The Ultimate 5-Day Aruba Itinerary 2024

As I wrap up my second visit to Aruba I can’t help but finger amazed by how venturesome this island can be and by how much variety there is for such a small place. I got to see all kinds of landscape, have daily experiences that were all totally different, and get a tan in the process!

Many who visit Aruba are happy to lounge on a waterfront chair all day and don’t need much venture to enjoy their vacay. While there’s veritably nothing wrong with that, I just can’t do it for long and need to be either walking on the beach, swimming, or doing something active.

If you’re like me, the pursuit itinerary will get you out and exploring the venturesome and outdoorsy side of Aruba, with some waterfront time included, of course!

Day One: Go for a Swim, Trammels out the Lighthouse for Sunset

Aruba has tons of beaches – either long stretches of sand or subconscious overdue rocky coves and inlets. I stumbled upon them constantly during my exploration, though some are much friendlier for swimmers than others. The pursuit are the weightier ones for snorkeling, swimming, and unstipulated chilling:

Palm Beach

Look at that water!

Palm Waterfront is the most touristy waterfront with high-rise hotels and lots of restaurants and water activities.  When you see the white sand and the well-spoken victual undecorous water, it’s well-spoken why. You can standup paddleboard, parasail, and of undertow swim. You’ll find people all withal the sand offering activities, and most hotels moreover offer a self-ruling mask and snorkel.

Chances are you’ll be staying on either this waterfront or the next one, so trammels it out, expressly at sunset.

Baby Beach

Baby Waterfront – wifely and serene

Baby Waterfront on the southern tip of the island is known for having unconfined snorkeling and white sand. It moreover has fewer tourists than the beaches up north. I was a big fan of this one!

Eagle Beach

Sunset at Eagle Beach

Eagle Waterfront is slightly less crowded than Palm Waterfront and is famous for its perfect white sand and victual undecorous water. It is west facing and therefore perfect for sunset. 

Tres Trapi

North of Palm Beach, you’ll find Malmok Waterfront and a few other unconfined swimming and snorkeling spots. The picture whilom is at Tres Trapi, which are three stairs carved into the volcanic waddle that lead to this lovely undecorous water. Many of the snorkeling tours stop here, so you can plan on seeing sea birds all virtually and fish under the water if you bring your mask and snorkel.

California Lighthouse

A unconfined view over Aruba

In the afternoon, I recommend heading to the California Lighthouse on the northern tip of the island for sunset. You get a fantastic view, and the lighthouse is a unconfined photo spot as well.

I moreover enjoyed driving virtually the coastal roads nearby where you can find sand dunes, trappy rocky outcroppings, and a increasingly rugged Aruba experience. If you stick to the trail that confines the water, a normal car is probably OK as the road is mostly dirt with a few rocks and potholes, but a 4×4 will requite you ultimate flexibility.

You need a 4×4 for this one

If you have a 4×4 and finger like standing onwards, I had a lot of fun on the rocky road from the lighthouse to the Wariruri waddle bridge. Pursuit the swoon of the Natural Underpass in 2005, this is now the largest natural underpass in Aruba. The road is rough, but to me that’s a lot of fun, and you can plan on having it scrutinizingly all to yourself. I made plenty of stops withal the way and truly enjoyed this solo adventure.

Where I unprotected golden hour – near the old gold mine.

Day Two: Arikok National Park – Caves and the Natural Pool

You can’t go to Aruba without visiting the Arikok National Park! This is where you can find the famous caves, the natural pool, and a much increasingly rugged stretch of coast.

You veritably do need a 4×4 for this trip, which you can self drive, although most people join either a Jeep tour or an ATV tour that takes you to the pursuit spots:

Guadirikiri Caves

The caves and the stairway outside of them were my first introduction to the rugged side of Aruba when I visited a year and a half ago and I was veritably delighted! The ride there is an venture in itself, withal bumpy terrain and through cacti forests. I had so much fun getting there that the grotto was the cherry on top.

Depending on time of day, you can get some lovely light beams coming through the opening in the cave’s ceiling.

The Natural Pool

Wow, right?

The highlight to Arikok National Park is undoubtedly this trappy rocky pool that forms an scrutinizingly perfect circle. The waves crash over the sides and there’s plane a ‘natural jacuzzi’ slightly above, which you can see to my right in this photo.

This was my favorite thing in Aruba – it was so magical it didn’t seem real.

Dos Playa

Dos Playa is a rare waterfront on the east tailspin that can be tame unbearable to swim in. It’s one of the larger ones in the zone and is popular for sunset horseback rides, too.

I went with ABC tours to typesetting this adventure. They have both big truck and ATV options. Some are full-day and some just take you to the natural pool. Segregate your own venture here.

Day Three: Flamingo Island

Oh hey guys

After a few days exploring Aruba’s increasingly rugged and natural side, I finger we have to talk well-nigh Renaissance Island. This man-made flamingo island is undoubtedly beautiful. It’s moreover where you can take pictures with the famous flamingos on the waterfront and lounge in hammocks in the sun.

