Aruba Animals

Burrowing Owl is the official Animal of Aruba

The official animal of Aruba is the Aruban Burrowing Owl. (Athene Cunicularia)

The Burrowing Owl can mostly be found at the Arikok National Park, the island???s protected wilderness sprawling across 18 percent of Aruba???s land area on the Eastern part of the island.

Some tourist have spotted the Burrowing Owl hunting for food on Eagle Beach in the mornings. It???s supposedly a rare sighting so if you see it - take a picture!

Burrowing Owl Facts

• Called Burrowing Owls because they like to live underground in holes created by squirrels and prairie dogs.
• Unlike other Owls, Burrowing Owls are active during the day.
• They have a chuckling or chattering call. When they bob their heads it for excitement or distress.
• Enjoy hunting small mammals such as moles and mice. When they can???t find any they eat insects - grasshoppers and beetles.
• Only about 10,000 breeding pairs in the world. They are considered endangered in Canada and a threatened in Mexico.

Other Island Birds

There are roughly 200 other species of birds on Aruba. You can also see Topical Mocking Birds, Vibrant Orange Trupial, Yellow Head Parakeet, Scarlet Ibia, Black Noodies, and pelicans all over the island.

The Bubali Pond, a former saltwater pond, is a perfect place to find the birds and other exotic wildlife. The pond became fresh water because of overflow from the wastewater treatment plant

Snakes, Lizards and Iguana - Oh My!

There are lots of lizards in Aruba. It is believed that half of all the known lizard species live in Aruba. They are just about every place on the island.

Iguanas are well present on the island. Most of them tend to stay away from the beach area. Usually, when you see one they are munching on leaves.

There are a few rattlesnakes that live in the Arikok National Park - far away from where tourist are enjoying their vacations. (An Interesting fact that no one has ever been bitten by a rattlesnake in Aruba.)

Other Island Animals

Lots of exciting Marine life: manta rays, stingrays, eagle rays, turtles, moray eels, barracuda, scorpion fish, jacks, yellow tails, groupers and octopuses.

There???s also donkeys, goats wondering around the rural areas of the Island.

Arubus

Taking the Arubus in Aruba

Instead of renting a car, or taking a taxi, tourist can take the bus to various points on the island. On the island of Aruba the public transportation bus is the Arubus.

Information from Arubus Website

The main hub is at the Oranjestad Bus Terminal, where you can connect to other buses to travel throughout the rest of the island.

There is two bus that travels along the route, the big bus and a little bus. The big bus cost a little more than the smaller bus.

All the reviews that I saw online talk about how clean the buses are and how friendly the drivers are. Make sure to let the driver know where you are going as they might recommend a different stop for you to get off on.

Some things I learned about the Arubus

• If you're in the Palm Beach area, you'll be using Line 10, 10A, and 10B to get around. It cost $5 to go from Palm Beach to the Oranjestad Bus Terminal (round trip).
• The 10 bus goes between the Oranjestad Bus Terminal and Boca Catalina beach. The Boca Catalina Beach is considered to be one of the best swimming beaches in the Caribbean
• The 10A bus goes between the Oranjestad Bus Terminal and Catalina Cove. Catalina Cove is a perfect place to go snorkeling and to the California Lighthouse. This is the only bus that goes to this far on the island, make sure to board the right bus!
• If you are considering visiting the California Lighthouse, take the 10A bus to the Arashi Arubus Stop (Last Stop). Then it's a 17-minute walk to the California Lighthouse.
• The 10B bus goes between the Oranjestad Bus Terminal and Casino at the Ritz-Carlton. The Ritz-Carlton Casino opens at 4 pm and a great place to watch the sunset.

Arubus Terminal

• The Oranjestad Bus Terminal is located across the street from the Royal Plaza Mall.
• It is also located near the cruise ships drop off. ( You can find information on the Cruise Ship schedule: Oranjestad Aruba Cruise Ship Port Schedule 2017

Getting Tickets

There is a smart card where you can get a reduce bus fair. However, you need to be a resident of the island to get the card. The Smart Card is only available at the Oranjestad Bus Terminal and not at the airport.

They only accept cash on board the bus, you can get change - so you don't need exact change.

