Aruba Activities and Practical: Natural Pool Jeep Safari, Aruba Aloe, Cruise Shopping, the Antilla Wreck Dive, and the Happy Island Formula
The Aruba activity circuit covers the Natural Pool 4x4 jeep safari, the Aruba Aloe factory visit, the Oranjestad cruise ship shopping strip, the largest Caribbean shipwreck dive at Malmok, and the formula of consistent trade winds and safety that makes Aruba the highest satisfaction-rated Caribbean destination.
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Natural Pool and the Aruba Jeep Safari
The Natural Pool in the northeastern corner of Aruba, accessible only by 4x4 vehicle through the rocky Cunucu landscape, is a secluded swimming pool enclosed by volcanic rock formations where the crashing Atlantic waves surge through the rock tunnel to fill the pool with constantly refreshed ocean water. The Jeep safari excursion to the Natural Pool is the most popular activity excursion in Aruba.
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Aruba Food: Dutch-Caribbean Fusion
The Aruba food scene reflects the Dutch colonial influence in the keshi yena stuffed cheese, the pastechi pastry, and the Dutch-style pancakes alongside the Caribbean Creole traditions of the grilled seafood, the fish fry, and the local goat stew of the cunucu village kitchens. The Main Street restaurant corridor of Oranjestad and the Palm Beach restaurant row provide the dining options from the local to the international cuisine.
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Aruba Aloe: The National Product
Aruba Aloe, the aloe vera cultivation and processing industry established on the island in the 19th century when the island soil and climate were found to be ideal for the succulent, is one of the few surviving non-tourism industries of the island, with the Aruba Aloe factory in Oranjestad producing the premium aloe products sold throughout the island as the most authentic Aruba souvenir. The Aloe Museum at the factory provides the history of the Aruba aloe industry.
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Oranjestad Cruise Ship Port: The Shopping Capital
Oranjestad, consistently rated as the top shopping destination in the Caribbean by cruise ship passenger surveys, serves approximately 700,000 cruise ship visitors annually at the Aruba port, who shop the duty-free luxury goods, the local crafts, and the Aruba aloe products on the Main Street pedestrian shopping strip that runs from the port along the colonial town center.
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Malmok Beach: The Wreck Diver Destination
Malmok Beach on the northwest coast of Aruba, adjacent to the Antilla wreck, the largest shipwreck in the Caribbean at 120 meters, is the primary shore diving destination of the island, with the World War II German freighter lying in 18 to 27 meters of water and providing the most elaborate and historically significant wreck dive accessible from the beach in the Dutch Caribbean.
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Aruba Practical: The Happy Island
Aruba, marketed as One Happy Island, has the highest tourism satisfaction rating in the Caribbean due to the combination of the reliable trade wind climate with minimal rain and hurricane risk, the English and Dutch language competence of the Aruban population, the US dollar acceptance throughout the island, and the safety record that is among the lowest crime rate in the Caribbean.