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Aruba is located deep
in the Caribbean, just about 15 miles north of
Venezuela. It is only 20 miles long and 6 miles
wide, making it the smallest of the Dutch Caribbean,
or "ABC" Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao).
Aruba became a separate country within the Kingdom
of the Netherlands in 1986, yet the island retains
much of its early Dutch character. Despite its
diminutive size, Aruba offers every Caribbean
delight imaginable from water sports, to casinos,
colonial heritage, forts, serene white-sand beaches,
and so on. Blessed with pleasant trade winds and a
nearly rain-free climate, Aruba is an island of
enchanting contrasts. On the western shore, soft
powder beaches fringed with palm trees slope gently
to the warm, turquoise sea. Meanwhile, the island's
interior is a desert-like landscape punctuated by
divi-divi trees and the occasional pastel-colored
cottage.
No large mammals
populate Aruba but you can expect to see a great
variety of small lizards and geckoes, as well as
hundreds of species of local and migrating birds.
The Bubali Bird Sanctuary near Palm Beach is home
and refuge for many of these creatures. With the
island's friendly people, beaches, well-organized
tourist industry, and perpetually sunny climate,
Aruba claims one of the highest rates of repeat
visitors in the Caribbean! ...
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