A Trip Around the World (err…the Island) 🏝️

Jul 2, 2024

Traveling in a group with various levels of fitness, it’s always hard to find activities that everyone wants to/can do. Before heading to Aruba, I researched some excursions that fit the group. I came across De Palm Tours, who does everything from island tours to airport transfers. They actually hosted the submarine tour we did earlier in the trip.

A few days prior, I went online and booked the Aruba Sightseeing Bus Tour for the five of us — $49 pp, which wasn’t bad at all. It was advertised as a 5.5 hour tour of the entire island, all from the comfort of an air-conditioned bus.

Since we were not staying at a resort, we were scheduled to meet the bus at 9am at the Renaissance Marina downtown. However, this task was easier said than done. Unbeknownst to us, there are several Renaissance hotels in the downtown Oranjestad area. We had seen a tour bus at one of the hotels a few days prior, so we headed to that hotel. However, after scrambling around the area, and asking the tourism kiosk, we determined that we needed to meet at a hotel behind the Renaissance Mall.

We finally made it to the bus a few minutes after 9am. We then departed to pick up other passengers at various resorts/hotels around the island. All in all we ended up with a full bus, 48 passengers.

Stop #1 — California Lighthouse

Our first stop took us to the northern most point of the island — the California Lighthouse. The views were really the best part of this stop. Visitors are able to climb to the top of the lighthouse for a fee of $5 pp. However, since this stop was only 20 minutes, we didn’t think we’d have enough time to climb, so we opted against it.

As with a lot of things in Aruba, the immaculate views were the best part of this stop.

Stop #2 — Aruba Butterfly Farm

The next stop on our journey was the Aruba Butterfly Farm. I’ve visited butterfly gardens in the past (namely the Insectarium in New Orleans) and had a great time!

The butterfly garden in Aruba was a large tropical garden enclosed in shade cloth, filled with so many species of butterflies. A truly magical experience. Our guide was so knowledgeable on all things butterflies and gave great lectures on the different stages of growth.

Stop #3 — Aruba Aloe Factory

The halfway point of our tour brought us to the Royal Aruba Aloe Factory. The company was founded in 1890 and they grow, harvest, and process all of its own aloe. Our tour consisted of:

a lecture/demonstration on how aloe is harvested and processed
a tour of the factory to see the entire process of how aloe goes into their products
a spin around the factory gift shop to purchase any of the products made right there on site

I didn’t realize how many products could be made from the simple aloe plant. I ended up purchasing a few things to bring home, including some bar soaps and eczema cream.

Stop #4 — Casibara Rock formations

Next up on our tour of the island was the Casibara Rock formations. The formation consists of massive granite boulders that seem to have been stacked naturally. We climbed all three rocks, each with their own amazing views of the surrounding area. The first one was the steepest and most treacherous, and also took us through a small cavern. Climbing these rocks was much less of a workout than Hooiberg, but just as worth it for the experience.

Stop #5 — The Natural Bridge

The final stop on our whirlwind day was the Natural Bridge. The natural limestone bridge was formed by years of erosion, but sadly collapsed in 2005. The day we visited coincided with hurricane Beryl barreling down in the Caribbean. Luckily Aruba isn’t in the hurricane belt, so we got to see some spectacular waves hitting the rocks.