Sightseeing in Aruba

Aruba offers the visitor several attractions, many of them ecological and tropical delights. Among the most visited are the Butterfly Farm, a 3,000-square-foot mesh-enclosed garden with waterfalls and stocked fish ponds, located just to the south of Aruba's touristy high-rise hotel area; and the Bubali Bird Sanctuary just to the north of town, where you can see local and migratory species that live and breed in the marshy vegetation around two man-made lakes.

In Noord and Nearby

Among others, you can visit the little Church of Santa Anna in the village of Noord, a popular place for weddings because of the beautiful light that pours through stained-glass windows into the high-ceilinged sanctuary. Originally constructed in 1766, the building was rebuilt in 1831, 1886, and 1916. And then there's the California Lighthouse, a landmark stone lighthouse designed by a French architect in 1910 and then constructed on Aruba between 1914 and 1916. This latter is a principal attraction on the island, and you can view the interior of the lighthouse as well.

Not far to the north from Noord, where the Santa Anna Church is located, you can also visit the Chapel of Alto Vista, perched atop a 200-foot hill that offers commanding views of the entire north end of the island, including the high-rise hotels on Palm Beach, the California Lighthouse, and the golf course at Tierra del Sol.

Farther down the coast are the ruins of Bushiribana Gold Mill, situated above the surf at Boca Mahos. Gold was found on 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 once housed the mill.

Boca Andicuri

Just to the south is Boca Andicuri, until recently the site of Aruba’s famous Natural Bridge. The stunning 25-foot-high, 100-foot-long natural limestone bridge toppled into the surf before dawn on September 2, 2005. The collapse was unexpected, but not at all surprising, since the bridge was actually all that remained of a cave that had crumbled long ago. Take the time to walk down to the black-sand beach below the cliffs, but be aware that the ocean currents at Andicuri are powerful, and only good swimmers should venture into the water.

Another, shorter natural bridge is still standing on the southern curve of the bay, where the pounding surf has worn caves into the cliffs. It’s well worth stopping there to watch the hypnotic spray that spews from the caves’ hollows as the ocean crashes wildly against the bluffs.

Ayo and Casibari Rock Formations

Also of interest, inland from Boca Andicuri, are the bizarre and intriguing Ayo Rock Formations at nearby Ayo. Similar boulders are located at Casibari Rock Formations, about two miles farther inland, off Hwy 4 A/B. There are good views from the top of Casibari of the 541-foot Hooiberg (Dutch for haystack), a local landmark that indeed resembles a stack of hay.

East Coast 

Back on the east coast, south of Boca Andicuri, the fit and adventurous can hike over sand dunes along the coast. Everyone else will need a fourwheel- drive vehicle or a horse to reach spectacular Boca Daimari and Boca Ketu.

When you see palm trees swaying in the breeze, don’t assume you’re delirious from too much sun. Rancho Daimari, now a horseback-riding establishment, was once a thriving coconut plantation. The first trees were planted in the 1600s – one of the first coconut plantations in the Caribbean.

A short distance to the south, just beyond Boca Ketu, is Cura di Tortuga, a 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 a boulder to watch the ocean surf break over the rocks and cascade into the basin. Forget about snorkeling on most days. The water is too churned up. Visit the pool for the magnificent views.

Arikok National Park

Another place of supreme interest to first-time visitors to the island is the Arikok National Park. This is Aruba’s ecological treasure. It protects a large triangle-shaped portion of land bordered on the east by the sea from Boca Daimari to Boca Prins. The apex of the triangle is inland, just west of Mount Arikok, near the center of the island. To get there, follow 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.

Guadirikiri

Fontein, Guadirikiri, and the Tunnel of Love Caves are worth a visit, but come early in the morning or late in the afternoon because the caves are hot and airless. Fontein, just south of Boca Prins, has perhaps the island’s best Indian art and early-European graphics on the walls and ceiling. A guide will point out limestone stalactites and stalagmites that resemble animals and religious figures. You may need a strong imagination to appreciate the similarities.

Guadirikiri is a two-chamber cave with skylights, so there is more air and natural light inside. A long tunnel here is home to hundreds of bats that sleept during the day. Come at dusk to see them swarm out of the cave in search of dinner. The Tunnel of Love gets its name from the heart-shaped stone entrance. Pick up a flashlight from the stand at the entrance (you’ll be charged a $6 fee) because the 300-foot-long tunnel is totally dark. A guide will point out various formations as you inch your way along, and will entertain you with tales of pirates’ treasure.

The road from the Tunnel of Love takes you south and west past the International Raceway Park, where it becomes Highway 7A/B, leading to the town of San Nicolas.