# Aruba: map, what to do and when to go

An island of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 29 km from Venezuela, with calm-water beaches on the leeward side, the cactus and cave desert of Arikok Park, and Oranjestad, the capital of Dutch-style houses around Fort Zoutman.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Aruba: how do you get from the airport to the hotel?** The airport (AUA) is 2.5 km from the center of Oranjestad, and taxis have fixed fares for up to four passengers: US$26 to Oranjestad, US$37 to Eagle Beach and US$41 to Palm Beach.
- **Aruba: what is the ED card, and how much does it cost?** The ED card can only be filled in during the seven days before the trip and charges the US$20 sustainability fee of those arriving by air without residency (children under 8 are exempt).
- **Aruba: how many days should I stay?** I'd stay four days, with Oranjestad or Eagle Beach as the base: the center and Eagle Beach, Arikok entering at 8 a.m., the north with the California lighthouse and Palm Beach, and the southeast with San Nicolas and Baby Beach.

## Oranjestad on foot and Eagle Beach in the afternoon
Start at 10 a.m. at the National Archaeological Museum, in the Ecury complex, to see the Caquetío pieces before going to the caves; according to the website, it is open Tuesday to Sunday, so do not schedule this day for a Monday.
- Eagle Beach
- Fort Zoutman

## Arikok National Park: caves and Conchi
Leave Oranjestad at 7:30 a.m. by car; it is about 11 km and 20 minutes to the San Fuego visitor center, which opens at 8 a.m. Buy the conservation pass there (US$22 per adult).
- Arikok National Park
- Conchi (Natural Pool)
- Guadirikiri Cave

## The north: Ayo rocks, Alto Vista, the lighthouse and Palm Beach
In the morning, drive to the Ayo Rock Formation (about 9 km and 11 minutes from Oranjestad) and look for the rock drawings among the boulders, before the heat. The tourism pages do not publish opening hours, so check on site.
- Palm Beach
- Arashi Beach
- California Lighthouse
- Alto Vista Chapel
- Ayo Rock Formation

## Eagle Beach
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-eagle-beach
One to two hours
The widest beach in Aruba, with white sand and calm water, the two most photographed fofoti trees on the island, public shade huts and parking. It is also where most of the sea turtle nests are: four species nest on the island, in a season that runs from March to December, and marked nests are not to be stepped on.
Check access

## Palm Beach
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-palm-beach
Aruba · One to two hours
About three kilometers of sand 6 km from Oranjestad, with the high-rise hotels, piers, beach bars and the whole range of water sports. The water is calm and good for swimming and snorkeling; the trade-off is a crowded beach in front of the resorts. At the far north, at Hadicurari, is the windsurfing and kitesurfing school.
Check access

## Arashi Beach
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-arashi-beach
One to two hours
A beach of calm, shallow water on the northwest tip, near Malmok and the California lighthouse, frequented by locals. It has free shade huts, which fill up early, a reef with fish on the left side for snorkeling and a view of the sunset over the sea.
Check access

## Arikok National Park
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-arikok-national-park
Half a day or more
The national park covers about 20% of the island, in the northeast: hills of cacti, abandoned gold mines, cunucu houses, caves with indigenous paintings and the windward coast, with the bays of Boca Prins and Dos Playa. Entry requires the conservation pass (US$22 per adult, free for under 17), sold at San Fuego, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and at Vader Piet. Inside the park, the speed limit is 20 km/h, you drive only on the marked roads, and ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles and drones are prohibited. The park foundation also runs guided hikes (US$25, up to 10 people, booking by email) through Rooi Tambu and Dos Playa, Jamanota, Miralamar and Cunucu Arikok.
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## Conchi (Natural Pool)
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-conchi
Half a day or more
A natural pool ringed by lava rocks on the northeast coast of Arikok, also called Cura di Tortuga. You reach it only by 4x4, on horseback or, for experienced hikers, on a three- to four-hour round-trip walk; an ordinary car does not get past the park post. It is safe to get in only when the sea is calm, because waves can wash over the rocks, and water shoes help on the rocks. It is not accessible to anyone with reduced mobility.
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## Guadirikiri Cave
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-guadirikiri-cave
Up to half an hour
The most visited limestone cave in Arikok, about 150 m long with three chambers linked by tunnels, lit by the light that enters through holes in the ceiling. Bats live in it. A little over 1 km away is Fontein Cave, with paintings by the island's Amerindians on its walls.
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## Fort Zoutman
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-fort-zoutman
Oranjestad · Up to half an hour
The oldest building in Oranjestad, finished in 1798 on the old shoreline to protect the port. Next to it, the Willem III Tower, lit as a lighthouse on February 19, 1868, also served as a public clock and stopped being a lighthouse in 1963. Since 1983, the fort has housed the Aruba Historical Museum, with documents of the island and the reconstruction of an old kitchen.
Check access

