I want to see Aruba

Looking for ideas for seeing Aruba. I was all set to do the Trikes tour and found out it is booked (over 100 days before our cruise). Please share any other ideas for seeing the island. We are planning to go to the Palm Beach area in the evening. Thank you.

Around Aruba has UTV tours, takes you where the trikes can't go. See the real Aruba.

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We did a tour with Sonny Binns this past week and really enjoyed it. He has a website that details the tour

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In 3 hours we saw a good portion of Aruba on a tour and then had

plenty of time for Palm Beach. Some tours are too long.

I just returned from my cruise. We found braveheart sightseeing in port. Nice air conditioned van, and he was wonderful.

We got to stop at each place to take photo's. After the tour he will drop you off at the beach of your choice and come back to pick you up and take you to the cruise port.

We were very lucky as when we booked him ($20pp) he only had 4 other people going to baby beach. This was not on our tour. But once they were dropped off we had him to ourselves. We saw the entire south end. Then the entire north. I believe we saw everything on the island. He explained everything about his island while we were driving and answered all questions. Not once did he rush us at stops, and a if we wanted to stop somewhere along the way he did so willing.

rent a car at port. So easy to drive Aruba and see everything at your pace. Several of the rental companies will meet you at pier. There are several threads about it on this forum. Have a great time.

I just returned from my cruise. We found braveheart sightseeing in port. Nice air conditioned van, and he was wonderful.

We got to stop at each place to take photo's. After the tour he will drop you off at the beach of your choice and come back to pick you up and take you to the cruise port.

 

We were very lucky as when we booked him ($20pp) he only had 4 other people going to baby beach. This was not on our tour. But once they were dropped off we had him to ourselves. We saw the entire south end. Then the entire north. I believe we saw everything on the island. He explained everything about his island while we were driving and answered all questions. Not once did he rush us at stops, and a if we wanted to stop somewhere along the way he did so willing.

Do you have contact info for Braveheart?

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I just returned from my cruise. We found braveheart sightseeing in port. Nice air conditioned van, and he was wonderful.

We got to stop at each place to take photo's. After the tour he will drop you off at the beach of your choice and come back to pick you up and take you to the cruise port.

 

We were very lucky as when we booked him ($20pp) he only had 4 other people going to baby beach. This was not on our tour. But once they were dropped off we had him to ourselves. We saw the entire south end. Then the entire north. I believe we saw everything on the island. He explained everything about his island while we were driving and answered all questions. Not once did he rush us at stops, and a if we wanted to stop somewhere along the way he did so willing.

Thanks for great information! Do you know how to contact him? We'll be sailing there in three weeks so I'd like to make reservations if possible.

We were in Aruba last December. Didnt have anything booked but when we got off the ship, wended our way through the little building with the vendors you will then find you have to walk out through the dock security gates. Just before those gates there is a long line of tourist vendor huts and right at the front was one which I think was called the Aruba Tour Association. Anyway, there was a group of older guys there (my ages, so 40-50) all in matching red polo shirts and nicely dressed. They offered 3 hour tours of the island in air conditioned mini vans. $25 per person and they just require 6 people per vehicle.

Great little tour by a guy who was obviously very proud of his homeland. We went to the lighthouse, the stone formations, found some Cashew trees and he gave a pretty good guided tour. Dropped us off right back at the port area.

I meant to add that at a lot of the places we stopped off there were big coach tour buses with 40 plus people on board. Whereas we were just 6 people so nobody ever delayed getting back onboard and heading out to the next stop. Plus at the lighthouse our driver knew the local vendors and got us coconuts etc. to try the water inside. One of our better unplanned stops....now.dont ask me about doing the same thing in Antigua because that was an absolute nightmare!!

Lots of people really enjoy renting Jeeps in Aruba.

Also there are normally Jeep Adventure excursions offered by the ship. :)

Just got back from Aruba this week. We did a tour with Aruba Fantasy Tours. We signed up for the 1/2 day tour because we were not interested in beach time. We saw a lot of the island: the lighthouse, rock formations, baby bridge, gold mine ruins, traditional Arubian house. We were given water, snacks of cheese and a special gift from the owner of the company, Jacky. I would recommend this tour

[Did you book on line our just find them at the port?

cant find them on Trip adviser..

quote=Cruise Girl Forever;52556143]I just returned from my cruise. We found braveheart sightseeing in port. Nice air conditioned van, and he was wonderful.

We got to stop at each place to take photo's. After the tour he will drop you off at the beach of your choice and come back to pick you up and take you to the cruise port.

We were very lucky as when we booked him ($20pp) he only had 4 other people going to baby beach. This was not on our tour. But once they were dropped off we had him to ourselves. We saw the entire south end. Then the entire north. I believe we saw everything on the island. He explained everything about his island while we were driving and answered all questions. Not once did he rush us at stops, and a if we wanted to stop somewhere along the way he did so willing.

Looking for ideas for seeing Aruba. I was all set to do the Trikes tour and found out it is booked (over 100 days before our cruise). Please share any other ideas for seeing the island. We are planning to go to the Palm Beach area in the evening. Thank you.

EL tours half day jeep tour is awesome! We booked through Costco shore excursions on-line. Lots of fun seeing the sites and off roading. Excellent guide named Ronald. We saw a lot and had fun. Bus meets you right at the terminal. We then went back to town near port for lunch and had time to hit Eagle beach for a swim, etc. great day in Aruba.

