Make suggestions on things to see for our family of 3

[CK1]

Audia, as you go to several beaches, you and your family might get lucky to see some sea turtles hatching.

Turtuga Aruba Foundation has a very informative Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/Turtugaruba/

And here is their official website:

Four species of sea turtles are found nesting on Aruba:

The Leatherback, the Loggerhead, the Green and the Hawksbill.

http://turtugaruba.org/

[CK1]

I just came across this fantastic photo gallery of the Bubali Bird Sanctuary. There are some areal photos, showing the tower and the little road leading to the tower (photo #2):

Bubali Bird Sanctuary

https://www.aruba.com/us/explore/bubali-bird-sanctuary

Excerpt from my post #10:

To reach the tower on the north side of Bubali, take J. E. Irausquin Boulevard heading north and travel 1 mile to the rather busy intersection near the Wyndham Beach Resort. Turn right (east) heading towards the big, red windmill and watch for the entrance to a small dirt road on your right within 200 yards. This is the road to the observation tower, which itself should be visible a few hundred yards farther along.

[AudiaS4]

try again google maps and i think we used the app maps.me on our iphone

yes

by foot. Just park alongside the road (juraqusin blvd) it is either parallel parking or diagonal parking. It is nothing fancy and it is maybe not even marked.
the splash park has been in place now for about 18 mos.

if i were staying at divi or manchebo/abc/cdm or bucuti i would be on the beach there. If not, i would not. There are 0 amenities on the beach there for folks that are not staying at any of those resorts. As i said before, i do not think at that area they even rent lounges. At the abc and cdm section it is quit narrow and rocky. Maybe pegmeister or cp will give you a different opinion as they stay there often. Or if you did hang out on the beach in that area, it would give you great opportunity to check out the 3 timeshare resorts there that you may like to stay at during another trip. The costa linda is my favorite timeshare on the island.

thank you so so much! :d

[AudiaS4]

Those are two different places/rock formations. They are only a short car drive apart.

Casibari is the more famous one as you can climb on top of it and have a great view of the island.

Ayo is the one who has the Indian drawings on the wall.

I have been to both and enjoyed it a lot. Here are some links for additional info and photos/videos:

http://www.welcomearuba.com/casibari...ormations.html

https://wheninaruba.com/blog/landscapes/

Ayo is the one we went to last time (and just got lucky finding it while out driving). Casibari is the one we still need to see. I'm going to attempt that one this time around.

Audia, you and your family will enjoy the Donkey Sanctuary a lot! It's a bit difficult to find. But they provide great directions on their official website, there is a map as well:

Directions

Take Route 4a from the hotels and follow this road for 14 km, pass all the circles/roundabouts until you see a sign for the French Men’s Pass. Make a left turn onto the French Men’s Pass, then 1st left, 2nd right. On that dirt road you will find the Donkey Sanctuary after about 200 meters.
If you have a GPS device, navigate to these coordinates: N 12°48.974’ W 069°96.642’ This will bring you to the entrance of the Donkey Sanctuary.
Opening hours:

• Every day open 9 am - 4 pm.
• Closed only on Januari 1st.

http://main.arubandonkey.org/portal/

And here is their Facebook site. Lots of smiling faces!

https://www.facebook.com/donkey.sanctuary.aruba/

We REALLY wanted to go to that and my daughter constantly talked about it. We just could never find it. Hopefully this time around!

The "Bubali Bird Sanctuary" has a website as well with a detailed description how to get there as well as photos:

Bubali Bird Sanctuary

One of our favorite birding areas, and one of the easiest to find.

Description: A very large wetland originally supplied with treated water from the island's sewage treatment facility. A canal now connects the area to the sea.
How to Get There: To reach Bubali from Orenjestad, follow L.G. Smith Boulevard west, then curving north for 2.3 miles until you reach an intersection. Turn left (west) towards the beach and follow this unnamed road for 0.3 mile where you will see the entrance to a dirt road on your right about 20 yards from the intersection with J. E. Irausquin Boulevard. This will take you into the thorn-scrub habitat bordering on the mangroves along the west side of Bubali. You can park here to explore the area on foot.

To reach the tower on the north side of Bubali, take J. E. Irausquin Boulevard heading north and travel 1 mile to the rather busy intersection near the Wyndham Beach Resort. Turn right (east) heading towards the big, red windmill and watch for the entrance to a small dirt road on your right within 200 yards. This is the road to the observation tower, which itself should be visible a few hundred yards farther along.

Birding Bubali: On the north side of the site, across from the big, red Dutch Windmill (a local landmark) is an observation tower that affords excellent views of this expansive wetland. From there you can see Pied-billed Grebe, Least Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant, Caribbean Coot, Common Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, White-cheeked Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, Groove-billed Ani, various herons and egrets.

More info at link:
http://www.arubabirds.com/aboutBirds...dSanctuary.htm

And their FB site with lovely photos and videos:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bubal...94064590630741

So...you park, walk to some of these places and then get back in the car and drive to another area and repeat?

