Activities
Activities
Cool Creature Encounters by Susan Campbell If you enjoy interacting with animals, amphibians, and fine-feathered friends, you might be surprised at Aruba’s wide array of creature encounters and adventures. There’s fabulous fun for all ages, rewarding and unforgettable experiences, and photo ops galore. So let’s discover where the wild things are!
Start in the protected nature park
Traveling outside of the urban areas, you’ll often see wild goats and donkeys meandering along the roads. But if you really want the lowdown on the local fauna, then a trek to Arikok National Park is in order. Start at their modern visitor center to see some of the endemic animals on exhibit like the electric bluespotted whiptail lizard (cododo), the cool Aruban cat-eye snake (santanero), and the endangered rattlesnake (cascabel), which incidentally doesn’t use its rattle! Then take a guided tour through the arid, cactistudded natural spread. It might appear that there is little wildlife, but the park rangers know where to unearth all the critters that might be hidden right before your eyes. And if you visit the caves in the park, you’re sure to see lots of cool bats just hanging around. Enjoy eclectic birdlife
Aruba has 236 species of birds (some stay year-round like the brown pelican), and many migratory species stop into
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the mangrove marshlands between the highrise and lowrise hotels. It’s a protected area called Bubali Bird Sanctuary, and there’s a tower you can climb to get a better view. But Aruba’s most famous bird is the shoco – now the official national animal symbol. These quirky little burrowing owls are endemic to Aruba and can be found in spots like Arikok Park and nesting around Tierra del Sol’s golf course. They live in the ground, and if you come upon a hole and hear a rattling sound like a snake, don’t worry, the baby owls are taught to make that sound by their mothers to discourage predators!
There’s also a friendly flock of flamingoes at Renaissance Island. Though it’s a private beach for their guests, you can often purchase a visitor’s day pass (depending on their occupancy). The flamingoes live on the adults-only beach side, but children are allowed between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. for supervised visits. And if you dine at Hyatt’s Ruinas del Mar you’ll see regal black swans in their lagoon. There are many organizations in place to help you find where to spot and identify the island’s feathered friends, and the Aruba Birdlife Conservation is the best place to start. If you want to interact with some really bizarre birds, then head to the Aruba Ostrich Farm. Though ostriches originate in Africa, you’ll find a flock of more than 80 making the island their home now. Do they really hide their heads in the sand? Do they mate based on the color of their feet? You’ll learn all about their unusual bird behavior from informative guided tours that show you each step of their life cycle. !
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Activities Discover more wonders
Though the livestock at this “farm” are insects, Aruba’s Butterfly Farm is still aptly named because this is where these delightful winged wonders are literally raised from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to full-grown butterfly or moth. If you visit in the morning when the butterflies are at their most active, you’ll see them feed and maybe even witness a birth! To attract them to you, wear bright colors and citronella perfume, and apparently there
Activities is something in Banana Boat sunscreen that entices the males! If they do alight, expert guides will show you how to handle them with care. You’ll also see turtles in their beautiful tropical gardens and ponds. Fifteen- to twenty-minute guided tours run all day, but you’re welcome to stay on as long as you wish. The initial admission charge is also good for return visits for the rest of your stay. Visit early in the week so you can return often, as you will surely want to.
Encounter exotic animals
Ride sensational steeds
Meet marvelous marine life
Philip Merryweather began rescuing abandoned and abused animals from all over until his house became such a “zoo” that he decided to open an animal complex that the public could visit. Philip’s Pet Collection Foundation is now a nonprofit organization dedicated to the care of rescue animals, and Philip’s Animal Garden is more of a sprawling ranch than a garden. You’ll find over 50 different species of rescues including a kangaroo, an emu, an alpaca, camels, some deer, an ocelot, a Bengal, and even a skunk! The tours are fun and educational for all ages. Entrance includes healthy snacks you can feed the residents, and there’s a large children’s playground on-site as well.
The Spanish conquistadors also brought some of the world’s finest horses with them when they arrived; they are the paso fino breed, cherished for their super smooth gait. When they trot, you never bounce up and down! (Paso fino means “fine step” in Spanish.) At one time Aruba was an important horse trading port due to this breed, which is why you see so many blue ceramic horse sculptures around downtown, and they are a tribute to the island’s past. Today, most of Aruba’s horses boast paso fino ancestry so riders are assured a smooth and easy ride. There are many horseback riding tours for all ages and skill levels. Some go through Arikok Park and others go along the beach to the ruins of the old Aruba gold mines. It’s a wonderful eco-friendly way to explore the island while getting to know some very special steeds.
