Aruba Travel Guide| One Day Heritage Tour

Bon Bini na Aruba! That is Welcome to Aruba in Papiamento, the local language of Aruba. Besides white sand beaches and turquoise water, this Caribbean island has a vast history, many traditions, delicious food and spectacular views. Get the full experience of Aruba’s culture following the Aruba Travel Guide for one day Heritage Tour (stop for a taste of local cuisine is included in the list).

Need information and advice about visiting Aruba during lockdown? Read Traveling in Lockdown 2021 | Tips & Procedures.

TRAVEL TIP Aruba is very hot during midday. Lunch stops 4, 5 or 6.

CHECKLIST FOR THE TOUR

• a car with aircon
• offline google maps
• water (plenty and cold)
• sunscreen
• sun hats
• camera
• local money or American dollars
• swimming suit (optional)

DURATION: 6h -10h depending on the time you spend at each stop.

Google Map

Here you find Aruba Heritage Tour on Google Maps. I created the same list for Google Maps. You can follow these 10 stops by clicking and opening it on Google Maps.

1. Frenchman’s Pass

We will start our tour one Day Heritage Tour at the Frenchman’s pass. This is a narrow passage between the cliffs. You will have here a scenic drive under a tree couloir being surrounded by typical Aruban vegetation. Here you won’t have a particular stop (unless you want to). This drive will lead you eventually to stop no 2: Balashi Gold Mills.

2. Balashi Gold Mills

Before tourism and petrol era, Aruba was making money with gold mining. This was an era that ended fast when they build the first oil refinery in early 1900. Make a stop at Balashi Gold Mills to get a lovely view from the top of the stairs and see the remains of this short era.

PARKPLACE: Yes, FREE
SOUVENIR SHOP: NO
COLD DRINKS: NO
TOILETS: NO
ENTRANCE FEE: FREE

3. Donkey Sanctuary Aruba

Aruba has wild donkeys. Wait, what? That was my first reaction when I heard that sentence, then a river of question streamed through my head. Apparently 500 years ago the Spaniards brought donkeys with them on the island to help them with the work around. A few hundreds years later when automobiles were brought here, all donkeys were set free to roam around. It sounds like a happy story for the donkeys, but it actually is not. They got into car accidents, fell in construction sites, their gene deteriorated being in limited number and with each year passing by, their number decreased. Currently the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary is protecting the remaining donkeys, offering home, food and medication for the ones needing it.

Make sure you stop by to say hello to these lovely fellows. For a small donation you can even hug one.

PARKPLACE: Yes, FREE
SOUVENIR SHOP: YES
COLD DRINKS: YES
TOILETS: YES
ENTRANCE FEE: FREE: They accept donations.

4. Huchada

For a light lunch or a snack I totally recommend a stop at Hurchada. This local bakery is a must try of traditional pastry and sandwiches. Make sure you get a taste of the delicious pastechi, the kala pika spicy bean balls or just some sausage or cinnamon rolls. For a propriate lunch keep your hunger for the next two spots.

PARKPLACE: Yes, FREE
SOUVENIR SHOP: NO
COLD DRINKS: YES
LUNCH: YES
TOILETS: YES

5. Studio Murano Art

At the studio Murano Art you can learn everything about glass blowing. The tradition was brought from Murano and keep alive in the artist’s family. There is a local exhibition with beautiful pieces of art in the same location. Some days they host workshops to create your own glass souvenirs. Whether you create an aloe leaves or a fish or attend a beads class, this is indeed a creative and recreational activity. For the hungry there is a restaurant on side with delicious local and international cuisine. The place has a terrace, so on the hot days you can just stop for ice cold drink and some shade.

PARKPLACE: Yes. FREE.
SOUVENIR SHOP: YES $$$
LUNCH: YES
COLD DRINKS: YES
TOILETS: YES
ENTRANCE FEE: FREE

6. Aruba Ostrich Farm

A few kilometers away from our last stop you will find on the left hand side the ostrich farm. This is a fun family experience for everyone. You can book an interactive guided tour to see how the animals live and grow there. Keep in mind that the tour is outside, thus bring your sun hats and cover up in sunscreen.

PARKPLACE: Yes. Free.
SOUVENIR SHOP: YES $$
LUNCH: YES
COLD DRINKS: YES
TOILETS: YES
ENTRANCE FEE: 14 $ / adult

7. Bushiribana Ruins

Following further the Aruba Travel Guide – One Day Heritage Tour and diving further north-west towards the coast, we will encounter the Bushiribana Ruins. They belong as well from the gold mining era to another company. The mine was open for 10 years only. You will start to encounter many UTV drivers and off-road Jeeps, being a perfect area for this activity. The Bushiribana ruins are now just a fun stop by the sea, to feel the real breeze Aruba has to offer on the west side of the island.

PARKPLACE: NO. Free parking anywhere at your own risk.
SOUVENIR SHOP: NO
COLD DRINKS: YES. Mobile Van.
TOILETS: NO
ENTRANCE FEE: NO

8. New Natural Pool (Cave Pool)

On the opposite side of the Bushiribana Ruins, by the cliffs, you will find the New Natural Pool. This pool was created naturally by the sea craving the limestone and soil year after year. There is a metal (rusty) stairway to get down to water. The winds are very strong on this side of the island and the waves can easily get higher than 2 meters. Make sure you stay safe.

The famous Natural Pool is in the Arikok Park, a few kilometers south from here and you will need an entrance ticket to visit it. I recommend taking another day to visit the Natural Pool and all the other attractions from Arikok Park.

PARKPLACE: NO. Same parking spot as for point 7.
SOUVENIR SHOP: NO
COLD DRINKS: YES. Mobile Van.
TOILETS: NO
ENTRANCE FEE: NO

9. Natural Bridge Aruba

This is probably one of the most spectacular natural sites in Aruba (at least for me it was). Unfortunately the Natural Bridge collapsed due to water corrosion. Don’t bring yourself down, because a few meters on the left hand side from the Natural Bridge is the Baby Bridge (the one from my 2 pictures below). This one holds on good and you can easily, but with caution, walk on it. Be careful with the strong winds and the high waves. Hold your hat with two hands on the bridge. 😉

PARKPLACE: FREE
SOUVENIR SHOP: YES. Visitor’s shop. $$
COLD DRINKS: YES
TOILETS: YES
ENTRANCE FEE: NO

10. Hooiberg

The best way to end this day is with a view from the top of Hooiberg. Hooiberg translated from Dutch means haystack and it got its name because of the shape of the hill. It is a 165 m (541 ft) high volcanic formation on Aruba. It is located almost in the center of the island and can be seen from virtually anywhere. Whether you climb it up in the evening or early in the morning, bring your camera with you. You will need to climb 662 concrete steps that lead to the top of the mountain. Are you ready for the best top view of Aruba?

ATTENTION to strong winds if you climb the rocks at the top.

PARKPLACE: Yes, FREE
SOUVENIR SHOP: NO
COLD DRINKS: NO
TOILETS: YES
ENTRANCE FEE: NO

Thank you for reading the Aruba Travel Guide – One Day Heritage Tour! I wish you a lot of fun and joy exploring the beauties of this happy island. Let’s stay in touch on social media too, for more travel stories on Instagram and Pinterest! ioana❤🌍