Unique Souvenirs to Buy in Aruba

A vacation is complete without finding something special to remember your trip. When picking out your ideal souvenir, you want something that is unique to the location.

Here are five "must have" souvenirs from Aruba from various island tourists.

Aruba Aloe

This seems to be the most common thing that people get when they visit the island. You can buy the lotion at many stores on the island. Visit the factory to get a tour of how they make the location.

Aruba Aloe Factory, Museum and Store Pitastraat 115
Hato, Aruba

Aruban License Plate

The Aruban License plates are unique and make great wall decorations to a beach house. Someone that really likes Aruba has the license plate decorated around their hot tub at their home.

You can find them everywhere around the island. They are unique and not easily available off the island.

Local Pottery and Art

In the Palm Beach area are several small art shops where you can buy locally made pottery and art designs.

There is a flea market just across the street from the Renaissance Mall

Aruba Reusable Bag

A popular bag that you may see people have at the Aruba airport and beaches. The bag features: California lighthouse, Indian Cave Paintings, Immigration Stamps and the DiviDivi tree and the Aruba license plate.

You can find the bag at the Airport (Shopping Area and Gate 5), Marriott Vacation Club at Tropical Breeze, Renaissance Mall at Cocosol, Royal Plaza in Fantasea.

Jewelers Store

You can great deals on Watches and other Jewelry items in downtown Oranjestad.

The "Touch of Gold" store actually sells jewelry that is made on the island - which is considered rare since most stores just sell imports.

You can bargain with most stores to get a cheaper price than what you see.

There are several Pandora stores on Aruba, you can find an exclusive Aruba Charm. It's the Aruba symbol on an official pandora charm. It can only be purchased in Aruba.

Signs in Aruba

Great Photo opportunities in Aruba

There are two Aruba signs that are perfect to show everyone that you're in Aruba. One is the colorful Aruba sign with a star, and the other is the 'I Love Aruba' sign.

The purpose of this blog post is to show where you can locate these signs on the island. This is based on other blog posts and the GPS information on photos found online.

The best bet for finding these signs is visiting downtown Oranjestad.

Thanks to Eric Mijts for the 'I Love Aruba' photo.

I Love Aruba

There are two places where you can find this sign in Aruba. There is a smaller version of the sign that has been moving around the island on a trailer - usually park for a long duration.

Downtown Oranjestad near the Marina and next to the Renaissance Hotel in Oranjestad.

Smaller Version

In the Palm Beach area - in front of the Riu and Hilton Resorts.

California Lighthouse area - near the White Lighthouse Restaurant.

Aruba Sign

Official Version

You can find the sign in Linear Park near downtown Oranjestad. It's located just off the Lloyd G. Smith Blvd. It's located on the right-hand side of the road, chances are you'll see it on your way to your hotel from the airport.

Smaller Version

Palm Beach Area - There's a smaller sign near the Senor Frogs.

Aruba Island Tours

Some Non-Beach places to visit in Aruba

Your vacations plan to Aruba might be to sit and relax on the beach for the entire duration of the vacation. However, by day three you may get a bit bored and feel the need to venture away from the all exclusive resort.

Here are some island tours that might be interesting to take. (I haven't taken any of these, so I can't really speak on experience on how good they really are.)

Take A Submarine Ride

Aruba Atlantis Submarine Expedition

See the beautiful deep Caribbean Sea from a U.S. Coast guard approved submarine. Tour last 1 hour 50 mins and cost $105 for adults and $79 for kids.

Tour the Island Animal Farms

Half-Day Animal Sanctuary Tour in Aruba

Visit the Aruba Ostrich Farm, Donkey Sanctuary and the Phillip's Animal Garden in one morning or afternoon. Total Tour duration is about 4.5 hours. Cost is $42 per person.

Take a Jeep Tour

ABC Tours

Tour the Island of Aruba from Aruba's #1 Jeep Tour Company. You can choose the Cave Pool & North-Coast Explorer, Rugged Natural Pool Safari or the Blackstone Treasures UTV Tour.

The Island Ultimate looks to be the tour to take. It's a full day tour where you take an adventurous off-road tour of the island. Cost is $108 per adult, a child is $70. Tour includes a Hot Lunch and Snorkeling Gear.

