Spanish Lagoon Mangrove Trail: A Half-Day Exploration with Private Guide
5.0
11 Ratings
Savaneta
Embark on a half-day exploration of the Spanish Lagoon Mangrove Trail with a private guide. Discover the ruins of an old gold smelter and the haunted Frenchman's Pass while learning about the history of this rarely visited part of the island. Visit the Shoco nests and enjoy a delicious lunch at Ricardo's restaurant on Eagle Beach.
Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
What's Included
  • Private Tour Guide
  • Complimentary water throughout the tour
  • Optional local restaurant lunch
What's Not Included
  • Tour guide Tips :)
Additional Information

We cordially invite you to join us for a hiking adventure along the Spanish Lagoon Mangrove Trail, stretching inland to the source waters where the remnants of an ancient gold smelter lie next to the eerie Frenchman’s Pass. Our knowledgeable and engaging guides will accompany you on this journey through the mangrove threaded path, elaborating on the diverse facets of this infrequently trodden section of our island. Recent carbon dating of shell middens by archaeologists trace back to 1465 BC, symbolizing Spanish Lagoon as a key site for exploration by the first Archaic Amerindians arriving from Venezuela.

Post our visit to the historical Balashi Gold Smelter Ruins, we will guide you to the nesting grounds of the “Shoco”. The Shoco Athene Aunicularia Arubensis, a relatively famous burrowing owl, calls this area home. Finally, we will take you to the undisturbed Eagle Beach for a lunch break at Ricardo’s restaurant.

Location
TeleAruba
We will start the tour down at pos Chiquito and park at our Local TV station TeleAruba and from there we will start our tour. You should be available 15 min before the tour starts at 7:30 am.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(11 Ratings)
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Savtrav500
Mar 17, 2024
Best way to see the beautiful, natural Aruba - Through our hotel, we booked a private tour with Jorge that included the Spanish Lagoon/mangrove but also the Bushiribana gold mill ruins, and the natural bridge. Jorge's passion for ecology and conservation was clear and gave us context for our stay in Aruba. The resort area is nice but manicured and not what the "real" Aruba is naturally. Jorge was very knowledgeable about native plants, birds, and history. I highly recommend his company and his tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mike_s
Feb 12, 2024
A very memorable morning tour with private guide! - The tour company reached out to us that they had to cancel our Friday tour, but offered a refund or a tour on Saturday. So, we chose Saturday. I'm so glad we did! We met down by TeleAruba and it was my husband and I with guide Jorge and Phillip came along (as training?) Both were charming, and knowledgeable. You meet at 7:30am and when I woke up, it was hard to get myself moving, I was wondering if I'd regret signing up for a lagoon tour so early, but it was worth it! It was a beautiful little hike in an unfamiliar part of Aruba. We saw lots of birds, and animals including the burrowing owl. The guides shared nature, geologic, and historical information throughout the walk. It requires the mildest amount of scampering over some downed trees, and ducking under canopy, but overall if you're in even fairly decent you will be fine! This was a very nice morning, and I'm so glad we went!
Review provided by Viator
B1545tfalanm
Apr 3, 2023
Mangrove magic - Jorge did a great tour for us, an easy walk exploring the lush lagoon and a gold mining site. We saw lots of lizards, birds, and found a fossil. He is a knowledgeable guide and an interesting entrepreneur, fun to talk to at lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Colette
Feb 24, 2023
Awesome!! - Jorge was so knowledgeable and made this hike absolutely wonderful. We absolutely recommend it. It made us discover a little know part of the island. We so many different birds and the mangrove trail is so different.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mircea12345
Dec 11, 2022
Amazing day in Aruba's nature - We took a break from the great beaches in Aruba to learn more about the island. Jorge, our private guide was amazing, passionate, dedicated, enthusiastic and extremely personable and knowledgeable. He took great care of us the entire time. We saw a part of Aruba that otherwise we would not have experienced. Jorge picked us up from our hotel. Then, we took a leisurely and very pleasant hike through the mangrove area, got to see close by the high cactuses, the Shoco bird, migratory flocks, crabs, the ruins of the gold mining area and more. We drove to the north shore of the island and ended the tour with a delicious lunch on the beach at Ricardo's. The views were incredible ! Truly a memorable tour, highly recommended !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelinglibrarian8
Aug 30, 2022
Great nature hike and lunch! - Rambo was our guide for our Spanish lagoon hike. He has worked many years as a park ranger and he is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the history and nature of Aruba. We saw many beautiful birds including three adorable shocos. Some fruit and waters were included and lunch at Ricardo’s was great too. Jorge picked us up to and from our hotel and to the restaurant and we enjoyed chatting with him. This company clearly cares about nature and I hope they continue to grow and do well! This was a different activity than the typical activities in Aruba (which we also did some of those) and one you will enjoy if you are a nature lover!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Go780994
May 1, 2022
Perfect day hiking the mangroves - An amazing tour of the mangroves and Spanish ruins made this a memorable day of our vacation. Our private guide Jorge was fabulous, very informative and personable. We ended the tour with a sit down lunch overlooking eagle beach! We highly recommend booking your excursion with Aruba Nature explorers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristyn
Apr 17, 2022
Great break from the beach crowds - This experience was the highlight of our trip. To be able to get out into nature and enjoy the peaceful trails, learn about the local history, vegetation and wildlife was a real treat. Jorge was so friendly, knowledgeable and simply enjoyable to be around. My husband and I really enjoyed our half day experience. The lunch on the beach to cap off the day was fantastic as well. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patriciaah5281yh
Mar 31, 2022
If you want to experience more of Aruba than the beach and gorgeous water, take this hike! - Our favorite part was Jorge - our guide. He was fun, enlightening and ready to share his life, his love of Aruba, and his enthusiasm in general. Jorge listened to our interests and made sure to share the special delights of the Spanish Lagoon hike from the birds and plants to the history of the island. We had a delightful lunch as well. Not to be outdone of course was the ability to walk through the center of a mangrove area and see the Shoco owl as well as through the cactus scrub area and visit the gold mining site. This hike was exactly what we hoped we would have - off the beaten track, lots of birds and animals alike. Thank you again for the highlight of our trip to Aruba! Mark and Pat
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephaniel2641
Apr 9, 2021
Birthday hike - It was a total pleasure going on this hike. Nancy is very knowledgeable of many topics from flora & fauna to history and much more and gave us much interesting information. I would definitely recommend going with Nancy on any hike!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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June 2024
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