Aruba Attractions & Sightseeing, Fun Things To Do, Places To See, helicopter tours, Landmarks, Beaches, Family Day Trips, Photos, Photographs, Points of Interest- Alto Vista Chapel, Aloe Factory, Balashi Brewery, California Lighthouse, Hooiberg, The Butterfly Farm , Downtown Oranjestad Shopping, Caves, the story, reports, notes, reviews, report.

Sightseeing

Hooiberg- Shaped like a haystack, Hooiberg mountain is located in the middle of the island. At 541 feet, it is not the tallest mountain (Mt.Yamanota and Mt.Arikok at 617 feet and 577 feet respectively are both taller), but it is the most accessible. You can climb its 587 steps to the peak where it is possible to see across to the coast of Venezuela on a clear day. Geologists have discovered that the mountain is made up of a distinctive variety of quartz diorite only found on Aruba island. We have climbed this mountain to the top. Yes there is a nice view from above the island but there is not much up there beside communications antennae.

California Lighthouse

Casibari And Ayo- Large Natural Rock Formations

Savaneta - On the southeastern side of the island is the oldest town in Aruba, Savaneta, the original capital. This is where the Dutch first settled after re-establishing control of the island in 1816. Today, it is an active fishing village, but there are still the remnants of an earlier time. The oldest house in Aruba, a cas de torto or mud-hut dating back some 150 years, is still standing here.

Balashi Brewery - Aruba’s National Beer Brewery- the islands original and only beer brewery. You can visit Balashi and go on a tour of the facility, the cost is $6 and daily from Monday - Friday. Here you will learn the history of the brewery, see the making of beer and walk thru the production portion of the building. There is also an outdoor patio “beer garden” where you can have breakfast or lunch and sample the different types of beers- open daily. Every Friday there is a Happy Hour from 6pm-9pm at the garden.  http://www.balashi.com/balashi/BBeer.htm 

Aruba Aloe Factory

The Butterfly Farm- located between the low rise and high rise hotel area. An essential part of the visit to all the farms is the famous “guided tour”. Visitors are shown the evolutionary cycle from microscopic eggs, to strange and exotic caterpillars, pupae resembling exquisite designer jewelry. If you come early in the morning it is quite possible to see the birth of a butterfly and watch the newly emerged butterflies take their first flight!. The tours are also very amusing and an amazing source of butterfly facts and stories. http://www.thebutterflyfarm.com/ 

Donkey Sanctuary- is a place where donkeys are a protected species. They have been native to Aruba for over 500 years. With the modernization of automobiles donkeys have increasingly been phased out as a means of transportation and farm work. The complete population of donkeys was almost lost in the 1970”s due to a disease. This nonprofit organization continues to preserve the donkeys and help to breed them.    http://www.arubandonkey.org/ 

The Ostrich Farm - Although Africa is the native land of the ostrich, this intriguing bird finds a perfect home in Aruba's rugged landscape. The Aruba Ostrich Farm welcomes you to come and meet its 80-count flock of the largest living species in the world. Given every half hour, our guided tours are an activity that is both informative and interactive. A knowledgeable guide will first introduce the adult emus and ostriches. Tours fees: $12 per adult, $6 per child Tour Schedule:  Every half hour from 9 AM until 4 PM every day of the week.  http://www.arubaostrichfarm.com/ 

San Nicolas - The second largest city in Aruba.- Up until the late nineteenth century, San Nicolas, the oldest and largest city in Aruba, existed as a peaceful settlement of a few fishermen and their families living in small huts scattered along the southeast coast. All that changed in 1879 when the Aruba Phosphate Company began exporting locally mined phosphate in large quantities to the US. Subsequent demand, combined with the need for a larger workforce, prompted officials to build houses for their employees, and the makings of the town began. After vast oilfields were discovered off the coast of Venezuela during the early part of the twentieth century, the Largo Oil and Transport Company announced plans to build an oil refinery near town.- courtesy of ArubaHouse

The second largest city in Aruba, San Nicolas is a modern development that rose with the island's oil boom. San Nicolas is home to the famous Charlie's Bar & Grille.

