Washington DC is the capital city of the United States – and its very political heart. Washington is a monumental city, with impressive white-marble buildings, memorials and some of the very best museums. It also boasts extremely pleasant residential districts, dotted with antique houses, parks and gardens, making for a lively, multicultural city.
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Day 5 — Washington DC → Aruba
This small island, far from the hurricane zone, enjoys an ideal climate all year round, with magnificent beaches, shallow turquoise sea, and a tranquil and relaxed atmosphere. Its small size (Aruba is 30 km long and 10 km wide) invites you to put down your cold Balashi beer and leave the resort beach for at least a day to discover what it has to offer. From Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, take a rental car or the cheap and friendly Arubus (the local bus with singing drivers!) and bring your mask and fins as you head north to the peaceful Malmok Beach, where you can walk in the water to a small reef full of fish; continue to Arashi Beach, ideal for bodysurfing. The road then passes a series of dunes and climbs to the top of a hill with a lighthouse, the California Lighthouse, from 1910. Buy a coconut from the local vendors and enjoy the 360° view. Continue along the spectacular eastern coast where the stormy waves of the Atlantic crash onto the rugged shores. Here you will find Arikok National Park, which protects the wild coast and the desert interior dotted with candelabra cacti. You will need a 4x4 to reach the Natural (Conchi) Pool, a volcanic depression filled with seawater by the waves. After rounding the southern tip of the island, you can cool off with a swim at Baby Beach, a quiet cove after San Nicolas, before returning to your beach.
