Oranjestad and Aruba: Eagle Beach, Arikok Desert Park, the California Lighthouse, and Kitesurfing at Boca Grandi
Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, is the gateway to the island that combines the finest beach in the Americas at Eagle Beach, the desert interior of Arikok National Park, and the consistently excellent trade wind climate that has made Aruba one of the most reliably enjoyable Caribbean resort destinations.
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Eagle Beach: The Finest in the Americas
Eagle Beach on the north coast of Aruba, consistently rated among the ten finest beaches in the world for the width of its white sand, the clarity of its turquoise water, the absence of jet ski and water sports intrusion, and the low-rise hotel and timeshare development that allows the beach landscape to dominate the horizon, provides the standard against which other Caribbean beaches are measured. The loggerhead sea turtle nesting on Eagle Beach from March to September adds the wildlife dimension.
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Palm Beach: The Party Strip
Palm Beach, adjacent to Eagle Beach, is the primary hotel and entertainment strip of Aruba, where the large resort hotels, the beach clubs, and the watersport operators create the complete Caribbean resort experience in a setting of continuous sunshine and the constant trade wind that eliminates the tropical heat and the mosquitoes. The Aruba trade wind blowing from the east at 25 knots for most of the year is the defining climate feature that makes the island one of the most comfortable Caribbean resort destinations.
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Arikok National Park: The Desert Interior
Arikok National Park in the southeastern interior of Aruba, covering approximately 20 percent of the island, protects the most unusual landscape in the Dutch Caribbean: the divi-divi trees permanently bent by the trade wind to point southwest, the Cunucu farmland, the natural bridge formations of the limestone coast, and the Fontein Cave with its Arawak petroglyphs. The rugged landscape of the interior Aruba, with the boulders and the cactus, contrasts completely with the hotel beach zone.
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California Lighthouse: The Northern Viewpoint
The California Lighthouse on the northern tip of Aruba, built in 1916 and named after the SS California that sank offshore, provides the finest 360-degree view of the island from the hilltop pedestal, with the Palm Beach resort zone visible to the south, the rugged northern coastline with the crashing Atlantic waves, and the divi-divi trees of the Cunucu interior visible from the lighthouse deck. The sunset view from the California Lighthouse is the most photographed image in Aruba after Eagle Beach.
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Aruba Bar Hopping and Nightlife: Smith's and Beyond
The Aruba nightlife circuit, centered on the Palm Beach strip and the Oranjestad waterfront, combines the casino culture of the large resort hotels with the outdoor beach bar scene and the Eagle Beach sunset bar strip that serves the couple and honeymooner market. The Aruba nightlife is more restrained and sophisticated than the Dominican Republic or Jamaica resort scenes, reflecting the Dutch Caribbean governance culture and the affluent American tourist demographic.
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Kitesurfing at Boca Grandi: The Atlantic Side
Boca Grandi on the southeastern Atlantic coast of Aruba, exposed to the full force of the northeast trade wind that sweeps across the island from the open Atlantic, is the premier kitesurfing and windsurfing site of the southern Caribbean, with the consistent 25-knot winds and the flat lagoon water of the enclosed bay providing the ideal conditions for advanced riders. The Aruba Hi-Winds kitesurfing competition draws the international professional circuit annually.