California Lighthouse Aruba: Sunset, the Climb and the Dunes

The California Lighthouse, Aruba’s white tower on the north west tip, is the island’s one proper landmark and the place Ghislaine sends every guest for their first sunset. It is five minutes from our Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast and she drives up there most weeks. Here is what the lighthouse is, how the climb works, where to stand at sunset, what the dunes behind it hide, and how to pair it with Arashi for a half day.

What is the California Lighthouse?

A stone lighthouse about 30 meters tall on the limestone plateau of Hudishibana, at the far north west end of the island above Arashi Beach. It is named for the SS California, a steamship that went down on the reef here in 1891. Construction started in 1914 and the light has been working since 1916, originally with a keeper who lived in the house at its base, now automatic. The keeper’s house is today the Faro Blanco restaurant.

For most of its life the tower was closed. After a restoration finished in 2016 it opened to visitors, and you can now climb the spiral stairs to the gallery at the top. From there you see the whole island: the Palm Beach hotels to the south, the lighthouse’s own shadow across the golf course, the dunes and the wild north coast to the east, and on a clear day the hills of Venezuela to the south.

Can you climb the California Lighthouse?

Yes, by guided tour. Tours leave regularly through the day, roughly from mid morning to late afternoon, last around 25 to 30 minutes and cost a small fee per person, in recent years in the single digit dollars, with children under about five free. A longer tour with more history and more time at the top is offered, and the operator sells private after hours climbs for sunrise, sunset and night viewing to small groups at a higher price, booked a day ahead. Tickets are sold at the Faro Blanco lobby and online. Hours and fees change, so check before you go; the Aruba Tourism Authority and visitaruba.com keep them current.

The climb is about 120 steps on a narrow spiral. It is fine for anyone who can manage stairs, not for strollers, and the gallery at the top is small, so groups are kept to a handful. Mornings are cooler inside the tower; by 3 pm it is warm.

The best sunset in Aruba

The lighthouse sits on the highest point of the north west coast with nothing between it and the horizon, so the sun goes into the sea directly in front of you every evening of the year. Sunset falls between about 6:15 pm in December and 7 pm in June and July. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early. Parking along the road and the small lot by Faro Blanco fills by then in high season, and the low wall on the sea side of the lighthouse is where everyone wants to sit.

Three ways to do it:

• Free: the wall or the rocks below it, with a drink from the cooler in your car. Locals do this on Sunday evenings.
• Faro Blanco: the Italian restaurant in the old keeper’s house has a terrace facing the sunset. Book a table for about 45 minutes before sunset in winter, or just take a glass of wine at the bar outside. The food is good, the view is why you are there. Prices are resort level; check the menu.
• From the top: the private sunset climb if you want the gallery to yourselves. Expensive per head for two, reasonable for a group of six or eight.

The wind up here is strong, especially from December to July. Hats go, hair goes, and a light layer is welcome once the sun is down.

The dunes and the north coast walk

Behind the lighthouse, to the north and east, the land turns to white sand dunes and then to the limestone cliffs of the north coast. A sandy track leads from the lighthouse down through the dunes to the sea in about 15 minutes. The surf there is heavy and the water is not for swimming, but the walk is beautiful, almost nobody does it, and at the bottom you can watch the waves break into the blowholes along the rock. Early morning before the heat is the time. Closed shoes, water and sunscreen; there is no shade and the sand reflects the sun back at you.

Further east along the coast is Tierra del Sol, the golf course, and beyond it the old Alto Vista chapel road. You can drive the dirt track along the north coast for a few kilometers in a normal car with care, further in a 4x4, but most rental contracts exclude unpaved roads, so read yours.

Pairing the lighthouse with Arashi

The lighthouse and Arashi Beach are three minutes apart by car and this is the half day we suggest:

Morning option. Arashi from 8 am, when the water is glassy and the palapas are free. Snorkel to the right by the rocks, where the fish are. Walk to the lighthouse for the late morning climb, lunch at the Arashi beach bar or back in Noord.

Evening option. Boca Catalina and Tres Trapi for an afternoon snorkel and the turtles, Arashi for the last swim of the day, then up the hill to the lighthouse for sunset and dinner at Faro Blanco. This is the one couples remember.

Our Arashi, Boca Catalina and Malmok guide has the entries and the parking. The couples itinerary builds a whole day around this corner of the island.

Practical details

• Getting there: drive north on the coast road past Malmok and Arashi; the road ends at the lighthouse. 10 minutes from Palm Beach, 15 from Eagle Beach. The Arubus hotel route ends at Arashi, a 10 minute uphill walk short of the lighthouse. Taxi from Palm Beach around $12 to $15 each way.
• Parking: free along the road and at Faro Blanco.
• Toilets: at Faro Blanco for guests; none on the grounds.
• Cash: the climb desk takes cards and dollars.
• Photos: the lighthouse photographs best in the late afternoon from the Arashi side, with the sun on its white face. Sunrise from the dunes is the empty version.

Stay nearby

Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast is five minutes from the lighthouse and Arashi, with a private pool for the hours between the two. Ocean View 2BR on the Palm Beach strip is 10 minutes south, and the adults only Hideout Dream Big Suite and Hideout Happiness Suite near Eagle Beach are 15. See them at /stays/.

Questions people ask

Can you go inside the California Lighthouse?

Yes. Since its restoration the lighthouse runs short guided climbs through the day, with a small fee per person and young children free. The view from the top covers the whole island. Check current hours and prices before you go.

Is the California Lighthouse free?

The grounds, the view from the base and the sunset are free. Only the climb inside costs money. Parking is free along the road and at Faro Blanco.

What time is sunset at the California Lighthouse?

Between about 6:15 and 7 pm all year, with the latest sunsets in June and July. Arrive 30 to 45 minutes early for parking and a spot on the wall.

Why is it called the California Lighthouse?

After the SS California, a steamship that wrecked off this coast in 1891. The lighthouse was built in the following decades to stop it happening again, and it has guided ships round the north point since 1916.