Aruba as very high on my travel list was due to its incredible diversity. Being situated so south (just 15 miles off the coast of Venezuela) and quite close to the equator, this Caribbean island is a unique desert island, unlike its other tropical cousins in the North Caribbean. Half of the island has white powdery sands with beautiful turquoise blue calm waters and the other half is an arid desert filled with cacti and stunning coves with dramatic waves.

One of the best highlights of our trip was an Off Road UTV ride in the wild Aruban outback with De Palm Tours. They have a bunch of tours; we opted to get behind the wheel to get down and dirty in an exhilirating UTV ride. There are 2 options for a UTV ride with Depalm Tours – visit to the Natural pool (Conchi) in Arikok or the Andicuri trail. We opted for the latter option. Being amateur off road drivers, it took us a few quick minutes to get used to it and then we were totally hooked. Cruising through the stunning desert with incredible views and vistas in every direction , made us feel like we were living in a Mad Max world. It was unreal!

Some of the stops we made during our ride were :

1 ) A smaller natural bridge (similar to the very popular Natural Bridge that recently collapsed.

2 ) The gorgeous Andicuri Beach. This was one of my personal favorite and most secluded beaches on the island. It is surrounded by incredible desert like landscape and these huge limestone ledges .

3 ) Historic Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins – This ancient abandoned gold mill once processed ore from mines in the nearby hills during Aruba’s gold rush of the nineteenth century. We didnt find a pot of gold, but were so lucky to see a gorgeous rainbow here at the mill!

4 ) Alto Vista Chapel – a quaint chapel in the middle of the desert.

5 ) California Lighthouse – Situated in the northernmost part of the island, the California lighthouse is one of Aruba’s scenic trademarks and offers a picture perfect view of the island’s western coastline of sandy beaches and rocky coral shorelines. A sunset dinner at the el Faro Blanco restaurant located here is a very popular thing to do, keep in mind to make reservations well in advance if you plan on going.

This was a day we will never ever forget, we had such a memorable fun day. I highly recommend De Palm Tours if you are ever visiting the island of Aruba.

Bodysuit – c/o Indah

Shorts – Grlfrnd Denim

Sneakers – Timberland

Sunnies – pared eyewear

Thanks for stopping by! Stay Tuned for more posts from Aruba all through this week on the blog. xoxo

Jyo