Aruba Transport

In spite of the small size of Aruba, the distances are relatively big. Walking around the island is not something you should do. Not only because of the distances but also because it is quite dangerous. There are almost no area's for walking and in the traffic the people are not used to watch out for walkers. You will also have to take lots of water with you and drink very much to avoid getting sick from the sun and dehydration. There are several different ways to get around on Aruba.

The bus

The busses go from the hotel area to Oranjestad, and from there to San Nicolas. If yo take the bus from the hotel area to Oranjestad you can buy a roundtrip, this will cost you US$ 2,-. The busses come every 20 minutes (though you should not take this to serious, Aruba time is not the same time your watch will tell you).

Taxi's

You can also take a taxi. There are several taxi companies and a lot of independent taxi drivers. The cars are owned by the drivers. The prices for taxi rides are fixed by the government but sometimes it is wise to ask the driver the price before you get in.

Car rental

And, of course, you can rent a car. There are several car rental services at the airport and most of the hotels also have a desk were you can rent a car. The car rentals have several different types of cars, and if you want to go to the rough north side of the island (you shouldn't miss that) you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle (don't forget the sunblock!).
Be sure to check with your car rental company that you are allowed to go to the rough side with your rental car!

Before you decide you want to drive yourself there are certain things you need to know. You can drive a car in Aruba if you have a Foreign or international driver's license which is issued by a member country of the Geneva convention and you have to be age 21 or older. In Aruba international road signs are used. Car speedometers and road signs are in kilometers. The speed limit in urban areas is 40 km/h, out of urban areas it is 60 km/h. Where there are no road signs, traffic from your right has the right of way. Because of the dry weather oil and dust build up on the roads. This is no problem when there is no rain but when it has rained the roads will be very slippery. Arubans are sociable drivers. At any time they may stop to give right of way, greet or converse to another driver. You have to be alert. And besides the people you may meet a herd of goats or, in some of the more inaccessible area's, two or three wild donkeys. Should you be involved in an accident you have to notify the police immediately and DON'T move your car.