Description: De Palm Tours seem to have the monopoly on tours in Aruba. Their buses are everywhere. We found booking with them to be very convenient as they had a desk in the lobby of our hotel.

Booking the tour took a little bit of time, as people were both booking tours and arranging their transportation back to the airport at the same desk. (As a side note make certain to book your transport home the day before you head back, not the day of!) The computer that our agent was using was on island time, so we had to book, then come back for our tickets. A little nerve racking for me, as we had just handed over about one hundred dollars to a total stranger. But two hours later, we returned, and our tickets were ready. The agent recognized our faces immediately and handed them to us. I also recommend grabbing the "Aruba Vacation Planner" off the desk while standing in line, so you have an idea of what you’re looking for and how long you want your tour to be.

One page of this planner is divided into 4 sections: De Palma Island, Waves of Fun, Exploring the Island, and Tropical nights. Tour ranged from 2 hours to 8 hours, with prices from $29- $144. The other side of the page had "More Activities" that had experiences that were more a la carte. These ranged from 15 minutes to 8 hours, with prices from $25- $700. Different tours are available for different days, so having a little time to look at this before we got to the desk helped us significantly.

We opted for the Discover Aruba Tour, a 5 hour tour of Aruba that cost $52 per person, and began at 9:00am. The agent recommended this tour as being the bus tour that would allow you to see the most of the island, which was what I was looking for. We were picked up promptly at 9:00am by Reymond, our tour driver. Ray was a great tour driver, and told us everything in English, then in Spanish. It was fun for me to listen to the Spanish right after the English to practice my Spanish comprehension.

This tour covered a lot. We saw the California Lighthouse, The Alto Vista Chapel, the Ruins of the Natural Bridge (and the still there Baby Bridge), the Ayo Rock Formation, were pointed out Mt. Hooiberg (you can climb up to the top of this to see Venezuela), drove through Santa Cruz, saw the water desalination plant, and the Balashi Brewery. We ended our tour to swim in and snorkel at Baby Beach. I was also impressed that Ray had a lifeguard tube for those who were snorkeling at Baby Beach.

My only complaint on this tour is the boxed lunch that we ate at the Ayo Rock Formation Park. It was fried chicken, white rice, corn on the cob, fruit and a soda. We made sure to eat a large breakfast, as we weren't expecting much. Make sure it is a very large breakfast, or grab a tiny snack at the Natural Bridge Thirst Aid Station.

If you choose to take this tour, make sure to wear your bikini underneath your clothing and bring a towel. I wore tennis shoes for the tour, and looking back, should have brought flip flops to wear home, as I was sandy after Baby Beach.

I would recommend this tour to anyone who is visiting Aruba for the first time and wants to get a good introduction to the Island. There were a few things that we didn’t get to see, like the Natural Pool, but it is inaccessible by bus. If I could go back, I would take this same tour, but next time we will rent a Jeep, or take a Jeep tour. I think that it is worth mentioning that Ray (whose company offers ATV tours) recommended not going on ATV tours, as they have a lot of accidents on them.

Also, keep the Vacation Planner book, because there are coupons in it if you choose to explore the Island on your own.

Enjoy Aruba, and make sure to bring your camera!Close