SHORE EXCURSIONS

This is an off-road island adventure to Aruba’s most exotic sites. Travel in a Landrover caravan style to the Casibari Rock Formation, the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, the ocean-carved Natural Bridge Ruins, the picturesque Alto Vista chapel and the California Lighthouse, located on the islands most North Western tip. Your adventure ends with a splash in the crystal blue waters of the famous Arashi Beach.

Ride the ferry to secluded DePalm Island where you can enjoy a variety of activities from snorkeling to waterslides. Board your air-conditioned transportation for the brief transfer to the ferry landing. It’s a short five minute ride across the protected lagoon to the island. Upon arrival, receive a brief orientation to De Palm Island and its amenities including the Blue Parrotfish Water Park.

Enjoy approximately 6 hours of free time to snorkel, sunbathe, swim, enjoy the water parks and waterslides, banana boat rides or maybe even play a game of volleyball. Your beach day includes snorkeling equipment and lessons. Elegant flamingo’s are walking around on the private beach and can be viewed from a distance. Complimentary alcoholic beverages and soft drinks and a complete lunch buffet are included. Lounge chairs, freshwater showers and changing rooms are provided for your convenience. Wear a swimsuit, bring a towel and adequate sun protection. In case of a late arrival in port, the duration of the tour might be slightly shorter.

Experience the full beauty of natural Aruba on a tour that will take you on a journey of discovery. You’ll first make the scenic trip to Aruba's number one ecological attraction - the Butterfly Farm. Step into a tropical garden teeming with butterflies and prepare to encounter some of the world's most colorful creatures. Your next stop will be the Aloe Factory where you’ll take a guided tour and see the production process first hand, from leaf cutting in the fields to finished lotions and creams. Then travel through the Aruba country side on your way to the Natural Bridge carved from solid coral by wind and sea. The excursion ends with the scenic drive through Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba.

Hop aboard the famous Kukoo Kunuku bus and shake maracas to the beat of Caribbean music on your drive along the coast to visit the Casibari Rock Formations and Alto Vista Chapel. Along the way, enjoy views of the unique countryside, colorful Cunucu houses, Divi Divi trees and possible wildlife. Then you’re off to one of Aruba’s favorite beaches. Here you‘ll have time to swim in the azure waters, explore beautiful beaches or just relax in the sun. All guests will be provided with a complimentary beach chair. Wear or bring a swimsuit, beach towel and adequate sun protection. Complimentary ice water by the glass is available on the island tour. Food and other beverages are available for purchase.

Experience the beauty of Aruba on a tour that takes you around the island and under the sea! On the Seaworld Explorer you’ll sit in air-conditioned comfort five feet below the surface of the water and view amazing sea life through large, clear glass windows. You’ll also see the wreck of the Antilla.

Returning to shore, you’ll visit the California Lighthouse where you can admire the view of the crashing waves of the windward coast. Next are the Casibari Rock Formations where you may climb the rocks or wander in the gardens. You’ll then visit the baby Natural Bridge, a bridge of rock formed naturally by the wind and the motion of the sea. A scenic drive through Oranjestad returns you to the pier.

OVERVIEW

Ride horseback through the wilds of Aruba and along the coast for an up-close look at the island’s natural beauty. After being paired with a horse suited to your riding abilities, you will proceed from the stables at Gold Mine Ranch along a winding trail through the sand dunes and arid cactus-dotted countryside. You will ride through an area where gold was discovered nearly the two centuries ago. Along the way, you will see remnants of the resulting gold rush at places such as the windswept ruins of the Bushiribana Gold Mill, which operated until 1914. The guide will describe how this part of Aruba was settled, its cultural significance and the natural features of the desert-like terrain. The highlight will likely be the exhilarating ride along the secluded beach as the waves crash along the shore. Few experiences are quite so pleasurable, especially with a cool breeze blowing off the ocean.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ride a horse through the sand dunes along the desert-like northeastern coast of Aruba.
• Follow the trail to a pristine beach where your small group will likely be the only visitors.
• Enjoy the thrill of riding along a secluded stretch of sand to the sound of crashing waves.
• See the remains of a gold mill that operated during Aruba’s 19th-century gold rush.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable, closed-toe walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Sail along the island’s northwestern coast on a luxury catamaran and enjoy leisurely stops along the way for snorkeling and a barbecue meal. The catamaran is spaciousness so feel free to move around the deck, sit in the shaded cockpit and relax in the netting between the hulls. One of the highlights will be snorkeling the wreck of the Antilla, a German ship that was scuttled off Boca Catalina Beach in 1940. The 400-foot ship is lying on its side and over the decades has become an artificial reef teeming with marine life. Sea turtles are also plentiful, especially at nearby Tres Trapi, where you will have the opportunity to swim with these graceful creatures. A hearty meal from the High Rise Area will follow, after which we will sail the coastline to Nikki Beach, a gorgeous stretch of sand not far from Oranjestad.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sail through the turquoise waters off Aruba on an elegant catamaran.
• Snorkel a scuttled ship teeming with colorful marine life off Boca Catalina Beach.
• Swim with sea turtles that come to forage on seagrass at Tres Trapi.
• Dine on a delicious barbecue lunch and relax on the catamaran.
• Choice of BBQ Ribs, Chicken, Fish or Vegetarian.
• Open bar cocktails and mixed drinks available.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a towel, hat and sunscreen.