Water Park Fun

Surfside Beach Experience takes you from your hotel to Splash Park Aruba

Enjoy a couple of hours of fun in the water in Aruba's only inflatable water park - located just off Surfside Reach.

Cost is $45 a person for a two-hour fun time in the park

Aruba International Airport

Fun things about the airport in Aruba

Queen Beatrix International Airport, is an international airport located in Oranjestad, Aruba. It has flight services to the United States, Trinidad, and Tobago, most countries in the Caribbean.

Thanks to Flickr user Rcoppola for the photo!

Twelve Things I learned about the Aruba Airport

• Official Name is Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix (Queen Beatrix International Airport.) Airport code is AUA
• On 22 October 1955, the airport was named after Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands during her royal visit to the island. It was renamed in 1980 after her accession to the throne.
• Aruba Airport has a runway length of 2814 meters (9232.28 feet). Last updated in July 2008. The airport now meets the standard runway size of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
• 8th busiest airport in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico is the Busiest Airport)
• Busiest week at the airport is the first week of the new year. Busiest time at the airport, according to Google Stats, is between 2 pm and 4 pm.
• The longest flight leaving the airport is to Stockholm, Sweden. Which departs/arrive about once a week. Distance: 8,696 km or 5,403. It's a 13-hour journey.
• Largest size planes that arrive at the airport are the Airbus A330-300 (292 Seats) and the Boeing's B787-800 (291 Seats) both from Europe
• Tourist leaving the Island are highly encouraged to arrive at the airport 3 hours early. Plan to be standing in long lines during this time, especially if you have flights departing between 2 pm and 4 pm. (Tip: Bring a USB battery charger for Cellphones!) You must pick up your checked luggage and carry it through US Customs and Border protection processing.
• In between the Central Security Checkpoint and the U.S. Customs area is duty from shopping. You make your purchase and then pick it up after you go through customs.
• There is a Souvenir store near the U.S. Departures gate after screening checkpoint. You can get last minute souvenirs as well as snacks for the flight.
• You may want to print out the map of the airport to help understand the departure process.
• There is free WiFi at the airport. ( Kids can watch YouTube while they wait. )

Getting to/from Marriott Surf Club Aruba

There is no Airport Shuttle service to get/from the resort. According to Marriott's Website, the estimated taxi fare is $30 one-way.

There are various limousine services available and they cost about $100 more.

There are no public transportation means to get to the Marriott Surf Club.

Aruba

Interesting facts about Aruba

This spring we???ll be visiting the island of Aruba. This will be our first visit to this tropical island. Over the next few week???s I???ll be looking into interesting things about the island.

Aruba is a tiny Dutch Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, has dry, sunny weather, blond beaches, and gentle surf.

Aruba is a popular winter destination for those that live in the New England. It provides a great break from enduring the long frigid winter weather. There are non-stop flights from Boston, New York, and twelve other major United States Airport. Just about every location is at least one stop away from Aruba.

Eleven Interesting Things I learned about Aruba

• Aruba is about 75 square miles in area. It has about five miles (8 km) at its widest point and 19 miles (30 km) in length. It is rank in 39th place by Caribbean island by size. The island is just a bit smaller than the Grand Cayman. (76 Square Miles)
• Aruba was first inhabited by the Arawak tribe. Europeans discovered the island by America Vespucci.
• Aruba celebrates Independence Day on January 1st.
• The Capital City is Oranjestad
• The major Economic industry is Tourism, followed by Construction (Which is fueled by the growth of the tourism industry).
• Aruba is the richest economy in the caribbean with a GDP per capita of $23.353. Bahamas is second at $22,17.
• Current Population is 104,822 (About the same population size as Cambridge, Massachusetts)
• There are 7,103 Hotel Rooms on the Island of which 2,272 rooms are for timeshare.
• Coldest Day in Aruba was on January 30, 1976 when it was 66 F (18.9 C)
• Hottest Day was in 2003 when it got to 99 F (37.2 c)
• Distance from the Equator: 862.5 miles (1388.05 km) (Equivalent distance between Boston and Milwaukee (859 miles) (1382.43 km)
• Aruba distance from Boston, Massachusetts: 2,061 Miles (As the crow fly)