Vacation Reviews
Aruba Shore Excursions (cont)
The population of Aruba
is of mixed descent and can trace its ancestry back to 40 different ethnic
backgrounds from around the world. The native language is a creole dialect
called Papiamento which is made up of elements of Dutch, Spanish, English,
French, Portuguese, a number of different African languages, and Arawak
Indian. Nearly everyone on the island is able to speak English and Spanish,
in addition to Dutch, which is the official language of
Aruba.
Arikok
National Park
Arikok
National Park encompasses
a significant chunk of the interior and a long stretch of the northern coast.
The park has miles of well-marked hiking trails and this, for most, is the best
way to discover its attraction. Between the towering cacti and the contorted
divi-divi trees can be found the best preserved Indian cave paintings on the
island, deserted plantation houses, and the ruins of an old gold mine. Within
the park is Mount Jamanota, which at 620ft (188m) is
Aruba's biggest hill. From the top one can enjoy good views of the
island and on a clear day one can see across to Venezuela. At the southern reaches
of the park are the Guadirkiri
Caves and the Tunnel of
Love. Legend has it that the headstrong daughter of an Indian Chief was trapped
here with an unsuitable suitor and left to perish but their love-boosted spirits
shot through the roof of the cave and into heaven.
San Nicolas
The industrial centre of Aruba, San Nicolas
is the island's oldest and largest town. Until the late 19th century it was
a small fishing village but all this changed with the mining of phosphate on
the island, and more recently the discovery of oil off the coast of Venezuela. The
town provides a glimpse of old British-Caribbean charm and contains a
handful of restaurants and shops. There are a few popular beaches to the
east of the town that offer good swimming and snorkelling opportunities and
are suitable for families.
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