## National Archeological Museum Aruba
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-national-archeological-museum
One to two hours
Housed since 2009 in the restored group of houses of the Ecury family, in central Oranjestad, it holds more than 10,000 Amerindian pieces, of ceramic, shell, stone and bone, from the preceramic period on. It is the best explanation of what the cave paintings are. According to the museum's website, it is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; it is closed on Mondays and some holidays. Check before going, because the page carries no update date.
Check access

## California Lighthouse
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-california-lighthouse
Noord · Up to half an hour
The 30 m lighthouse on the northwest tip, on a limestone plateau at Hudishibana, finished around 1916 and named for the British steamship California, which sank nearby in 1891. You can climb it: admission is US$5, no reservation, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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## Alto Vista Chapel
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-alto-vista-chapel
Up to half an hour
A small chapel on the heights of the north coast, on the site of the island's first church, built around 1750 by the missionary Domingo Silvestre. The present building dates from 1952, and the white crosses of the Way of the Cross line the approach. It is about 8 km from the California lighthouse.
Check access

## Ayo Rock Formation
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-ayo-rock-formation
Up to half an hour
A jumble of giant tonalite boulders in the interior, with paths and stairs between the rocks and rock drawings by the first inhabitants, who held a sacred place here. Casibari, a few kilometers away, has stairs carved to the top of the boulders and a 360-degree view.
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## Hooiberg
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-hooiberg
Oranjestad · Up to half an hour
The 165 m hill in the center of the island, with a concrete staircase of about 600 steps to the top. From up there you see the whole island and, on a clear day, the coast of Venezuela. There is no shade.
Check access

## Baby Beach
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/aruba/#g-lugar-baby-beach
One to two hours
A shallow, calm lagoon at the far southeast, near San Nicolas, where you can walk a long way with your feet on the bottom. At the mouth of the bay there is a marked snorkeling area, outside which you should not swim. There are food kiosks, lounger and equipment rental and free shade huts.
Check access

**Aruba: how do you get from the airport to the hotel?**
The airport (AUA) is 2.5 km from the center of Oranjestad, and taxis have fixed fares for up to four passengers: US$26 to Oranjestad, US$37 to Eagle Beach and US$41 to Palm Beach. Only a car with a “TX” plate is a legal taxi. Under the May 20, 2026 revision, there is a US$5 supplement on Sundays, between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., on holidays and from December 24 to January 1; check the table at taxi.aw.

**Aruba: what is the ED card, and how much does it cost?**
The ED card can only be filled in during the seven days before the trip and charges the US$20 sustainability fee of those arriving by air without residency (children under 8 are exempt). Do it at edcardaruba.aw, because intermediary sites charge for the same form.

**Aruba: how many days should I stay?**
I'd stay four days, with Oranjestad or Eagle Beach as the base: the center and Eagle Beach, Arikok entering at 8 a.m., the north with the California lighthouse and Palm Beach, and the southeast with San Nicolas and Baby Beach. With only two days, I'd do Arikok and Eagle Beach.

**Aruba: how do you do the day in San Nicolas and Baby Beach?**
San Nicolas is about 20 minutes by car from Oranjestad, and Baby Beach 7 km beyond; by bus, lines L1, L2 and L3 go to San Nicolas, and the L900 continues to the beach. In the afternoon, swim in the shallow lagoon of Baby Beach, inside the marked area.

**Aruba: when is the best time to go?**
From March to September 9 to 43 mm of rain fall per month, and from October to January, 44 to 87 mm, in short downpours. The busiest weeks are those of the year-end holidays and carnival, in January and February.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 4 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/aruba/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/aruba/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/aruba.md