Constant trade winds, a lee shore of white sand, and a rugged desert interior behind it. Outside the hurricane belt, so the season never really closes.
Aruba is two islands in one. The western lee shore is the one on the postcards — Eagle Beach and Palm Beach, flat turquoise water, watersports and a capital that knows what it is doing. The windward side is desert: cliffs, cacti, blowholes and almost nobody.
Nearly a fifth of the island is protected as Arikok National Park, which is where the second half lives — divi-divi trees bent flat by the trade wind, caves with Arawak drawings, and the Natural Pool cut into the rock on the north coast.
For a charter the appeal is reliability. The wind blows, the sun shines, the anchorages on the lee side are calm, and the island sits outside the hurricane belt — so a week here works in September as well as it does in February.
Consistently rated among the best beaches anywhere — wide, white and shallow, with the two leaning fofoti trees that everybody photographs. Anchor off and go ashore for the afternoon.
The busy end: windsurfing, paddleboarding, jet skis, and a promenade of restaurants behind it. Good for a day when the party wants something going on.
The two snorkelling stops. Boca Catalina is a small bay on the north-west corner with easy reef; Baby Beach is a shallow protected lagoon at the far south-east end, calm enough for anyone.
Desert, caves, cliffs and the Natural Pool. Best reached by anchoring at Spanish Lagoon and going in with a guide for the morning.
Dutch colonial facades in improbable colours, a market, and everything you might need to reprovision. Also the port of entry.
Aruba is small enough that a week is not about covering ground. The lee shore runs about fifteen miles and every anchorage on it is within an hour of the last, so days are built around what you want to do rather than where you have to be.
The pattern most crews settle into: mornings in the water — snorkelling at Boca Catalina, paddleboarding, or the mangrove channels at Mangel Halto — and afternoons ashore or at anchor. Arikok takes most of a day and is worth it.
The trade winds are constant, which makes the sailing easy and the windward side lively. Anything on the north coast is weather-dependent; your captain will pick the day for it.
Snorkel a shallow bay on the north-west corner, walk into a desert national park, swim at a beach that regularly tops the world lists, and finish in a capital painted like a Dutch harbour town.
Two miles of powder-white sand and water that stays shallow a long way out. The fofoti trees at the northern end are the ones in every photograph of Aruba, and the beach is wide enough that it never feels crowded.
A fifth of the island, and nothing like the beaches. Desert terrain, towering cacti, limestone caves with Arawak drawings, and the Natural Pool — a rock basin on the windward coast that fills with surf. Guided, and a half day at least.
Boca Catalina is a small sheltered bay off the north-west shore with reef close in and easy conditions. Baby Beach, at the opposite end of the island, is a shallow lagoon that suits complete beginners and small children.
The capital is a genuine pleasure to walk — Dutch colonial buildings painted in ridiculous colours, a covered market, Fort Zoutman, and enough good restaurants to justify an evening ashore.
A quiet stretch of mangrove on the south coast, with shallow channels you take by kayak or paddleboard. The snorkelling on the reef outside is better than its reputation.
Eight unhurried days around a small island, out of Oranjestad and back. A guide only — your captain will adjust for the wind and the swell on the windward side.
Board in the afternoon, clear the formalities and move the short distance up to Eagle Beach. First swim, first dinner on deck, nothing demanded of anybody.
A slow morning at anchor, then round to Boca Catalina after lunch for the snorkelling. The reef here is shallow and easy and the bay stays calm.
South to the gateway for Arikok. Ashore with a guide for the caves, the cliffs and the Natural Pool, and back aboard for a quiet night in the lagoon.
Up to the busy end for a day of watersports — windsurfing, paddleboarding, whatever the party is willing to try — and the promenade in the evening if you want it.
Into the capital. The old streets, the market and Fort Zoutman in the morning, provisioning in the afternoon, and dinner ashore.
South again to the mangroves. Kayaks and paddleboards through the channels, snorkelling on the reef outside, and an early evening with nobody else around.
The far south-east corner and the shallowest, calmest water on the island. A last full day in it, and the reef at the edge of the lagoon for anyone who wants more than a paddle.
A morning coastal sail back up the lee shore, breakfast under way, and alongside in Oranjestad before noon.
Aruba lies outside the hurricane belt and is dry all year, so there is no closed season. December to April is the driest and busiest; the rest of the year is quieter, warmer and still reliably sailable.
Because the good bits are spread around the coast. From a yacht you take Boca Catalina, Mangel Halto and Baby Beach in the same week without a car, and anchor off Eagle Beach after the day boats have gone.
Queen Beatrix International (AUA) has direct flights from the United States, Europe and South America. The marina is fifteen minutes from the airport and transfers are arranged with the charter.
Eagle Beach, the Natural Pool in Arikok, snorkelling at Boca Catalina, and an evening in Oranjestad. Baby Beach if there are children aboard.
Not for snorkelling, which covers most of what is worth seeing here. Scuba needs a recognised certification, though the dive centres on the island run introductory dives under supervision and full courses if you have the days.
Within limits. Some species are protected, permits apply to sportfishing, and catch-and-release is encouraged. Your captain handles the permits and knows the local practice.
Papiamento and Dutch are official, and English and Spanish are spoken almost everywhere. You will not have a language problem.
The Aruban florin, pegged to the US dollar, which is accepted everywhere. Cards work throughout; carry a little cash for markets and smaller places.
Every journey begins with a conversation. Tell us what you have in mind — dates, destinations, group size, experiences — and your Odyssea agent will craft a proposal tailored precisely to you.
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