Fares and timetables below were checked in October 2026 against the Government of Aruba’s official fare calculator (taxi.aw, price list updated 27 May 2026) and Arubus’s published L10A schedule. Re-check on the day — and all-aboard times are your ship’s business, not ours, so build in slack.
Planning a trip to Aruba?
One email before you go, with what is worth booking ahead and what is not. No weekly newsletter.
By submitting you agree we can email you about your Aruba trip. One or two emails, then nothing. Unsubscribe in one click from any of them.
The quick answer
A taxi from the cruise terminal to Arashi Beach is a flat $43 per car for up to four people and takes about 18 minutes. The L10A bus does the same trip for $2.60 a person ($5 round trip) from the Oranjestad bus terminal, a 550-metre walk from the port gate. Arashi is the farthest north of the west-coast beaches — on a short call, Eagle Beach ($28 by taxi) or Palm Beach ($33) are closer and cheaper. The reason to come this far is the snorkelling.
By taxi: $43 per car, about 18 minutes
Aruba’s taxi fares are flat rates set by the government. The official calculator lists Cruise Ship Terminal to Arashi Beach at $43 (Afl. 77.40) per car for one to four passengers. Each extra passenger adds $3 (seven is the legal maximum), and a single $5 surcharge applies on Sundays, official holidays, daily from 11:00pm to 7:00am, and from 24 December through 1 January — so a Sunday port call pays $48. The drive is about 18 minutes (11.6 km) up the coast past the hotel strip.
If you plan to taxi back, agree a pickup time with your driver before they leave rather than counting on flagging one down at the beach. Taxis can also be hired by the hour — officially $60 an hour with a two-hour minimum — which is the practical way to combine Arashi with the California Lighthouse above it and still be certain of the ride back to your ship.
By bus: the L10A ends its route at Arashi
From the port gate it is about 550 metres — seven minutes on flat ground — to the main bus terminal in Oranjestad. Arubus’s L10A “Oranjestad – Arashi” runs up the coast past the Palm Beach hotels and Malmok and terminates right at the beach.
- Fares: $2.60 single, $5 round trip, $15 day pass.
- Weekdays out: first bus 6:15am, then roughly every 20 minutes from 7:10am until the last at 6:10pm — with one thin stretch mid-afternoon (nothing between 3:30 and 4:10pm).
- Weekends out: hourly, on the hour, 6:00am to 6:00pm.
- Coming back: the last bus leaves Arashi at 6:20pm on weekdays and 6:28pm at weekends. Weekday afternoon departures run roughly hourly — 4:00, 5:00, 5:20, 6:00, 6:20 — so check the time before you settle in for one last swim.
Those times are Arubus’s own published schedule, read in October 2026. Never plan a port day around the very last bus.
Can you walk it? No
Google Maps puts the walk at over two hours. If you want to stretch your legs straight off the ship, downtown Oranjestad starts about 400 metres from the berth — the cruise port guide covers what is in reach on foot. Arashi is a ride, not a stroll.
When you get there
Arashi is the best free snorkelling beach on the island — calm, clear water at Aruba’s north tip, and far quieter than the hotel beaches. The handful of shade huts fill early, so bring your own shade if you arrive after mid-morning. The California Lighthouse is on the hill just above the beach, and the road up runs right past Malmok and Boca Catalina, the shallow coves the snorkel boats anchor at.
If snorkelling is the whole point of your day, consider booking the water instead of the sand: the private boat charter from Malmok works this same stretch of reef — three hours, up to ten guests, $180 deposit online and the remaining $720 paid on the day — or browse the cruise excursions that fit port calls.
Ashore five hours or more? A rental car with cruise-port pickup — you pay the 13% reservation fee online and the rest when you collect — turns Arashi, the lighthouse and a lunch stop into one easy loop, and parking at the beach is free.
The verdict
For one or two people the bus is the obvious buy: $5 each round trip against $86 round trip by taxi. With three or four aboard, the taxi works out near $21 a head return and saves you the walk to the bus terminal and the timetable. On a short call, go to Eagle Beach instead — Arashi is for the day when snorkelling is the plan. Either way, leave the beach well before the 6:20pm last bus, or have your taxi booked.
Bring Aruba Home With You
Authentic Aruba merch — designed by locals, shipped worldwide.
Our cars
Rent a car with us — from $50 a day
Automatic and air conditioned, picked up at the airport, your hotel or our Oranjestad office. Pay 13% online to hold the car and the rest when you collect it. Minimum 3 days.
See cars and prices →✈️ Search Flights & Hotels to Aruba
Compare prices across airlines and hotels in seconds.
We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
We are an independent Aruba travel guide. Our rankings are honest — we track live prices across 460+ tours and 180+ hotels, we update guides continuously, and no operator can pay for a better review. Read our editorial policy and who we are.
✈️ Cheap Flights to Aruba
Live lowest round-trip fares found on Aviasales
🚕 Airport Transfers
Pre-book a private transfer from Queen Beatrix Airport to your hotel
We earn a small commission from affiliate links at no extra cost to you. This never affects our recommendations.
Book direct · no booking fees
Our own bookings, if you need them
Run by us and local operators we work with directly. A small deposit online holds it, and you settle the rest on the day.