Aruba’s resplendent reefs are full of undersea wonders to discover through snorkeling or diving. Most of the snorkel tour operators stop at the same spots that are populated with all kinds of tropical fish. You’ll probably see scorpion fish, jacks, yellow tails, groupers, angelfish, puffers, butterfly fish, squirrelfish, French angels, goatfish, porkfish, sergeant majors, and everyone’s favorite: the colorful eversmiling parrotfish! !
Adopt a donkey
BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD A visit to Aruba’s Butterfly Farm is an unforgettable encounter with nature in all its beauty and diversity. Step into a tropical garden teeming with butterflies from around the globe and prepare to meet some of the world’s most colourful creatures. Observe the life cycle of these fascinating animals from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The Butterfly Farm is also home to Aruba’s most unique gift shop.
Open 7 days a week 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Last tour starts at 4 pm Call us at 586-3656
J.E. Irausquin Blvd Z/N Conveniently located across from the Phoenix Hotel www.thebutterflyfarm.com 32 Nights
The Spanish introduced donkeys to the island, but once they were no longer needed for transportation, they were more or less left to fend for themselves. Their ongoing collision with modern day development has, unfortunately, left many of them unsafe due to traffic and without adequate grazing grounds. The Donkey Sanctuary Aruba in Bringamosa gives them a safe home and welcomes visitors. You’ll discover there’s much to learn about these gentle, charming creatures, and each has its own unique character. The donkeys love all the extra attention, and they love carrots and apples as well, so feel free to bring along some treats. There’s no admission fee but Donkey Sanctuary Aruba is purely nonprofit and depends on donations, volunteers, and fundraisers to keep the sanctuary running. You can help by purchasing donkey souvenirs onsite, or even “adopt a donkey” to pay for an individual animal’s boarding for the year. (No worries, you don’t have to take it home.) You can also adopt a donkey online on their website. All photos by Luis Mejia
Top left photo by Tara Markus
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Activities Learn about our lovely lizards
If you’re lucky, you might even run into some rays, eels, or sea turtles! To get closer to the marine life without being certified to dive, you can also try SNUBA: a snorkeling experience with an oxygen tank attached to a raft by a hose so you can dive deeper. Sea turtle nestings & hatchings
Your chances of seeing a sea turtle are best during their nesting season on Aruba, which is typically around March to July. Four types of sea turtles return to the beaches where they were born to make their nests here each year: leatherback, hawksbill, green, and loggerhead. Eagle Beach is the most popular spot for our prehistoric friends to nest, and Turtugaruba is the local foundation that protects them. They scour the island for nests, and when spotted, they erect red and white barriers around it to keep it safe. Please don’t walk within their boundaries when you come upon them. Visitors can contact Turtugaruba to receive alerts when there’s a nesting or hatching taking place, both extraordinary events to witness up close. If you spot a nest, they have a sea turtle hotline you can report it to. You can also help Aruba’s sea turtle population by not using balloons, plastic bags, straws, and other nondegradable litter that can kill them when they mistake it for food. And never drive vehicles on the beaches. Most nestings and hatchings happen at night, but sometimes you might be lucky and see one in the daytime. It’s an incredible experience you’ll never forget. 34 Nights
Due to the arid climate, this island is home to half of the world’s known lizard species! You are bound to encounter lots of little lizards and lounging iguanas around the resorts. The iguanas can grow up to three feet long and live up to 20 years old. So it’s no surprise that so many resorts have resident “characters” that have staked out permanent territory around the pools where they love to bask in the hot sun on the hot cement. They are cold blooded and need the heat to survive. The resort lizards are typically very tame, sometimes even brazen in their quest for handouts, but please don’t feed them fries or bread, as that is really bad for their system. Iguanas are herbivores; so if you want to give them a healthy treat, throw them some raw veggies or fresh fruit or lettuce. But please also obey the “No Feeding” signs wherever they are posted.
Then there are tiny almost translucent lizards you might encounter on your balcony walls and ceilings. These are called pega pega in Papiamento meaning “sticky sticky” due to the suction cups on their feet that allow them to cling to almost anything and defy gravity. They eat tons of pesky bugs, so they’re great to have around. Volunteer at a shelter
If you’re missing your furry friends back home, the island’s domestic pet shelters always welcome volunteers to cuddle cats and walk their rescue dogs. They can also assist in the adoption of an animal friend to take back home, and they always welcome visitors to aid in fundraising events and to raise awareness to find the island’s shelter animals forever homes. As you can see, Aruba has many eclectic adventures where you can meet cool creatures and critters, so why not go out and make some new animal friends while you’re on holiday here? "
“Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” – George Eliot Photo by