Audia, as you go to several beaches, you and your family might get lucky to see some sea turtles hatching.

Turtuga Aruba Foundation has a very informative Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/Turtugaruba/

And here is their official website:

Four species of sea turtles are found nesting on Aruba:

The Leatherback, the Loggerhead, the Green and the Hawksbill.

http://turtugaruba.org/

That would be super cool to see. We have seen the nests on the beach and blocked off in places before...but never seen any hatching.

I just came across this fantastic photo gallery of the Bubali Bird Sanctuary. There are some areal photos, showing the tower and the little road leading to the tower (photo #2):

Bubali Bird Sanctuary

https://www.aruba.com/us/explore/bubali-bird-sanctuary

Excerpt from my post #10:

To reach the tower on the north side of Bubali, take J. E. Irausquin Boulevard heading north and travel 1 mile to the rather busy intersection near the Wyndham Beach Resort. Turn right (east) heading towards the big, red windmill and watch for the entrance to a small dirt road on your right within 200 yards. This is the road to the observation tower, which itself should be visible a few hundred yards farther along.

Thanks

[AudiaS4]

Hi Kim. Glad to see you are headed back to Aruba. If you haven't checked out Trikes, take a look. It's a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon. It doesn't go to all of the places you want to go, but it goes to Alto Vista chapel, the lighthouse, Casibarri rock formations, stops briefly at Surfside Beach, and drives through Eagle Beach, Malmok, and some of Palm Beach. They are three seaters, so there's room for you and Sakari to ride in the back. They have automatic and a few stick shifts.

Splash Park Aruba is just some inflatables at Surfside Beach. It's similar to the ones that your family were jumping on in one of your cruise reviews.

Hello Dianne! I was going to email you and tell you we were heading back again and see if you had any suggestions. I didn't realize that they had 3 seaters. I will have to ask my hubby if he's interested. Thanks!

I just found info online about splash park. It seems like you have to buy 1/2 day tickets and it includes transportation. I wish it was just a beach you could just pay an admission and stay as long as you want.

[CK1]

Audia, Casibari is the more famous rock formation where you can climb on the top and have a gorgeous view. Totally worth it going.

Hope, you find the Donkey Sanctuary this time. Actually, I'm certain, you will! Your daughter will have so much fun! The donkeys LOVE carrots.

Do you still have questions about the Bubali Bird Sanctuary?

Fingers and toes crossed that you will be able to witness the hatching of the turtles.

[Andrea J.]

re: splash park

they do sell admission for 1 hr visits.
those visits do not include transportation to surfside beach or any other things...only admission for 1 hour into the splash park.

Hello Dianne! I was going to email you and tell you we were heading back again and see if you had any suggestions. I didn't realize that they had 3 seaters. I will have to ask my hubby if he's interested. Thanks!

I just found info online about splash park. It seems like you have to buy 1/2 day tickets and it includes transportation. I wish it was just a beach you could just pay an admission and stay as long as you want.

[AudiaS4]

Audia, Casibari is the more famous rock formation where you can climb on the top and have a gorgeous view. Totally worth it going.

Hope, you find the Donkey Sanctuary this time. Actually, I'm certain, you will! Your daughter will have so much fun! The donkeys LOVE carrots.

Do you still have questions about the Bubali Bird Sanctuary?

Fingers and toes crossed that you will be able to witness the hatching of the turtles.

Thanks so much for all the info.

re: splash park

they do sell admission for 1 hr visits.
those visits do not include transportation to surfside beach or any other things...only admission for 1 hour into the splash park.

Yea, I don't think that 1 hour would be enough time. I was hoping you could just buy a day pass and spend as much time as you wanted there (kinda like De Palm) from open to close.

[hatteras]

Hello Dianne! I was going to email you and tell you we were heading back again and see if you had any suggestions. I didn't realize that they had 3 seaters. I will have to ask my hubby if he's interested. Thanks!

I just found info online about splash park. It seems like you have to buy 1/2 day tickets and it includes transportation. I wish it was just a beach you could just pay an admission and stay as long as you want.

Kim, There is a snack bar and restroom there. I'm not sure if they have any vendors with chairs and umbrellas. They should because this would be a perfect spot for day visitors and cruisers. I'm not back on the island until February, but maybe someone will chime in and give us an update. However, it is a short walk to Reflextions Beach Club. You could spend the rest of the day there.

[Andrea J.]

yup they have chairs/umbrellas for rent

i think about $30+ for 2 lounges and 1 umbrella

i am unsure if there are any fixed palapaas on that section of surfside

reflexions is a great idea.
we spend lots of time there when we are on island.

Kim, There is a snack bar and restroom there. I'm not sure if they have any vendors with chairs and umbrellas. They should because this would be a perfect spot for day visitors and cruisers. I'm not back on the island until February, but maybe someone will chime in and give us an update. However, it is a short walk to Reflextions Beach Club. You could spend the rest of the day there.