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LOCAL Wednesday 12 november 2025

Aruba Tourism Authority Honors Explore Aruba!
Loyal Visitors at Costa Linda (ORANJESTAD)—Aruba Today collected

Beach Resort! some things to do BEYOND the beach.
Aruba, located 15 miles north of Venezu-
ela in the warm waters of the southern Ca-
ribbean, is home to beautiful white-sand
beaches, 82-degree days, and thus ideal
for the perfect beach day. But we are also
blessed with some of the warmest people
in the world and our island is 19.6 miles long eral natural bridges. The largest of these
and 6 miles across, with a total area of 70 bridges used to be the famous Natural
square miles. Bit more to discover than the Bridge. The bridge was a formation of cor-
white stretch on the coastline we say. Let’s al limestone cut out by years of pounding
mention some of these hidden gems. surf, and was one of the largest of these
types of spans in the world. It stood some 23
Arikok National Park feet (7 meters) above sea level and spans
more than 100 feet (30 meters). Unfortu-
nately the bridge collapsed on September
2, 2005. Despite this, it is still the most pho-
tographed natural bridge and it remains
The Aruba Tourism Au- Mr. Gustavo & Mrs. Grisel- a popular tourist attraction in Aruba, with
thority recently had the da Lopez Rodriguez from the adjacent and intact Baby Bridge also
pleasure of recognizing Bariloche, Rio Negro, Ar- meriting a visit. The Natural Bridge is the
one of Aruba’s Goodwill gentina. perfect stop while touring Aruba. There is
Ambassadors. The honor- Mr. Jorgino Willems, rep- no admission fee or set hours for visiting.
ees were presented with resenting the Aruba Tour- Quench your thirst with refreshing bever-
a certificate in apprecia- ism Authority, along with The Arikok National park is worth the ride. ages & refuel your tank with local snacks.
tion for their many years staff members of Costa We love the hikes that are guided by the
of visits, loyalty, and love Linda Beach Resort, pre- park’s rangers whose job is to maintain The Lourdes Grotto
for the island. sented the certificate, of- trails and protect natural resources. The Named in commemoration of the famous
fered gifts, and expressed flora and fauna are beautiful and the his- French religious landmark, was created
This honorary certification heartfelt thanks to the torical sites tell you about the island’s in- under the guidance of a priest named
is awarded on behalf of honorees for choosing digenous roots. If you are not up to walk- “Erkamp” and parishioners in the year
the Minister of Tourism as Aruba as their favorite va- ing, you can drive through the park, one 1958. The grotto, a shrine built into the rocks
a token of appreciation cation destination, their way or another this park is a great place to is located in Seroe Preto, just off the main
and to say “Masha Dan- home away from home. spend an entire day. Cruising through the road to San Nicolas. A statue of the Virgin
ki” to guests who have Top reasons for returning landscape you end up at some of the most Mary, weighing 700 kilos, was hoisted into
visited Aruba for 10, 20, or to Aruba, as shared by stunning beaches like Dos Playa or Daima- place in the grotto. Every year, on Febru-
35 consecutive years or the honorees: ra Beach. In total, the park consists of 34 ary 11 (feast of Lady of Lourdes), a proces-
more. • Aruba’s beaches. square kilometers of protected nature with sion leaves from the St. Theresita church in
The three levels of recog- • Aruba`s people. a richness of animals living in it. The Aruban San Nicolas to the grotto, where a mass is
nition are: • Aruba`s safety and whiptail lizard (cododo), Aruban cat eye performed. The grotto is located road-side
• Distinguished Visi- tranquility. snake (santanero) and endangered rattle and can be visited daily. Just make sure
tor – 10+ consecutive • “We love Costa Linda snake (cascabel) are just some of them, you park safely in the event you wish to
years visiting Aruba and its employees” you can also admire these close in the stop for pictures at this location.q
• Goodwill Ambassa- • “Lots of activities to park’s Visitors’ Center. For more informa-
dor – 20+ consecutive enjoy” tion, visit the website www.acf.aw
years visiting Aruba On behalf of the Aruba
• Emerald Ambassa- Tourism Authority, we ex- Natural Bridge
dor – 35+ consecutive tend our sincere grati- One of Aruba’s favorite tourist attractions is
years visiting Aruba tude and appreciation to the Natural Bridge. For thousands of years,
the honorees fortheircon- pounding waves and strong winds have
Goodwill Ambassadors tinued visits to the “One slowly chiseled away the limestone cliffs
Honored: Happy Island.”q along Aruba’s north coast to create sev-