I was slightly surprised to see the vehicles that picked mu up were these custom Land Rovers with bench seats in the back. Considering most of the island I had seen to date was flat with paved roads, why would we need such a heavy duty off road vehicle? The guide assured me that it was necessary and I would see why later that afternoon.
An interesting note on this tour… We took three Land Rovers and only had one guide which means they asked for volunteers to drive! I thought about volunteering but decided against it since I wanted to have my hands free to take pictures at any time, which proved to be a good decision later that day. Our first stop was the California Lighthouse which is up high on the northwestern corner of Aruba. The lighthouse was built in 1910 and was named after the US ship that sank of the coast of Aruba a few years before the lighthouse was completed. The lighthouse was a okay but I hoped to see much better ones on a future stop in Maine later in the trip.
Our next stop was a small church called to ‘Chapel of Alto Vista’ which is a Catholic chapel originally built in 1750 but was abandoned in 1816 and left to deteriorate… Eventually during World War II when the Germans attacked Aruba the decision was made to build a chapel where the original chapel once stood and here is what they built. It’s really beautiful little church with a great view of the island.
Our next stop was the coast line of Aruba and the natural bridge which used to be one of Aruba’s most famous destinations for tourists. Unforutnately the original “Natural Bridge” collapsed in 2005 but a smaller version next to it still remains and is really cool. The bridge is actually coral limestone that has been cut away by pounding waves and wind over thousands of years to create this bridge that spans a section of the Carribean. This new bridge is much smaller than the original but still probably 60 feet long and maybe 15-20 feet tall. It’s amazing to think of the power of the surf hitting these rocks over thousands of years to actually strip away / destroy the coral limestone and create this natural feature in the rock.
The remnants of the old Natural Bridge that collapsed.
Next stop was the Bushiribana Ruins which was the old and crumbling remains of a gold smelting operation in Aruba. The building was constructed out of natural stone in 1825 and operated through most of the 19th century. Over the 90 years the facility was in use it is said they produced 3 million pounds of gold which seemed like an impressive total to me. Also, the facade had these huge windows which was to create the illusion this was a fort equipped with large cannons for passing ships. They didn’t want pirates or foreign armies to be tipped off about all the gold contained behind the walls.
View from the top of the ruins, overlooking the beach.
After a busy morning we stopped for lunch at a local Ostrich Farm where Ostrich wasn’t on the menu and instead had some delicious BBQ ribs. Afterward we were given a tour of the farm and it’s nearly 60 ostriches and emus where we learned some pretty interesting facts.
1. Ostriches are the largest and heaviest birds in the world and Aruba is the perfect climate for them to live.
2. They are the fastest-running birds, reaching speeds of up to 43 mph. At this speed, they are the only animals that can outrun leopards!
3. The amazing speed of the ostrich is helpful in outrunning predators, but the ostrich can also use its powerful legs to kick like a kangaroo. In fact, its kick is strong enough to kill a lion. Ostriches can also defend themselves with a 4-inch claw on each foot.
4. Ostrich brains are as big as a walnut and smaller than their eyes. They are not particularly intelligent, but with the largest eyeball of any bird, they can see as far as 2.2 miles. It has been discovered that the cornea of the ostrich eye can be used to replace the human cornea.
We got a chance to interact with the ostriches as well which resulted in some pretty interesting pictures!
After the Ostrich Farm we headed to Arikok National Park and specifically the Natural Pool inside the park. On the way, the tour guide informed our driver on the four wheel drive capabilities of the Land Rover and some other tips about how to traverse the terrain we would be hitting shortly. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect as we embarked down the paved roads toward the national park but when we hit the actual trail, it was an interesting experience to say the least. As we turned off the paved road and onto the dirt roads of Arikok National Park the ride was rough going. These ‘roads’ if you can call them that were very poor with huge holes, divots, and drops around every corner and as passengers in the back of the Land Rover we were bounced all over the place… Some people have described the landscape what they imagine the moon to be like with no roads and incredibly rough / rugged terrain and I thought that was an apt comparison. I found out later from our guide that these trails do such a number of the Land Rovers that they have to replace the entire suspension setup in the trucks every 12 months!!! The driver of our vehicle was a tourist and from NYC but has some significant off roading experience with his Jeep and it became a running joke in our vehicle every time he said “Oh S*&^$” as we approached a new section of the trail… I lost count after probably a dozen times!
Eventually we reached the trailhead and after hiking down a couple hundred steps we reached the coast line and ‘Natural Pool’ . The Aruba coastline here is very rocky and full of volcanic rock peaking out of the crystal clear water every way you looked. The natural pool or Conchi as it is called by the locals is a surreal and very calm pool that is surrounded on all sides by the volcanic rock. It’s crazy swimming in this very calm water and on all sides are these huge waves crashing into the volcanic rock that provides a protective barrier to the pool. The pool itself was filled with lots of tropical life including fish, crabs, and a small squid that we had the opportunity to swim with and get a clear view of with our snorkel gear.
View as we hiked down to the pool.
The violent seas just outside the pool, we were protected by this volcanic rock.
After leaving Natural Pool we headed to Guadirikiri Caves where we got a chance to explore the cave and some of the art inside that was created by island Natives many years ago, this place was okay but if you ever come to Aruba I would skip it to spend more time other places.
Our last stop of the day was Baby Beach which is one of the best beaches in Aruba but not very crowded since it’s far away from the tourist hubs; probably a 45 minute plus drive if you know exactly how to get there… Which is tough since most of the streets in Aruba are not labeled! Fortunately our tour guide took us right there and we found a beautiful beach with excellent snorkeling. The reason it’s called Baby Beach is two fold:
1. The water is very shallow, probably 150 feet offshore it was maybe 4 feet deep and so it’s very safe for kids who can go pretty far out with no danger of the water being over their heads.
2. No waves… The water here is very flat more like a very calm lake then what you would expect in the ocean but again it makes it ideal for kids and also snorkeling since there are no waves to bounce you around or throw water in your snorkel.
On the downside there is a Valero refinery plant on Aruba and it’s clearly visible for Baby Beach on the far left side but for most people, me included didn’t spoil the beauty and tranquility of the beach in the slightest. Some pictures of Baby Beach are below.
That was the last stop on the ABC Tour of Aruba and headed back to Club Arias for the evening. After a quick shower and nap, it was dinner time and fortunately those plans were taken care of us by my host Arias. Everyone staying at the bed and breakfast including his family went out to a Lebanese / Middle Eastern restaurant where they served great food family style to the 12 of us there. It was just another example of Arias and his staff going above and beyond to setup a great dinner like that and get a chance to know some of the other guests and make some fun plans for the following day, which I did.
Thanks for reading my blog and as always any questions / comments please post below or email me at chris@pricelessperspectives.com
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