Alto Vista Chapel - Our Lady of Alto Vista Catholic outdoor church. Located in the north section of Noord. The ocean is visible from the chapel with breathtaking landscapes of the rocky coast. You can travel by car here or take a tour- it is free- no fee for admission to the chapel. On the road going to the chapel there are stations -statues for each of the ten commandments. There is outdoor seating benches where services are held.

Bushiribana - Abandoned Gold Mines on the north coast. This attraction is a great spot to take some beautiful pictures of the coastline and nearby cliffs at the edge of the ocean. You can walk inside the old stonewall structure to take photos also. There is no roof overhead. Visit time less than an hour to spend here.

Natural Bridge

Another popular Aruba attractions and natural wonders - The Natural Bridge - this original Caribbean & Aruban landmark was destroyed by the very same forces that built it wind and wave erosion. The Natural Bridge, made up of mostly limestone and some coral, on September 2, 2005 it collapsed very early in the morning before any tourists arrived so no one was in danger. This is where the rough strong current of the ocean has undermined the rocky coast line leaving a natural stone bridge where the ocean waves pass thru under the rock. This natural rock arch spanned approx. 100 feet long (across) and the top of the bridge was about 25 feet above sea level. This is a major tourist attraction for sightseers even though it has collapsed. There is a smaller natural bridge forming to the left of the old one and there are many similar to this on this side of the islands northern coast. We have visited this site many times and it is still amazing to see such a large area of rock carved out of the high cliffs along the coast.

You can take a trip to the Natural Bridge and Bushirbana Gold Mine Ruins at the same time as they are close to each other. There are tour buses that go to these areas also. You can travel by car to both places even though there are dirt roads leading to both landmarks, the road surfaces are smooth and flat so there is no need for 4x4 or SUV. There is a facility at the Natural Bridge area for restrooms, drinks and snacks. Visit time at both places approx 2 hours.

The Natural Pool- located on the northern side of the island in a remote part of the coast.

Driving To The Natural Pool -The drive there is an adventure and can only be reached by SUV, 4x4, horseback or hiking. The road leading to the pool is a rough rocky dirt road with gullies and mountain like terrain. If you have never driven off road before I would suggest taking a jeep tour to this area of the coast rather than drive yourself. The journey to the coast takes about 45 minutes from the paved road through the towns.

When you arrive –at the end of the road you are on top of a cliff on the coast and will have to hike down the natural stone steps to get to the beach, approximately 150 steps to bottom. Once on the beach you will experience the strong rough waves and current of this side of the island. From here you will have to walk about 150 yards to enter the Natural Pool entrance. At the entrance there is an opening in the rocks where you will have to climb in between the rock that surround the pool to go in. Inside the natural rock pool area the water is calm as it gets filled with water from the waves that flow over the top of the rock down into pool. There is no sand here, only rock sides and bottom and is approx 20’ deep. There is very little shallow wading area so you will have to swim and tread water most of the time you are here. If you cannot swim I would suggest you don't enter the pool area at all. The Natural Pool is also a popular place for snorkeling or scuba.

There are no facilities or restrooms near this part of the coast. When planning a trip here be prepared and take some snacks and bottled water. This natural attraction is a spot to visit for a short time of an hour or two to take a swim but not a place to spend half a day at.

http://www.arubanationalpark.org/     National Park is a 34 square kilometers (7907 acres) of natural area, located at the north-eastern part of Aruba which contains examples of most of the island’s flora and fauna against a backdrop of great geological complexity. We are proud to state that approximately 18% of the total land area of Aruba is assigned as a National Park, to protect and preserve the flora, fauna, geology and historical remains present within Arikok National Park

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