Baby Beach Aruba: Lagoon, Rodgers Beach and the South

Most visitors never go further south than the airport. That is a shame, because the south coast is where Baby Beach, the island’s fishing villages, its best shore snorkelling, and its calmest lagoon are. It is also where Aruba stops looking like a resort and starts looking like itself. Ghislaine does this drive with guests at least once a season. Here is the route.

How to get to Baby Beach from Palm Beach

From Palm Beach, take the main road south past Oranjestad and the airport, then follow the coast road through Pos Chiquito, Savaneta and San Nicolas to Seroe Colorado at the southern tip. Forty to forty five minutes without stops. The road is paved all the way and a normal rental car is fine. Fill up on the way down; there is a gas station in San Nicolas and nothing beyond it.

Mangel Halto, Pos Chiquito

Twenty minutes from Palm Beach, on the left before Savaneta. A small beach wrapped in mangroves, with wooden walkways and a few hidden sets of stairs leading into shallow, glassy water. Swim out from the stairs toward the breakers and the sand gives way to coral and the fish arrive: parrotfish, trumpetfish, grunts, sometimes a ray on the sand.

Two things to know. The reef edge beyond the breakers has a current; stay on the inside unless you are a strong swimmer. And there are no facilities, no shade to rent and no lifeguard. Parking is on the sandy lot by the road. Weekend afternoons locals set up here with grills and music; weekday mornings you will have it to yourself.

Savaneta

The island’s first capital, now a fishing village. Zeerover on the pier is the reason to stop: fresh fish and shrimp, fried in front of you, sold by weight, eaten from a basket with plantain and funchi at a picnic table over the water. Cash only, kitchen open 11 am to 9 pm, closed Mondays. Go at lunch, go hungry, and expect a line on weekends.

Next door is the Flying Fishbone, where the tables are in the water at sunset. Different budget, same view. Book well ahead.

San Nicolas

Twelve miles from Oranjestad, the former refinery town and the island’s second city. In the last decade the main street has become an open air gallery of murals, with new ones added every September during the Aruba Art Fair. Park on the main street, walk the murals for 30 minutes, have a beer at Charlie’s Bar (open since 1941, every inch of ceiling covered in things sailors and divers left behind), and carry on south. We cover the town in detail in the San Nicolas guide.

Baby Beach: the lagoon

At the very end of the road, past the old Lago Colony houses at Seroe Colorado, the lagoon opens up. Baby Beach is a half moon of sand enclosing a shallow bay: knee to waist deep over most of its width, calm, warm, and the clearest water on the island on a still day. This is where Aruban families bring toddlers, and the name is literal.

What to know:

• The deep end. Toward the mouth of the bay, where the lagoon meets the sea, the bottom drops away and the current runs hard. The signs mean it. Keep kids in the shallow inner half.
• Shade and chairs. Rental palapas and loungers are set up along the beach, roughly $10 to $20 for the day depending on what you take. There are a few free huts at the ends.
• Food. There is a snack bar on the beach for burgers, fish and cold drinks. Prices are beach prices.
• Snorkelling. Mild. Along the rocks on either side of the bay you will see small fish and the odd parrotfish. Do not snorkel out through the mouth.
• The view. The refinery stacks are visible to the north west and the wind turbines on the ridge to the east. The water in the bay is clean; the currents carry everything away from it.
• Parking is free on the sand lot.

Weekends from noon are busy with local families. Weekday mornings are quiet.

Rodgers Beach

A five minute walk or two minute drive west of Baby Beach, in the next cove, closer to the refinery fence. Smaller, with fishing boats pulled up on the sand and a few palapas, and usually almost empty. The water is calm and the same colour as Baby Beach. Locals use it when Baby Beach is full. If you want an hour of real quiet with the same lagoon, this is it.

Further round: the wild side

From Seroe Colorado a rough track leads north east to the Colorado Point lighthouse and the island’s east coast: big surf, limestone cliffs, no swimming. Boca Grandi, a few minutes north, is the kitesurfing beach, with a steady side shore wind and a handful of schools. Watching from the sand is the activity for most people; the current there is serious.

Make it a day

Leave Palm Beach at 9 am. Mangel Halto for a snorkel at 9:30. Zeerover for lunch at 12. San Nicolas murals and Charlie’s at 1:30. Baby Beach from 2:30 until the light goes soft, with a detour to Rodgers Beach if it is busy. Home by 6:30. You will have seen more of the real island in one day than most visitors see in a week.

Stay nearby

None of our homes are in the south; it is a day trip from all of them. Ocean View 2BR on Palm Beach and the Hideout Dream Big Suite and Hideout Happiness Suite near Eagle Beach are 40 to 45 minutes from Baby Beach. Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast is 50 minutes. See all four at /stays/.

Questions people ask

How far is Baby Beach from Palm Beach?

About 40 to 45 minutes by car, 20 miles down the south coast past the airport, Savaneta and San Nicolas. Allow a full day with stops.

Is Baby Beach safe for kids?

Inside the lagoon, yes. The water is knee to waist deep and calm. Stay away from the mouth of the bay where the lagoon opens to the sea; the current there is strong and the depth drops fast.

Is there snorkelling at Baby Beach?

Some, near the rocks on the sides of the lagoon. It is beginner level. For real fish, stop at Mangel Halto on the way, which is the best shore snorkel on the island.

Can you see the refinery from Baby Beach?

Yes, the Refineria di Aruba stacks are in view to the north west. It has been mostly idle for years. The water in the lagoon is clean and clear.