ABC Island / Aruba
Palm Beach
Rodgers Beach
Spaans Lagoen
Druif Beach
Savaneta
Climb the Casibari Rock Formations
Explore Fontein Cave’s Arawak pictographs
Kitesurf at Boca Grandi
Tour the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins
Visit the Alto Vista Chapel
California Lighthouse
San Nicolas
Ayo Rock Formations
Andicuri Beach
Seroe Colorado
Aruba lies outside the hurricane belt, so cruising conditions stay reliably calm nearly year-round, unlike much of the Caribbean further north. The driest, sunniest stretch runs from January through September, when rainfall is lightest and the constant trade winds sit at their steadiest for sailing. Late October through December brings a slightly wetter, breezier spell, though conditions remain comfortable enough for chartering throughout.
Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA), just outside Oranjestad, is Aruba’s only airport and sits only a few minutes from the main marinas along the western coast. It has direct flights from several US gateways, Amsterdam and other Caribbean hubs, so transfers to the yacht are straightforward. Most charters embark from Varadero Aruba Marina or Renaissance Marina, both in Oranjestad, a short taxi ride from arrivals.
The calm, current-free waters off Palm Beach on the western coast are the most popular for overnighting, sheltered from the trade winds by the island itself. Spaans Lagoen, a mangrove-lined inlet further south, offers a quieter spot for dinghy exploring and birdwatching away from the resort strip, while Rodgers Beach and Druif Beach provide easy access ashore near San Nicolas and Oranjestad respectively. The rougher, wilder eastern coastline is generally left to day trips.
Two to three days is enough to cover Aruba’s main anchorages, beaches and a shore excursion into the interior, since the island is compact at only about 30km long. Many guests combine Aruba with Bonaire and Curaçao, its fellow ABC Islands, for a longer week-long itinerary that takes advantage of the calm, hurricane-free waters shared by all three.
Aruba’s Carnival season opens each year at 11:11am on 11 November and runs through the Grand Parade in Oranjestad, ending with the midnight burning of the King Momo effigy on Shrove Tuesday. The most elaborate events cluster in January and February, filling marina berths well ahead of time, so a charter timed around Carnival should be booked early. Outside the season, the island stays quieter and easier for last-minute planning.