Aruba Aloe

Aloe vera was brought to Aruba in 1840 and turned out to suit the island exactly: dry, hot, poor soil and constant sun produce a plant with unusually high concentration in the gel. By the early twentieth century two thirds of Aruba was under aloe and the island was the largest exporter in the world, with the plant on the coat of arms. The company operating today has been running since 1890 and still grows, cuts, fillets and processes on the island, and the factory at Hato runs tours through the fields, the cutting hall and the production line, with a museum covering the industry's history.

What you actually see

• The fields - aloe under cultivation as it has been since 1840.
• The cutting and filleting - leaves processed by hand at the factory.
• The museum - the industry that once covered two thirds of the island.
• The coat of arms - the aloe on the national symbol.

When to go

Year-round; factory tours run on weekdays with a reduced weekend schedule. Cutting and processing happen on weekdays, so a weekday visit shows the working line. Tours take about an hour.

Honest expectations

It is a company tour ending in a shop, and it is frank about being one. The industry is much reduced from its peak and most of the island's aloe fields are long gone. Product prices in the shop are higher than in supermarkets. Health claims made for aloe should be treated with the usual caution.

Nearby

Oranjestad is ten minutes; Hooiberg is nearby.