Your adventure begins with a short transfer to the submarine aboard the shuttle vessel Subseeker. Board the submarine just off the southeast coast of Aruba for a thrilling dive to either the mysteriously sunken airplane or the retired Danish sailboat Mi Dushi I, together with the newly sunken coaster, the Morgenster. You’ll have the opportunity to get an up-close view of exotic marine life while diving to depths of up to 130 feet. Be amazed by colorful schools of tropical fish, huge sponge gardens and the mystical beauty of the coral fields. An educational and entertaining narration from your experienced, professional, and licensed crew will highlight this unique experience. All of this is in air-conditioned comfort and without getting wet!

OVERVIEW

Ride across the island in an open-air Jeep to a natural pool along the sea and a cave adorned with centuries-old pictographs. You will enjoy uninterrupted views of the gorgeous countryside as you travel through Aruba’s rugged interior, often on roads only accessible in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. The seaside pool lies within the Arikok National Park, an environmentally protected wonderland that covers nearly 20% of the island. It will be immensely relaxing to ease into the crystal-clear waters of the secluded pool, which fills a bowl-like depression in the volcanically formed shoreline. Nearby, you will explore Fontein Cave, whose limestone walls are covered with reddish-brown drawings – some floor-to-ceiling – that the indigenous Arawaks created long ago. Anthropologists speculate that the artists may have been under the influence of psychedelics. To experience a weird sensation yourself, dip your feet into the freshwater pool nearby and enjoy a fish pedicure of sorts.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ride through Aruba’s rugged interior, often on roads only suitable for a 4-wheel-drive vehicle.
• Enjoy panoramic views of the volcanically formed terrain, which at times is desert-like.
• Relax in a natural pool along the sea in the Arikok National Park.
• View centuries-old pictographs that the Arawaks drew in the depths of Fontein Cave.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a towel and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

This excursion is for guests that use a cane/walker, have limited mobility issues or for companions of those guest that have booked mobility equipment tour.

Those guests that are fully dependent on their mobility device please book: ORJ_A2 ACCESSIBLE Mobility Equipment- Oranjestad & Natural Bridge.

Tour includes step-free routes, shorter distances and no stairs. Accessible restrooms with wide doors for wheelchairs are present along the tour route. Vehicles are adapted with an access ramp (or lift where available) to accommodate a limited number of wheelchairs and/or mobility scooters. Guides are not allowed to push wheelchairs; therefore, guests needing special assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied.

Explore the lively capital of Oranjestad and admire Aruba’s natural beauty for a remarkably comprehensive look at the island. A brief but panoramic drive along resort-rimmed Eagle Beach, Druif Beach and Arashi Beach will bring you to the California Lighthouse. The island’s oldest lighthouse, it offers unparalleled 360° vistas of Aruba’s northwestern tip. A few miles farther down the coast, you will find the abandoned Bushiribana Gold Mill, a reminder of the gold fever that swept Aruba after gold was discovered in 1824. More than three million pounds of it were eventually processed, much of it at Bushiribana. You will also see the Ayo Rock formations, a cluster of boulders on which the indigenous Arawaks created petroglyphs, and the remains of the Natural Bridge, a rock arch that collapsed into the sea in 2005. The allure of Oranjestad is quite cosmopolitan, especially if you are interested in shopping during free time.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a scenic drive along Druif Beach, Eagle Beach and Arashi.
• Take in the unparalleled views while driving along the coast to the California Lighthouse.
• Delve into the history of Aruba’s little-known gold rush at a 19th-century gold mill.
• Pause for photos of the Natural Bridge and see how the pounding surf has affected it.
• Enjoy free time in Oranjestad browsing the shops and other appealing areas.
• See the Ayo rock formations, described as Bedrock City in the animated show, the Flintstones.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.

OVERVIEW

Elevate your bartending and cooking skills in an entertaining hands-on class, during which you will learn to make a number of classic cocktails and dishes. The venue for this culinary and mixology class will be the family-owned café Taste My Aruba. It occupies an old house known as a cunucu, the word for “country” in the Papiamento language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. During the mixology portion of the class, you will learn to mix two cocktails step by step using locally sourced seasonal ingredients. One of them might be an Aloe Martina utilizing the island’s main crops - Aloe Vera. The bartending will be a lively social experience much like the cooking class, reflecting the island’s culinary heritage.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Learn to make authentic classic cocktails and small-plate dishes at the café Taste My Aruba.
• Use local and seasonal ingredients to prepare the refreshing cocktails and tasty dishes.
• Enjoy the camaraderie of the class while enjoying your concoctions for lunch.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Board a custom-built catamaran and sail along Aruba’s south and west coast on a spectacular sunset cruise. Your friendly crew will pick you up at the cruise harbor and keep you comfortable and entertained during the two hour trip. Experience the joy of sailing and take advantage of the many picture perfect opportunities, as you glide over the clear turquoise water along the famous Palm Beach. At the end of your cruise, you’ll be returned to the cruise terminal. An open bar (except for beer & wine) and snacks are included.