Aruba and its centrally located, lively capital city of Oranjestad seem made for tourism: fantastic conditions and a friendly population. Yet the land of playas has even more unexpected treasures:
It was on September 2, 2005 that a minor disaster struck Aruba: its 100-foot long, 35-foot tall Natural Bridge - Aruba’s most famous sightseeing attraction - collapsed. The bridge was created by waves wearing away at its rock, but it was the same force, along with the wind, that finally eroded the structure enough to topple it. If you happen to be near the site, you can still see the remains of the Natural Bridge as well as a smaller one.
It’s one of the most amazing wonders of nature: the cycle from egg to caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly. At Aruba’s Aruban Butterfly Farm where 500 to 800 of these elegant creatures from all over the world flutter around, you can find out all about them. Admire their beauty up close!
Juancho Irausquin Boulevard, Oranjestad
Pirates, freebooters, buccaneers. When you’re actually inside the caves of Aruba, it takes little imagination to picture how these were hiding places for the likes of Captain Kid. There are several caves to choose from. The Lourdes Grotto, for example, is in Seroe Pretoe near San Nicolas. If you’re a bit more daring, visit the caves in Guadirikiri where sunlight filters through two inner chambers to create one of the most photogenic scenes on Aruba. How brave are you? This cave also has a small 150-foot long tunnel that’s home to hundreds of bats. But the most popular cave of all is the Fontein Cave because of the drawings on its walls made by the Arowak Indians, the island’s earliest inhabitants.
Aruba gets is name from a legend that oro ruba (Spanish for ‘red gold’) could be found on the island. Red gold was never found, but yellow gold was discovered in the island in 1824. If you’d like to get an idea of those illustrious days, visit one of the deserted gold mines of Bushiribana. They may be ruins now, but they once produced more than 3 million pounds of gold.
In days gone by, people never knew what kind of threat could be looming on the horizon between sky and sea. To protect themselves, the Arubans built Fort Zoutman in 1796. The fort – the oldest building on Aruba – was accompanied by the Willem III Tower in 1868. Following a thorough restoration in 1974, it became the home for the Aruba Historical Museum.
The location for the Chapel of Alto Vista is truly spectacular: a limestone hill rising more than 230 feet above the rocky north coast. Indians laid the first foundations for the tiny church but it was to undergo many changes over the centuries. Today, the unique little structure is more beautiful than ever and is a famous pilgrimage destination. You can reach this place of peace and meditation by taking a winding road marked with white crosses symbolic of the Via Dolorosa.
Aruba may be dry, but this doesn’t keep migratory birds from making a stopover here on their way to their final destinations. The Bubali Bird Sanctuary consists of two interconnected artificial reservoirs. With binoculars, you can spend hours here getting a close look at the Purple Heron, Great White Heron, Black Skimmer, coots, cormorants and many duck species. A lookout tower has been built to provide a better view.
One of the biggest mysteries on Aruba is how the Ayo Rock Formations that once housed the original islanders, the Arowak Indians, were formed. It’s as if a magical force once stacked up these rocks in otherwise sandy surroundings. Even today, geologists have no answer for how they came to be.