Weather

Aruba is perfect if you are looking for a truly sun filled destination. On very rare occasions does it not shine! Since Aruba is so close to the equator, the sun is very bright. Luckily, Aruba is always cooled by a pleasant sea breeze. This wind makes it sometimes feel a bit cooler than it really is. Therefore you should always be very careful in the sun and use a high factor of sun block.

Nature

Aruba has a rare collection of its own distinctive creatures that reside on or about the island. The island itself is very dry and plants you most frequently see are for example cactuses, aloe vera plants and divi-divi trees (that are shaped beautifully by the wind). Not until just recently did we begin to more carefully protect the species that reside in Aruba. One of these distinctive creatures is the tiny shoco (owl) of the burrowing genre. Besides being seen at different spots around the island, it is now living in splendor at the Tierra del Sol golf course where the construction of the golf course was re-routed to protect its habitat. Their population has reached a good number of actively breeding couples. They move their homes often to keep predators away and have unlimited options because the golf course structure features rocks, hillocks, plant life, sand and grass. Maintenance staffs are instructed to rake around the nests that are often found in the bunkers.

Aruba is also the site for endangered mammoth sea turtles and annually they travel thousands of miles from the sea to lay their eggs on our beaches. From March to August the hawksbill (caret), green turtle (tortugo blanco), loggerhead (cawama) and the largest of all sea turtles, the leatherback (driekiel) perform the eons-old ritual as these magnificent creatures crawl slowly from the water onto several beaches which include Eagle Beach, Palm Beach and Andicuri, to deposit their eggs and return to sea. The hatchlings instinctively return to the sea and at maturity, which is about 30 years, return to the island of their birth. It is essential and against the law that the ritual not be disturbed by shining lights on the turtles or in any way disrupt their passage; and it is strictly forbidden to remove the eggs from their nests.

In 1997, a foundation was established to save the wild donkey population on the island from extinction. A 20,000 square meter piece of land has been made available to them, but plans are that they eventually will be returned to the Arikok National Park. The existence of the shy and defenseless creatures have been documented in the early 1940 when the population was down to about 500 and in 1979 it reached an all time low. n educating the community against careless car accidents or other attacks against the animals, and with donations for food, water and a safe haven, the donkey families will prosper.