Visiting the Donkey Sanctuary in Aruba

Donkeys have been part of Aruba's story for centuries. Brought to the island by Spanish colonists in the 1500s, they became indispensable working animals, used for transporting goods, agricultural work, and providing transport across the island's rugged interior before roads were built. At the peak of Aruba's agricultural era, there were thousands of donkeys living and working on the island.

As modernisation progressed through the 20th century and motor vehicles replaced working animals, the donkeys became largely redundant. Rather than the island caring for them, many were simply released into the wild. For decades, feral donkeys roamed Aruba's roads and desert interior, causing traffic accidents, getting injured, and suffering from a lack of veterinary care. It was a situation that troubled many Arubans deeply.

In 1997, the Aruba Donkey Sanctuary was founded by a group of concerned locals near the village of Bringamosa in the island's central-south area. The sanctuary's mission was simple: rescue injured, sick, and vulnerable donkeys from the wild, provide veterinary care, and give them a safe permanent home. Over the years the sanctuary grew substantially. Today it is home to well over 130 donkeys, all of whom have been rescued from dangerous conditions.

The sanctuary operates as a registered non-profit organisation, funded entirely by visitor donations, merchandise sales, and private sponsorships. There is no government funding. The small team of staff and volunteers provides daily feed, veterinary care, and, unusually, allows visitors to walk freely among the donkeys, hand-feeding them and interacting with them up close.

Visiting the Donkey Sanctuary is unlike any other animal encounter you'll have in Aruba. The donkeys are accustomed to human visitors and are genuinely friendly, not in a trained-performance way, but in the natural, curious manner of animals that have been treated with kindness. They approach visitors proactively, nuzzle hands looking for treats, and seem to genuinely enjoy the interaction.

The sanctuary sells small bags of food at the entrance that you can use to feed the donkeys by hand. This is the highlight for most visitors, especially children. Having a donkey gently take food directly from your palm is a memorable experience. The donkeys are well-mannered and there are staff on hand to guide first-timers on how to feed safely.

Beyond the feeding, the sanctuary grounds are pleasant to walk around. There are several enclosures with donkeys of different ages, including foals (baby donkeys are born at the sanctuary year-round and are utterly irresistible). There's a small information centre explaining the sanctuary's history and rescue work, a gift shop where proceeds directly support the animals, and a pleasant outdoor seating area.

Allow approximately 1–1.5 hours for a relaxed visit. The sanctuary is genuinely one of those places that ends up being a highlight of people's Aruba holidays even if they weren't particularly excited about it beforehand. Children especially tend to talk about it for years.

The Donkey Sanctuary is one of the best family-friendly activities on Aruba precisely because it requires no special preparation, no reservations, and no particular physical ability, yet it delivers a genuinely memorable experience. Children of all ages respond enthusiastically to the donkeys, and toddlers can participate in the hand-feeding with a parent's close supervision.

A few practical points for families: dress children in clothes that can get dirty (donkeys are affectionate but not always clean). The ground in the enclosures is sandy and can be dusty. Bring hand sanitiser for after the feeding experience, though the sanctuary also has washing facilities. The site is stroller-accessible in the main areas, though the sandy ground is easier to navigate in a carrier for very young children.

The Donkey Sanctuary is located near the village of Bringamosa in the central-south part of Aruba. The drive from Oranjestad takes approximately 20 minutes via Route 1 (Caya Betico Croes) heading southeast. From the Palm Beach hotel strip, allow 25–30 minutes. The sanctuary is well-signed from the main road and has its own car park. Any standard rental car handles the route comfortably. All roads are paved and in good condition.

The sanctuary makes an excellent addition to a south coast day trip. Baby Beach, Aruba's iconic and sheltered circular cove at the island's southeastern tip, is about 20 minutes further east, making a natural afternoon follow-up after a morning at the sanctuary. The drive south also passes through Aruba's more residential and traditional landscape, giving a sense of the island beyond the tourist corridor.