ostriches had laid eggs already! The ostriches mate for life and are paired off in pens together. They are let out to roam free every few days to run full speed and maintain their leg muscles. Part of the tour is feeding the ostriches which is very humorous.
The Donkey Sanctuary is 15 minutes from the Ostrich Farm. Donkeys used to be the main means of transportation in Aruba. Once cars arrived the donkeys were no longer needed, followed by an illness in the 1970’s nearly left the donkeys extinct. Cars were injuring the donkeys left in the wild. The donkey sanctuary was formed to provide food, shelter and love for these donkeys. You may visit the donkeys on your own time and even bring vegetables to feed them or buy a small cup of food for $1. If you arrive early enough you can volunteer to help with the daily chores.
Local Food
If you would like a more authentic Caribbean meal, choose local restaurants over tourist destinations, AKA American food. We asked all the local we met where they suggested eating and ate some delicious meals.
Zeerovers: Located on a local fisherman’s wharf in Savaneta, this restaurants is also an experience. The menu consists of fish that has been brought in throughout the day by local fishermen. When you enter you first choose the seafood you want and the weight. You can order sides and tartar sauce. The fish is only cooked one way. The fresh fish is weighed, and you move to the next window to pay. Before choosing your table you will pass the window to choose your drinks. Picnic tables line the dock and the outdoor space of Zeerovers. Your food is brought out to you in large baskets. You can feed your leftovers to the tarpon off the dock.
Kamini’s Kitchen: Located about a 10 minute drive from Baby Beach, this local Caribbean restaurant is delicious. Large open window allow a fresh breeze through the charming restaurant as you eat. They offer a great variety of Caribbean dishes, drinks, and local conversation.
O’Neils Restaurant: Located in downtown San Nicolas among the street murals, O’Neils has a great outdoor seating area. The food is A-mazing. This was the first place all the locals recommended.
