Travel: Jeep thrills

It's billed as the honeymoon capital of the Caribbean, but a growing band of visitors is eschewing the beaches and falling in love with Aruba's dramatic desert interior

THE pair of them sit idle under the intense morning sun. Clinging to a large, dusty rock, they seem to be enjoying their sunbathing. Unfazed by our presence, the couple remain still, allowing their greyish skin to sizzle. Evidently it's not only the tourists who partake in a little bronzing in Aruba; even the reptiles are at it. In fact, they're known for it.

I peer at the two iguanas closely, looking for any sign of movement, but they are not forthcoming. After several minutes of inactivity, our jeep gently starts to proceed, preparing to send another wake of thick terracotta sand into the air.

The scaly creature on the right, the one with the thick black stripes along his tail, suddenly bursts into life. Rocking his head wildly, as though head-banging to the heaviest of tunes, his outburst is as unexpected as it is short-lived. Moments later he reverts back to a lazy existence, no doubt preparing to turn over to avoid the unthinkable: an uneven tan.

A jeep safari through the dramatic and diverse north coast of Aruba, a pint-sized Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela, is a welcome distraction from the comfortable, want-for-nothing resorts that breed on its southern shores. One can get tired of endless sun and the twinkling azure sea lapping on the spotless white shore.

One can also grow tired of all the loved-up couples walking hand in hand and whispering sweet nothings over their mango daiquiris. Aruba has reinvented itself as the love capital of the Caribbean, hence the island's Honeymoon Cove, chips with honeymoon sauce on the menu and the Tunnel of Love attraction at the island's Arikok National Park.

You don't have to confine yourself to hand-holding strolls on the beaches, of course – the seas around Aruba are a pristine playground for all kinds of watersports, from kayaking in the sleepy lagoons to kite surfing, and from snorkelling to night dives around nearby shipwrecks.

Oranjestad, the capital city, is where western consumerism meets Caribbean joie de vivre, as casinos and restaurants rub shoulders with fairytale-type gingerbread houses – Dutch/baroque architecture painted a vivid confection of pistachio, ochre, pink, and aqua. If you want to indulge in a little shopping, it's the place to go. Down by the wharf you'll find colourful stalls selling local art and pottery, and there's a flea market selling a blinding array of tourist trinkets.

But we intrepid explorers are leaving all that behind, with the fierce wind on our backs. Our first port of call is the California Lighthouse. Built in 1910, shortly after a vessel of the same name sank nearby, the well-maintained, but now disused, monument sits on the northernmost tip of the island, from which the views are serene yet conflicting.

Before us the Caribbean Sea, turquoise in places, swells in the distance below and the high-rise hotels are visible further away. Behind us stands the formidable desert interior, into which we are about to venture. Soon we are hurtling down one-lane dirt tracks, across flat, sandy plains and along bumpy roads as the terrain becomes tougher and the ferocious breeze makes the sand dance in the air around us.

Fine particles of dust seem to bellow everywhere as we pass through a barren landscape, devoid of any features except for the thick carpet of sand. The tyres soon find firmer ground as rocks and loose gravel emerge from under the dense sand bed. The jeep rattles as it negotiates the craggy ground and heaves itself higher, revealing yet another, distinctly different landscape.

The air clears immediately. Small hills covered with sparse shrubbery and clusters of cacti come into view before we once again catch a glimpse of the coast. The water surges against the tall cliffs, sometimes sending spouts spraying high. The area is awash with colossal rocks and shards of dried coral, many of which are piled up on each other to form small pillars.

There seems to be no end to the surreal spectacle; the miniature columns are multiplied in their hundreds, some stacked so high they threaten to give way at any moment. These formations are actually built by superstitious tourists – and no doubt honeymooning couples – who place a stone and make a wish, causing the area to become known as the Wish Rock Garden.

Aruba is clearly a place where divine intervention is sought after. Travelling further, we reach the quaint Alto Vista Chapel, an intimate and isolated place of worship with its huge, pointed-arch windows. Outside, rows of unoccupied white stone benches are positioned in a ripple effect.

Strolling beyond the tall wooden doors and into the cool interior, I find a welcome refuge from the blistering heat. Ahead, against a blue painted wall that mirrors the sky outside, stands a simple Virgin Mary on the altar. A handful of locals, oblivious to the steady trickle of tourists, continue with their silent prayers, while outside endless columns of cacti dominate the view, their tips piercing the distant horizon.

Next stop on the tour are the Bushiribana Ruins, an abandoned gold smelter that dates back to Aruba's 19th-century gold rush, when three million pounds of the precious metal was produced. With their fragmented stone walls flooded with sunlight and empty window frames, they are a formidable and impressive sight.

As we approach the last stop on the drive, the sun has climbed high in the sky. What had been a natural bridge, rising 100ft into the air, collapsed into the sea one morning in 2005, leaving large boulders of limestone which are now a tourist attraction, with images of how it once looked proudly displayed in the gift shop.

As I teeter near the edge for a closer glimpse, the spray of water shoots high and falls on my parched skin. Even the nearby gift shop, bustling with families clutching ice-creams, can't offer a more desirable refreshment.

Fact File: Aruba

Getting there:
Thomas Cook Signature offers return flights from Edinburgh or Glasgow with KLM via Amsterdam and seven nights at the four-star Divi Aruba all-inclusive resort from £1,429 per person based on two adults sharing. To book call 0870 443 4447 or visit www.tcsignature.com.
A four-hour jeep safari with De Palm Tours costs £38 per person. To book a safari, log on to www.depalm.com.

For more information on the island of Aruba log on to www.aruba.com.