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Aruba Wildlife Tour: Private Hike and Snorkel
5.0
13 Ratings
Oranjestad
Explore Aruba’s hidden gems with a private nature tour, hiking historic ruins and snorkeling vibrant reefs, tailored to your adventure level.
Explore Aruba’s hidden gems with a private nature tour, hiking historic ruins and snorkeling vibrant reefs, tailored to your adventure level.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Balashi Gold Mill Ruins - Learn about the history of this old Aruban gold smelter and enjoy a great view of Spanish Lagoon. Afterwards we’ll venture into the surrounding hills and mangroves for more views and an up-close encounter with Aruba’s nature.
- Mangel Halto Beach - Drift snorkel past Mangel Halto’s outer reef, spotting reef fish and beautiful coral heads.
- Balashi Gold Mill Ruins - Learn about the history of this old Aruban gold smelter and enjoy a great view of Spanish Lagoon. Afterwards we’ll venture into the surrounding hills and mangroves for more views and an up-close encounter with Aruba’s nature.
- Mangel Halto Beach - Drift snorkel past Mangel Halto’s outer reef, spotting reef fish and beautiful coral heads.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Private guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Use of snorkeling gear
- Underwater pictures
- Use of mineral sunscreen (reef-safe)
- Use of towels
- Snacks
- Carbonated beverages
- Private transportation
- Private guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Use of snorkeling gear
- Underwater pictures
- Use of mineral sunscreen (reef-safe)
- Use of towels
- Snacks
- Carbonated beverages
Additional Information
Experience Aruba’s wildlife in an exclusive and intimate way. Begin your private guided hike at the historic Balashi gold mill ruins, where you’ll discover its rich history and enjoy stunning views from Spanish Lagoon. Continue your journey into the nearby hills and mangroves, where you can appreciate Aruba’s native birds and plant life.
After the hike,…
Experience Aruba’s wildlife in an exclusive and intimate way. Begin your private guided hike at the historic Balashi gold mill ruins, where you’ll discover its rich history and enjoy stunning views from Spanish Lagoon. Continue your journey into the nearby hills and mangroves, where you can appreciate Aruba’s native birds and plant life.
After the hike, refresh yourself at Mangel Halto by snorkeling through vibrant coral reefs, led by an experienced, EFR-certified private guide. This private experience is fully tailored to the preferences and skill level of your group. The activities are highly adaptable, allowing for a relaxed pace or a more adventurous approach, depending on your desires.
Please be aware that we do not use boats. Boat engines can be noisy and may harm marine life. By accessing from the shore, you can explore seldom-visited areas that are teeming with fish, coral, and other marine creatures.
Location
Balashi Gold Mill Ruins
Ao lado da Spanish Lagoon
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(13 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Sunnyflash1
Feb 10, 2023
Top-notch experience with a wonderful guide ! - What a treat this was ! We have visited Aruba for a number of years, but it was an eye-opening revelation to experience more of Aruba's natural beauty with Fins & Feet. First of all, Rob is delightful and is highly committed to making the experience interesting, educational, safe and fun. He was attuned to our needs and capabilities. And he brought with him water and refreshments and excellent snorkeling equipment. After discussing various options, and based upon our hiking skills (or lack thereof) and the rough waters where we would normally have gone snorkeling, Rob tailored our trip to the circumstances beautifully. The result was a delightful hike and a greater appreciation of Aruba's varied natural beauty and a snorkeling adventure that was fantastic, featuring several sea turtles ! At all times Rob was knowledgeable, clearly committed to respecting and appreciating nature, and protective of us as his guests. We even enjoyed the donkey sanctuary that we visited. We would highly recommend this as a terrific addition to the more traditional beach experience that also make Aruba great. Rob showed us other aspects of Aruba that greatly enriched our trip. Highly recommended !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ef576
Nov 25, 2022
Wonderful experience! Recommend to everyone! - My wife and I went to Aruba to celebrate my birthday. We took a hiking & snorkeling tour with Rob and Christina! First part was to walk through the Spanish Lagoon. We had a great time and liked it very much. Rob provided lots of information about everything what we were interested in. In addition, we had a conversation about Fifa World Cup 2022 and Rob showed deep knowledge of world of professional soccer, which was an “extra point”. We also swung by Donkey sanctuary. We had so much fun feeding donkeys, chickens and peacocks. Second part of the trip was to snorkel through coral reefs. I had a blast and an excellent experience with guide Christina! She was taking so many pictures of me under water that made the trip even more memorable. My wife did not snorkel but spent time on the beach nearby. By far, it was one of the best snorkeling experiences we have ever had so far. Everything was just awesome! We love Aruba, one of the beautiful islands in Caribbean! We will definitely be coming back! I would recommend this company for everyone who wants to combine hiking and snorkeling! I would like to thank Rob and Christina for wonderful experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mathieudesmet
Sep 29, 2022
We highly recommend Fins & Feet for a personal and dedicated, safe and ecologically responsible experience. - We booked the sunrise hike and the mangroves and corals experience in advance of our trip to Aruba. Communication with Miranka was very clear and prompt. Once in Aruba the natural sunrise hike was fantastic. We started of early morning after, in the dark even. Our guide Monica showed us around and guided us to the natural pool. My wife was hesitant because of the not so calm water. But with Monica's help and guidance, she made the jump and was happy she did! On our way back Monica pointed out some cactus fruits, which we enjoyed eating. A very well spent morning!
