Even though Aruba is a pretty small island, there are lots of great Aruba beaches to enjoy, including some beautiful ones in the Arikok National Park.
Some of these, like Palm Beach, are very developed with beachfront hotels and cafes, while others are quiet and relatively unknown, so you can enjoy them without the crowds. A few spots on the west side of the island are also great for sunset watching in the evening.
In general, Aruba beaches have exceptionally clear blue water and soft white sand, and they’re great for swimming and relaxing under a palapa (thatched umbrella) with some drinks. It’s definitely one of the best things to do in Aruba.
We spent a couple weeks trying to see every beach on the island, and we got pretty close, so here’s our complete list of the best beaches in Aruba!
Best Aruba Beaches
1. Palm Beach
Palm Beach is the biggest and busiest beach in Aruba, with high-rise resorts and plenty of restaurants, bars, shopping outlets, and watersports activities.
Even though it’s busy, this is a nice beach for swimming and relaxing. If you want a refreshing treat at Palm Beach, check out Eduardo’s Beach Shack, which sells fresh fruit smoothie bowls with ice cream, as well as Hawaiian poké with veggies.
You can choose from fruit ingredients like banana, kiwi, mango, and pineapple, plus ice cream. It’s a great snack for a hot day at the beach.
Palm Beach is Aruba’s biggest beach
Fruit bowl from Eduardo’s Beach Shack — a favorite on Palm Beach
2. Eagle Beach
Eagle Beach is another beautiful, long beach in Aruba with white sand and blue water, plus an attractive Fofoti tree that’s become one of the most iconic images of Aruba.
This beach is highly popular and it has soft sand and calm waves, so it’s great for families with kids, along with everyone else. It’s been rated as one of the best beaches in the world. There are swings, cafes, and plenty of thatch umbrellas lining the seashore here.
This is one of the first beaches we visited in Aruba, and it’s still one of our favorites!
Eagle Beach is definitely one of the best beaches in Aruba!
3. Arashi Beach
Arashi Beach is the star of northern Aruba, and for good reason. It’s extremely beautiful and still not too developed.
Like many beaches in Aruba, Arashi has stunning white sand and turquoise water. For facilities, there’s a small cafe called the Arashi Beach Shack, which has food and drinks and restrooms. Aside from that, this beach is still pretty basic.
As an added bonus, Arashi Beach is one of the best sunset spots in Aruba. People come here every evening to enjoy the sunset.
Pure water at Arashi
Sunset at Arashi Beach — one of the top sunset spots on the island!
4. Baby Beach
Baby Beach is one of the most popular beaches in southern Aruba, just outside of the town of San Nicolas. It’s a relatively easy 45 minute drive to get here from the Eagle Beach or Palm Beach area, and I think it’s worth it.
This is a curved beach that sits protected inside of a natural bay, so the water is gentle and nice for swimming or snorkeling. There’s lots of free parking at Baby Beach, and they’re starting to add hotels as well.
It’s no hidden gem anymore, but Baby Beach still deserves a visit. I’d say it’s definitely one of the best Aruba beaches!
Ready for a relaxing day at Baby Beach
5. Flamingo Beach (Renaissance Island)
You have to spend at least one day seeing Aruba’s famous ‘flamingo beach’ on Renaissance Island, where about a dozen photogenic flamingos roam around the island freely. It’s a fun experience for kids and adults alike, and you can feed the flamingos or take pictures with them.
This little semi-private island is part of the Renaissance Wind Creek Resort, and it’s free to visit if you’re staying at the hotel, otherwise if you’re an outsider you can buy a day pass to visit the flamingo island. It’s a little pricy, but worth it for the unique experience.
The beach is classy and beautiful, with nice swimming, restaurants, and facilities, plus free sunbeds.
Aruba is famous for the flamingos at Renaissance Island
6. Iguana Beach (Renaissance Island)
The second beach on Renaissance Island is called Iguana Beach because of the friendly green lizards that like to roam the area. These iguanas are harmless, although they might try to steal your food if you leave it unattended.
Iguana Beach is great for swimming and there are lots of free sunbeds. Like the flamingo beach, it’s protected by an artificial reef, so the water is very calm and suitable for all ages.
You can pay extra to rent luxury cabanas (huts) by the beach, and we found a free hammock that was amazing. Great place!
A curious iguana on the beach
7. Boca Catalina
Boca Catalina is a beautiful and underrated beach in northern Aruba, just a short distance from the more popular Arashi Beach.
It’s undeveloped and quiet, with nice clear water and not too many people. Some tour boats bring people here for snorkeling, but it’s never crowded. You can see pelicans at Boca Catalina, and it’s also a prime sunset spot.
This is a wonderful beach, but there’s not a lot of shade during the day, so you’ll want to bring a hat and sunscreen!
