Exploring the Desert

The day, stop by stop

1. S

   Start

   Palm Beach

2. Breakfast

   Willem's Dutch Pancakes

   $40

   This restaurant serves up delicious food, the portions are big enough to fill your tummies but not leave you completely full, and the staff are always so lovely. We always get the apple cinnamon dutch pancakes (Alexia) and it never disappoints.

   Arawak Garden, J.E. Irausquin Blvd, Noord, Aruba
3. Car · ~15 min·To California Lighthouse·$21
4. Morning

   California Lighthouse

   $10

   There is a small fee associated with this ($5USD per person at time of writing) that we would recommend bringing cash for, as it does make a difference in the view.

   There are stunning views from the bottom of the lighthouse, or, if you’re feeling brave, you can climb up to the top to get stunning views of the leeward and windward parts of the island.

   California Lighthouse, L.G. Smith Blvd, Noord, Aruba
5. Car · ~35 min·To the Donkey Sanctuary·$35
6. Noon

   Aruba Donkey Sanctuary

   $20

   The donkey sanctuary is located in Bringamosa and houses almost all the donkeys that are on Aruba. Entry is by donation and you can buy apples and carrots to feed the donkeys on site. There is also a café and visitor centre where you can grab drinks and snacks, which we did for our lunch that day.

   Bringamosa 2-Z, Santa Cruz, Aruba
7. Car · ~10 min·To Ayo Rock Formations·$10
8. Afternoon

   Ayo Rock Formations

   Pre-download offline maps... just trust us

   This is a quick little stopover on the way to our final stop that allows you to step back in time and experience some of the ancient and historic rock formations of Aruba.

   6, Aruba
9. Car · ~1 hour·To Hooiberg·$13
10. Late Afternoon

    Hooiberg

    There is no water available for purchase on site, nor any refill stations.

    If you can time this hike with the sunset, it would be absolutely spectacular, but we would caution that the hike down could be a bit treacherous in the dark so make sure to have some light if you choose to do so.

    This is an 587 step climb up a volcanic cone that is in the centre of Aruba. It offers breathtaking 360 degree views of Aruba, and we even got to see a peak of Venezuela in the distance as it was a clear day! It is a good workout, taking about 15 to 30 minutes. We were guided up the hike by mountain goats, and could not get over how stunning the views of cacti, the ocean, planes coming in for landing at the airport, and the whole island were.

11. Car · ~10 min·To Renaissance Marketplace·$19
12. Dinner

    Casa Tua

    $56

    We headed to downtown Oranjestad and grabbed Italian food in the Renaissance Marketplace from Casa Tua, with a beautiful sunset to cap off an amazing day. There are plenty of options available here if Italian is not your preferred cuisine after your day of adventures.

    Renaissance Market Place, Suite 27, Lloyd G. Smith Blvd 9, Oranjestad, Aruba
13. E

    End

    Renaissance Marketplace

Turn your Day into a Stay

Want more? We have hand selected a few additional things for this itinerary if you wish to add to your day or switch things up.

Courtyard by Marriott Aruba Resort

While not right on the beach, it’s a short walk from the main Palm Beach hotel, restaurant, and beach area (like maybe 5 minutes), for a much more reasonable price than most hotels on the beach. The one warning we will give about the hotel is that the “beach” area that is reserved for hotel guests is extremely lacklustre and not on the best part of Palm Beach. It was quite hard to find the first time we looked for it, and it's on a first come, first served basis with not many chairs available and minimal shade if that’s important for you.