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We find it interesting that most folks, wanting to see something near their home, will simply jump in their car and drive. But put that person on a relatively compact island that has limited but decent roads, and they spend the big bucks on a tour. You want to truly see Aruba? Just rent a car (or 4 wheel drive) and drive yourself silly.

Hank

We find it interesting that most folks, wanting to see something near their home, will simply jump in their car and drive. But put that person on a relatively compact island that has limited but decent roads, and they spend the big bucks on a tour. You want to truly see Aruba? Just rent a car (or 4 wheel drive) and drive yourself silly.

 

Hank

That's what we're doing! Who did you rent through and was the jeep decent (if you had one)?

We did a tour with Sonny Binns this past week and really enjoyed it. He has a website that details the tour

 

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I also did a tour with Sonny in November. Best island tour I have been on in the Caribbean. We booked 6 on the day before we got into Aruba and he got a bigger bus to accommodate. very informative and pleasant man...don't miss him on the websites and good price

We looked at Pelican Tours, but they don't run on Thursdays and that is the day we're in port. We've booked the full day tour with ABC Jeep Tours. As others have said, regular vehicles can't go to all locations, hence the preponderance of trike, jeep or ATV tours. We're going next month, so I can't provide a first hand review yet, but the reviews on Trip Advisor were very good. We wanted to see as much of the island as possible as well. I hope we made the right choice!!

We looked at Pelican Tours, but they don't run on Thursdays and that is the day we're in port. We've booked the full day tour with ABC Jeep Tours. As others have said, regular vehicles can't go to all locations, hence the preponderance of trike, jeep or ATV tours. We're going next month, so I can't provide a first hand review yet, but the reviews on Trip Advisor were very good. We wanted to see as much of the island as possible as well. I hope we made the right choice!!

EL Tours 1/2 day jeep tour was great! Our guide Ronald was awesome.

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We looked at Pelican Tours, but they don't run on Thursdays and that is the day we're in port. We've booked the full day tour with ABC Jeep Tours. As others have said, regular vehicles can't go to all locations, hence the preponderance of trike, jeep or ATV tours. We're going next month, so I can't provide a first hand review yet, but the reviews on Trip Advisor were very good. We wanted to see as much of the island as possible as well. I hope we made the right choice!!

Printingchick, please update us when you get back. I am going in October but understand things tend to sell out quickly, so want to make some decisions soon.

We did the full-day jeep tour with ABC last week. There were four couples/8 people on our tour. We were the oldest in our late 50s. We had a great time. You will see parts of Aruba most people don't because they are reachable only by jeep or ATV. Arikok National Park is amazing. Parts of the area resemble Big Sur in California, but obviously far more remote. The vehicles offer a comfortable ride and yes, you can hear the guide. Our guide, Ludwig, was terrific. Visibility from the open vehicle is excellent. The trip out to the Natural Pool is definitely off roading and you will get bounced around on that part of the trip, but we never felt unsafe. Lunch was excellent. There were several complimentary options and some "upgrades" available for an additional charge. Beer or cocktails were also available for purchase if desired. We opted to skip the snorkeling at Baby Beach, our final stop of the day, but I understand there were lots of fish. The guide brings food to attract them. We relaxed at "Big Mama's," a beach bar with a Flintstone theme. I'd been to Aruba on a previous cruise and left feeling unimpressed, viewing it as just another island with big beach resorts. I left Aruba this time with an entirely new appreciation for the island. Great tour! I've included some photos below.

We did the full-day jeep tour with ABC last week. There were four couples/8 people on our tour. We were the oldest in our late 50s. We had a great time. You will see parts of Aruba most people don't because they are reachable only by jeep or ATV. Arikok National Park is amazing. Parts of the area resemble Big Sur in California, but obviously far more remote. The vehicles offer a comfortable ride and yes, you can hear the guide. Our guide, Ludwig, was terrific. Visibility from the open vehicle is excellent. The trip out to the Natural Pool is definitely off roading and you will get bounced around on that part of the trip, but we never felt unsafe. Lunch was excellent. There were several complimentary options and some "upgrades" available for an additional charge. Beer or cocktails were also available for purchase if desired. We opted to skip the snorkeling at Baby Beach, our final stop of the day, but I understand there were lots of fish. The guide brings food to attract them. We relaxed at "Big Mama's," a beach bar with a Flintstone theme. I'd been to Aruba on a previous cruise and left feeling unimpressed, viewing it as just another island with big beach resorts. I left Aruba this time with an entirely new appreciation for the island. Great tour! I've included some photos below.

 

 

 

 

You went to some of my favorite places. I vacation in Aruba every year and the trip is not complete without a visit to the wild side of the island. It is so beautiful and rugged, like another world.

Which cruise line were you with? i just tried to book @ 79 per person i think, and was told they are not allowed to take us becuase the cruise line has 80 spots and they are offering exact tour

 

i check cruise excursions, and its 99 per person and u go with a group of 80 rather than 16

My favorite tour of the island are the private tours with a taxi driver named Bully. We've done this several times. His tours are outstanding . He can only take up to 5 people in your party. The rate is $45.00 per hour, not per person, and worth every penny. He drives a nice, air conditioned van. He can be reached at bullytaxi79@hotmail.com

Which cruise line were you with? i just tried to book @ 79 per person i think, and was told they are not allowed to take us becuase the cruise line has 80 spots and they are offering exact tour

 

 

 

i check cruise excursions, and its 99 per person and u go with a group of 80 rather than 16

Sorry I didn’t see this sooner. I booked directly on the ABC website. The full day tour was more than $79, close to $100. We did get a 10% discount for booking well in advance. I was on a RCL cruise.

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