There are several waterfront huts that you can rent to hang out in for the day, and you can eat and drink on the island as well.

It sure is photogenic.

There are a few things to know well-nigh the island, such as the archway fee, the weightier way to get in, and figuring out how to get shade while you’re there. I have an unshortened post defended to Flamingo Island with all of the info here.

Day Four: Pick an Aquatic Activity, Sunset Cruise

Don’t miss this!

On day four I recommend picking one or two of the venturesome activities misogynist on the island and then a nice relaxing sunset on the water or on a waterfront nearby.

The pursuit are some unconfined options:

Scuba dive

The water is well-spoken and there are plenty of fish in Aruba. There is moreover a shallow wreck, which is a rare find in the diving world. All of these are unconfined reasons to jump in and see what’s up unda da sea.

I did a morning swoop last time I was on Aruba and was impressed by the corals and fish. If you are used to Southeast Asia, don’t expect the same that you would find in Sipadan or Raja Ampat, but still, for those who love diving this is a unconfined spot to get under the water.

SUP

You can rent stand up paddle boards all withal Palm Waterfront where the water is wifely unbearable to throne out for an hour or two of activity. The nice thing well-nigh Aruba is it’s scrutinizingly unchangingly informal so standup paddleboarding is quite pleasant in Aruba. Be sure to trammels out the partially submerged wreck virtually Malmok Waterfront for a unique experience!

Snorkel a Wreck

If you’re not into diving, you can still snorkel virtually a wreck near the California Lighthouse. Multiple wend trips depart at variegated times per day to take you out there. I did a trip in the morning and an evening sunset trip last time I was here, both of which went to the wreck. I would requite the whet to the sunset trip as there were fewer people in the water then, but stuff worldly-wise to get on a wend and get out on the water is a must no matter what time you segregate to do it in Aruba. You can typesetting it here.

Day Five: Sunrise at Trinity Bridge, Sunset at Mangel Halto

Trinity bridge

Let me just start by saying I’m not sure what the proper name of this place is – I’ve heard ‘tripod bridge’ and I see it as the ‘trinity bridge’ on maps.me, but either way this underpass is neato. It’s a set of three sea bridges that squint gorgeous in the early morning hours when the sun comes up and illuminates the rocks. You’ll need a 4×4 to get here but if you have one handy from the other activities, be sure to get there in the early morning, surpassing the tour groups arrive.

You can explore the cacti, Ayo Waddle Formation, and rugged coastline withal this part of the island in the AM, or just nippy out – I know this has been a pretty packed itinerary.

For the afternoon/evening, I highly recommend heading to Mangel Halto for a secluded beach, lovely mangroves, and perfect positioning for the sunset. From there you’re tropical to Zeerover, a famous seafood restaurant.

Stay

Such a cute hotel!

Aruba has many high-rise hotels and all inclusive resorts, but moreover many smaller shop hotels that can be a much increasingly peaceful experience.

I stayed in the Boardwalk Small Hotel and loved the intimate finger of it. It’s located just overdue the Ritz Carlton on Palm Waterfront and has an zone on the sand to nippy on and a lovely pool, but without the huge and impersonal finger of a giant resort. I had a huge room too, with a separate living area, full kitchen, and a huge closet. I could hands have just moved right in!

I moreover love that it’s owned by two sisters. Girl power! You can see casita options and book here.

Getting Around

I LOVED my Jeep!

Although many of the options I mentioned whilom are made easier or are only possible with a 4×4 rental (all the major car rental companies are misogynist at the airport – but do typesetting superiority of time), you can moreover join a tour to see scrutinizingly everything listed above. If you have specific things from this itinerary you want to see, ask the guys at ABC which tour would be the weightier one.

I found driving in Aruba to be pretty easy and straightforward. There are lots of roundabouts, and sometimes people will turn out of roads right in front of you, so just momentum defensively and don’t go too fast. Overall it was fine and fairly stress-free. I moreover highly recommend downloading the Aruba map on maps.me offline maps. It’s free, it worked great, and I never got lost with it.

Other Things To Do in Aruba

If you have increasingly time in Aruba and would like to add on to the 5-day itinerary, then I highly recommend checking out increasingly of Santa Cruz or visiting Noord in the northeast part of the island. The Aruba Donkey Sanctuary, located in Santa Cruz, is a non-profit organization defended to the welfare of the island’s donkey population, and an superstitious place to hug a donkey.

If you decide to throne to Noord, I recommend checking out the Gold Smelter Ruins, the remnants of a gold mine. Just a short walk to the east, you’ll find a wooden sign and the top of a steep stepladder. This will lead you lanugo toward a plateau of volcanic waddle and to the Aruba Natural Grotto Pool. Be warned, though! This local spot is weightier for adventurers. You’ll need to jump well-nigh fifteen feet to get into the pool and then climb up slimy rocks (and stave the crabs!) to get out.

If you want to learn something new, I moreover recommend checking out Hadicurari waterfront where Vela offers windsurfing and kitesurfing lessons. The wind and waves are calmer here making this an platonic spot for beginners to learn.