For our second tour Rob was our guide. We had a beautiful and very interesting hike through the mangroves, learned about history, nature and local culture at the same time. At the end of our tour we spotted several burrowing owls. For our snorkeling trip in open sea my wife was very nervous, but thanks to Rob's calm and clear explanations and guidance, this too was a great succes. Everything went smooth, the reef was just the most beautiful thing, and with Rob pointing out several gorgeous fish and corals, this was just an amazing experience. We did see the typical mass snorkeling at Tres Trapi, 4 boats and about 80 people in the water at the same time, and we were so glad we booked this eco- and reef friendly personal and safe snorkeling experience!
We highly recommend Fins & Feet for a personal and dedicated, safe and ecologically responsible experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K1694earachelm
Jul 9, 2022
Person Touches & Expertise Make the Experience! - This was our favorite excursion in Aruba. Monica led our hike and snorkel trip. Her calm confidence, warmth and knowledge of the island made the experience. We also loved the personal, thoughtful and eco-friendly touches of aluminum water bottles, homemade sandwiches and fruit in reusable containers, and a stop to feed the donkeys our watermelon rinds. Highly recommend for the experience and opportunity to connect with locals in an authentic way. Thank you, Monica and Fins and Feet!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
365marjoleinw
Feb 14, 2022
Lots to see and learn - We very much enjoyed the hiking early in the morning, with a lot of information from Rob on plants and animals. The snorling part of the tour was really marvelous, with a lot of colourful fish and some pieces of coral reef. A great experience, with a personal touch!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Beth
Dec 17, 2021
Highlight of trip - best snorkeling ever - I wrote a more extensive review about Fins and Feet - but this is the particular hike we did and we loved it. The highlight was the snorkeling, but the mangrove itself was fascinating. And we were happy to get away from the hotel areas and explore this unusual site (a former gold mill and lagoon and mangrove. We saw eagles and owls and no rattlesnakes ( to my delight). The snorkeling was phenomenal - the best snorkeling experience I've ever had. I'll be dreaming about it for the rest of my life. It's a magical world and it's our responsibility to protect it. Fins and Feet offers the chance to witness the beautify while not harming it, and that made the experience all the better. Thank you Rob!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patton725
Oct 10, 2021
Great personal tours - Rob did a great job spotting wildlife and local plants. Was very knowledgeable about the ecology. We saw a rattlesnake, owls, osprey and others. Took the extra steps of showing off a local bakery and introducing us to local favorites. They specialize in small groups. We were the only ones on both of our excursions so great personal service. Highly recommended!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brenda_h
Jul 25, 2021
An experience to remember! - If you do only one excursion do this one! Monica, our tour guide was awesome! The hike gave us a unique perspective on the greener side of the island. Hands down the snorkeling was the best experience we had on our vacation. The snorkeling was so well thought out going from one spot and drifting along the way seeing an incredible variety of fish and coral and ending up at a beautiful beach. This was such a safe and truly enjoyable family experience with my three teenagers, thank you Monica and Feet’s and Fins!!
Review provided by Viator
Jaclynkp
Mar 23, 2021
Wonderful hike and snorkel! - We really enjoyed this private hike and snorkel excursion. The hike gave us a chance to see more of the island with our knowledgeable tour guide, Rob. A good mix of nature and exercise! A surprise trip to the Donkey Sanctuary gave us more insight to the islands history and a chance to spend time with donkeys, peacocks, and roosters. ending with a snorkeling adventure where we saw plenty of underwater “friends”! Would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jasonsw7757oe
Mar 7, 2021
Endangered wildlife & tropical fish - We really enjoyed our time with Rob! We figured the mangrove hike would be an underrated excursion, and we weren't wrong. The hike took us through several different biomes, from the mangrove swamp to sand flats to xeric upland shrublands. Wildlife we saw included threatened burrowing owls, and the native eagle. Flora in bloom ran from aloes to passionflowers to barrel cactus.
Afterwards, we did the reef snorkel, which was certainly the best-equipped snorkel I'd done. Rob had modern, higher-tech, easy-to-use equipment that looked brand new. He led us down a current over a reef not far offshore. It was enjoyable to drift with the current and watch the colorful tropical fish.
We did experience a little hitch with our reservation at first, but Rob and Marinka accommodated us eagerly.
Would absolutely recommend any of Rob's excursions to see the hidden side of Aruba!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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