Half-Day Aruba Island Tour from Oranjestad
Description
So much to do, so little time! This half-day island tour includes all of Aruba's must see attractions, including the California Lighthouse, Ayo or Casibari rock formations, the Bushiribana gold mill ruins and the Aloë Vera Factory. Hop on and enjoy a fun, personalized and friendly Aruba island tour. A professional guide and hotel pick up and drop off in an air-conditioned bus are included in the trip.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Learn all about the Aruba aloe production process along with the 160 year history of Aloe Vera cultivation in Aruba during the factory & museum tour. Afterwards visitors have the opportunity to shop for their perfect Aloe Vera product. Before you leave, don't forget to snatch a picture underneath a Divi Divi tree with the Aloe plantation in the background.
The California Lighthouse is built on top of the Hudishibana hill, located on the north-west tip of Aruba. Passengers will get the opportunity to get off the bus and admire the lovely 360 degree view atop the hill. See how the white sand beaches meets the desert-like landscape. To explore the surrounding area is free. If you wish to climb up the Lighthouse there is an admission fee applicable that is not included in this tour.
Alto Vista Chapel is a small Catholic chapel also known as "Pilgrims Church" that stands on the hills above the north shore of the sea. Visitors have the opportunity to stop and walk around and enter the Chapel. There is also opportunity to purchase coconut water from a local vendor.
Discover the magnificent panoramic view atop the boulders of the Casibari Rock Formation. It only require a small climb by man-made stairs to reach the top. Afterwards, relax in the beautiful garden surrounding the rock formation.
Walk around the Bushiribana gold smelter ruins. the contrast of the blue skies with the red sand and deep blue ocean makes for wonderful photos.
Explore the little natural bridge that is next to the ruins of the bigger natural bridge. Walk around the site to admire how the desert-like hills meets the rough waters.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
• PICK-UP TIME: 9 AM Tour: Between 8.25 and 9 AM AST 10 AM Tour: 9.25 and 10 AM AST • PICK-UP AREA: Complementary pick up in the Oranjestad-West, Palm Beach and Eagle Beach area. • PICK-UP SPOT: Hotel/ condos: In front of the lobby of your resort or at the security gate Apartments: outside the gates Cruise Port: Meeting point is in front of the Ocean Drive Store . Turn Right as soon as you exit the gates and you will see the blue store with the yellow logo of Ocean Drive. The store is next to the Diamonds International Store (Gate 3). • WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE JOINING: Comfortable walking shoes (sneakers/ supportive sandals) are recommended. One of the stops is a spiritual/ religious site, as such proper attire is recommend to visit (covered chest area, upper arms and above knee area) The road between Natural Bridge and Bushiribana is an unpaved road and can be bumpy. We recommend to carry some extra cash on you (US dollar is widely accepted on the island). There are toilet facilities at most of the stops. Some are free others may charge 1 US dollar per visit. Entrance to go up the California Lighthouse is not included and this activity is at your own risk. If you are pregnant, have back issues , or any other medical reason, we recommend to contact our office to reserve your seat behind the driver. Our guides are multi-lingual and this means that they might be explaining part of the tour in other languages to other guests. Para nuestros invitados de habla hispana: a veces no recibimos suficientes invitados para un recorrido solo en español. En este caso, lo programaremos en nuestro recorrido en inglés. Todos nuestros guías son multilingües y estarán más que felices de traducirle parte del recorrido. Si cree que esto podría obstaculizar su experiencia en el recorrido, cancele o contáctenos antes del recorrido para obtener un reembolso.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late at meeting point
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
Reviews(1,485)
The guide was knowledgeable and the tour was as expected. I especially liked that the tour time was not padded by multiple hotel pickups. We transfered to the tour bus at the time stated.
Thank you for joining us on the tour. We are happy to hear that you have learned so much about Aruba during your time with us.
Our tour guide Curtis was very informative and did not rush us when stopped to see the sights.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that Curtis was informative and gave you plenty of time to enjoy the sights at each stop. We’ll be sure to share your wonderful feedback with him. We hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
Our half-day tour with Curtis was great! We were picked up at our hotel in an AC tour bus with plenty of space. Curtis gave anecdotes about each stop and information as we passed different neighborhoods and districts along the way. He was funny, charismatic, friendly, and welcoming (Bon Bini!) and the perfect host for our tour. If you’re excited to learn more about the island, check it out!
Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your Half Island Tour with Curtis. His humor, charisma, and knowledge truly make exploring Aruba extra special, and we’re glad you enjoyed his stories and insights along the way. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with him! Thank you for choosing us to discover more of our beautiful One Happy Island.
Weren’t provided info about who was picking us up, very confusing initially. Once we finally had a driver, she was absolutely amazing. Very knowledgeable and took great care to make sure that everybody was comfortable throughout. Gave ample time at each site. Very enjoyable experience.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We sincerely apologize for the confusion at the beginning regarding your pickup. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to help us improve our communication. We’re very happy to hear that once your tour began, your guide provided such a wonderful experience, making everyone feel comfortable, sharing her knowledge, and allowing plenty of time to enjoy each stop. Thank you for choosing us to explore Aruba, and we hope to welcome you back again! 🌴☀️
Too much time was spent at the first location the aloe vera factory/ museum. This created a rush to visit the other locations on the tour. Using a driver as a guide and driver is unsafe and ineffective with two language groups. I learned more by googling information than I did from the guide. Actually, too little information was given for any of the locations. Missing the Alo Vera Chapel was due to poor planning and delays. Could have rectified by have the first stop only 30 minutes.
It was great having transportation provided to visit all of these sites, which made getting around very convenient. However, our experience felt more like having a bus driver take us from one destination to another than having a true tour guide. We would have appreciated more information and commentary about the sites we were visiting along the way. One other suggestion would be to provide an exact specific hotel pickup time rather than a 40-minute pickup window. Having to wait around or rush not knowing when the bus is coming is inconvenient and makes it easy to waste time.
Excellent experience. Extra ordinary Tour guide. Had great time with Curtis.
Our guide Mary was really helpful, funny, and informative. It was a half day tour, so our stops were brief; however she gave us a good history of the places were were seeing and offered advice as to what to focus on during our stops. She was prompt in picking us up, and friendly as well. There were not too many people on the bus tour so it was manageable and people were friendly. We enjoyed the rock formation and the Natural Bridge the most; probably the chapel was our least favorite stop (mainly because it was a very windy, bumpy road to get to). We felt it was a good value and were happy with the experience. Although there were a couple stops we could have explored more, we did not want to do the full day, so this was a great balance. The bus was air conditioned and comfortable. I might have asked for more than one water bottle if it was offered (I think that would be a good idea for clients). All in all, a very good outing!
What an awesome day! This trip was the perfect length. Curtis was an excellent guide! He was knowledgeable, funny, and professional. He not only told us about our stops but gave us insight on the history, culture, architecture and culinary aspects of Aruba! Highly recommend this tour! Even if it rains...which it did!!!
We had a fantastic half-day tour with Curtis! He had great stories, was so friendly & told us all about Aruba. He never made any stops feel rushed and took his time to answer questions from everyone on the tour. Also, this was a small, intimate tour of about 11 people, which made it feel customized. Also, it was really great to be picked up at the resort. I highly recommend this tour, especially for first time visitors to Aruba. Keep up the GRESTNESS!!!
