Beaches in Aruba

A small, dry, flat island off the Venezuelan coast, outside the hurricane belt and consequently reliable in a way most of the Caribbean is not. The trade wind blows constantly from the east, which is why the leeward western beaches are calm and the windward eastern coast is a wall of surf and rock that nobody swims at. Cactus and divi-divi trees rather than palms define the landscape, and rainfall is under half a metre a year. All beaches are public and parking at them is free, which is not universal in this sea. Turtles nest between March and September and nests are marked and roped. Eagle Beach's divi-divi trees, bent permanently west by the trade wind, are the island's most reproduced image. Baby Beach at the island's southern tip is a shallow enclosed lagoon, and Arikok National Park on the windward side covers nearly a fifth of the island and has no swimming at all.