Boca Catalina is a gem — possibly our favorite Aruba Beach
8. Savaneta Beach
Also known as Santo Largo, this beach is a hidden gem in southern Aruba.
It’s one of the most secluded beaches on the west coast of the island, but it’s still easy to reach with a car, so it’s usually great if you want to have a quiet beach mostly to yourself.
We only saw a few other people here every time we went. It’s a very undeveloped beach and the water is a bit shallow for swimming, but there are trees for shade and the calmness here is hard to beat.
Savaneta Beach
9. Boca Grandi
Boca Grandi is a prime spot for kitesurfing in the southeast corner of Aruba, near San Nicolas.
This is also a nice beach for taking a walk and snapping some pictures, although we saw a disappointing amount of trash washed up on the beach, so it really needs a cleanup. There’s a kitesurfing school, and people are always riding the waves here.
The wind and currents are strong at Boca Grandi, so it’s not good for swimming, but it really shines for kitesurfing. Even if you don’t do kitesurfing yourself, it’s fun to come here and watch!
Kitesurfing at Boca Grandi
10. Rodger’s Beach
Rodger’s Beach is another hidden gem. This is a local beach that’s located just a short distance from the much more famous Baby Beach, in southern Aruba.
It’s not a very long beach, but the sand and water here are really nice. Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s on par with Baby Beach, but it’s much quieter and less crowded. Trade-offs.
Rodger’s Beach
11. Boca Keto
Boca Keto is a rugged twin beach in the Arikok National Park, and it can only be reached by hiking or off-roading.
Like most of the beaches in Arikok, this one’s not recommended for swimming because it can be dangerous. If you get in trouble out here, there’s no help coming for awhile.
However, the views are pretty spectacular, and there’s a unique rock formation called the ‘Klein Aruba’ (miniature Aruba), because from above it looks like a smaller version of the island of Aruba! You can see it in the picture below.
We enjoyed hiking out to this beach, and didn’t see a single other person the whole time. It’s only a short hike to get here from the Conchi Natural Pool, so if you’re already visiting that spot then it’s pretty easy to do this one as well.
Boca Keto is a neat twin beach in Arikok National Park
12. Dos Playa
Dos Playa is another duo of scenic beaches in the Arikok National Park. This one is reachable by car from the main road in Arikok, and any car can get to it, although the road is very rough, so a Jeep or other 4×4 with high clearance is ideal.
This is another beach that is usually devoid of crowds, and it’s nice for pictures, with big waves crashing on the rocky coast. Just don’t try to swim here! It’s not a good idea.
I’d rate this as one of the best Aruba beaches mainly because of its exceptional scenery, and it’s fairly easy to reach from the other popular spots in the Arikok National Park, such as the Fontein Cave, which is only a 10 minute drive away.
Aerial view of the two beaches at Dos Playa
13. Wariruri Beach
Even though the Wariruri Beach is located outside of the boundaries of Arikok National Park, it has some of the same features, with an interesting sea cave and a big natural bridge you can walk on.
This beach is popular for horseback riding and ATV tours in Aruba, and the scenery is a great backdrop for those kinds of photos. You can reach Wariruri in any vehicle, although the road is very rutted in some places, so having high clearance helps.
If you’re coming from the Bushiribana Ruins, it’s only a 5 or 10 minute drive to get to this Aruba beach, so it’s easy to do both places at the same time!
Book Now: Aruba Horseback Riding
14. Mangel Halto
Mangel Halto is a quiet beach surrounded by mangroves and a reef, giving it calm, shallow water.
This is a very relaxed spot, although I wouldn’t call it a hidden gem, because there are usually plenty of tourists here soaking up sun and wading in the water.
There’s plenty of parking here, and plenty of places to set up a chair and chill, although the shaded spots are often taken.
Mangel Halto
15. Malmok Beach
Malmok is almost too rocky to be called a beach, but there are a few spots where you can enter the water and swim. This is also one of the best places on the island to see wild pelicans. They’re always chilling here!
The water at Malmok is a beautiful turquoise, and you can usually spot a few catamarans and pirate boats coming here on day tours, so it’s a top spot for photos. The sunsets can be fantastic as well.
Water shoes are a good idea if you snorkel here. If you’re lucky, you can see some nice fish and sea turtles!
Malmok is a great place to see wild pelicans
Map Of The Best Aruba Beaches
Here’s a map of some of the best beaches in Aruba. Most of these beaches are easy to visit!
You can click the icons on the map to get more info and directions for each point of interest, but keep in mind some of the locations on this map may be approximate.
Best Aruba Tours
More Things To Do In Aruba
Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this list of the best Aruba beaches. There are so many nice beaches on this little island.
Don’t forget to check out my complete list of the best things to do in Aruba island!
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