Best Scenic Drives in Aruba

The honest take on scenic drives

Aruba is 20 miles long. You're not doing a cross-country road trip. But a few routes deliver genuinely good scenery: turquoise water, dramatic coastline, desert landscapes that look nothing like the resort zone.

The best drives take 30-60 minutes each. You can hit all of them in a single day with time for beach stops. A regular car handles everything except the dirt roads in Arikok.

California Lighthouse loop

This is the one everyone does, and it's worth it. From Palm Beach, drive north along the coast past the high-rises. The road curves through Malmok, passes the snorkeling beaches, and climbs to the lighthouse at the island's northwestern tip.

The lighthouse itself is fine. Five bucks to climb it for the view. The real payoff is the drive. You'll pass Arashi Beach, see the rugged north shore, and get that classic Aruba postcard shot of divi-divi trees bent by the wind.

Do it at sunset. The light turns golden, the crowds thin out, and you can stop at Arashi for a swim on the way back. Total loop from Palm Beach: 45 minutes without stops, 2 hours if you linger.

South coast to Baby Beach

Head south through Oranjestad and keep going. The scenery shifts from resort-polished to something rougher. Old refineries, local neighborhoods, cactus-covered hills. Not pretty in a brochure way, but real.

San Nicolas is worth a stop. The town has street art murals scattered through the center, some genuinely good. Grab lunch at a local spot instead of the hotel zone markup.

Baby Beach sits at the island's southern tip. The drive there passes Rodger's Beach and some dramatic coastline. The lagoon itself is calm and shallow. Good for swimming, less interesting for scenery.

The route: Palm Beach to Baby Beach runs 40 minutes direct. Add an hour for San Nicolas murals and lunch. The coastal road near Boca Grandi shows the wild, windswept side of Aruba.

East coast without a Jeep

You don't need a 4x4 to see Arikok's best landscapes. The paved road from Santa Cruz to the park entrance passes through classic desert scenery. Giant cacti, rocky outcrops, the occasional wild donkey.

Inside the park, the road to Fontein Cave is paved and accessible. The cave has Arawak drawings and isn't crowded. The drive passes dramatic rock formations and gives you a taste of the rugged interior.

What you'll miss without 4x4: Natural Pool, Boca Prins, and the roughest coastal sections. Those require a Jeep and half a day. The paved sections take an hour and cost just the $15 park entry.

The drives you can skip

The airport road. L.G. Smith Boulevard south of Oranjestad is just highway. Industrial, flat, nothing to see. Take it to get somewhere, not for the drive.

The hotel strip. Bumper-to-bumper traffic between Palm Beach and Eagle Beach during peak hours. The beach is nice; the drive isn't. Walk or time it for early morning.

Interior shortcuts. Roads through the middle of the island connect the coasts, but there's not much to look at. Fine for getting from A to B, not worth driving for scenery.

Making the most of it

Morning light is best for the east coast and Arikok. Harsh midday sun flattens everything. Sunset belongs to the California Lighthouse loop.

Bring water and snacks. Once you leave the hotel zone, options thin out. San Nicolas has local restaurants, but the coastal roads have nothing.

Fill up before you go. Gas stations cluster near the airport, Oranjestad, and Palm Beach. Nothing in Arikok, nothing on the south coast past San Nicolas.

Stop often. The best views come from pulling over, not driving past. Budget twice as long as the drive time suggests. That's where the good photos happen.