Oranjestad,
the capital city, located on the southern coast near the western end of
the island, is extremely picturesque with its Dutch colonial
architecture in pastel colors. Along the wharf, merchants come to sell
fresh fish and produce right off the boats every morning. The downtown
area with shopping malls surrounding it is the primary shopping area on
the island. |
 California
lighthouse was named after a vessel called the
"California." She was a wooden ship sailing from England to
Venezuela when she ran aground off Aruba Northwest corner on September
23, 1891. The California Lighthouse was completed in 1914. Perched on a
high seaside elevation, the lighthouse has become one of Aruba’s
scenic trademarks and offers a picture perfect view of the island's
western coastline of sandy beaches.
Around the lighthouse are acres of stoned-filled flat land, and a area
called California White Sand Dunes is very popular with kids who go dune
surfing. |
Butterfly
Farm is a 3000-square-foot mesh-enclosed garden
with waterfalls and stocked fish ponds. Hundreds of majestic butterflies
from all over the world flutter freely to new-age music and land
weightlessly on visitors. The farm is open daily, 9am-4pm, with the last
tour at 3:30pm. Located on Irausquin Blvd, across from the Divi Phoenix
Hotel. |
 Bushiribana
Gold Mill. Gold was found to Aruba in 1824,
supposedly by a boy playing in a dry creek bed, and for several years
locals were allowed to collect the precious metal and sell it at a
government-fixed price. Thirty years later, the Aruba Island Gold Mining
Company was granted all rights to the cache and built the large smelting
works at Bushiribana. Today, you can climb around the tumbling-down heap
of rocks that one housed the mall |
 Arikok
National Park is Aruba’s ecological treasure.
Among the desert vegetation in the park, are divi-divi trees, rare
exotic cacti, aloe plants, and colorful tropical flowers. The park is
open daily from 8am to 4pm.
Follow the signs for "Parke Nacional Arikok" from the town of
Santa Cruz to the entrance of the park located on the left a short
distance beyond the paved road. |
 Natural
bridge is one of Aruba's most popular attractions,
and the area is likely to be filled with tour buses any given time of
day. And you can see why. The bridge is a formation of coral limestone
cut out by years of pounding surf, and is one of the largest of these
types of spans in the world. It stands some 23 feet (7 meters) above sea
level and spans more than 100 feet (30 meters). There is no admission
fee or set hours for visiting. |
Natural
pool. This small rock-enclosed seawater pool is
difficult to enter and exit, and not worth the trouble, unless you just
want to cool off. However, it is worthwhile to climb up onto boulder to
watch the ocean surf break over the rocks and cascade into the basin.
Forget about snorkeling, the water is too churned up. Visit the pool for
the magnificent views. |
|
DePalm Island This
private island off the coast of Aruba, owned by DePalm Tours of
Aruba, offers a calm, relaxing afternoon after a day of
sightseeing around the island. |
|
On
one side of Aruba, the Atlantic crashes over rocks, coral ridges
and cliffs. On the other Aruba is surrounded by tranquil Caribbean Sea -
perfect for snorkeling and swimming. In between lies a desert landscape
with a charming lighthouse and windmills, towering cacti and unique
twisted divi-divi trees. Mix all that with modern hotels and resorts,
fabulous dining, glitzy casinos... Aruba has something for everyone!
