Is Eagle Beach worth visiting?

Yes, if you want a wide, calm beach for the whole day. It has the most sand on the island, the fofoti trees and water you can walk out into. Skip it only if you want to snorkel from the shore. Go to Arashi for that.

Can you snorkel at Eagle Beach?

No. The bottom is sand all the way, and there's no reef within a swim. The nearest shore snorkeling is at Boca Catalina, about 8 km north, where the catamarans anchor too. Arashi is 1 km past it.

Is there parking at Eagle Beach?

Yes. You'll find a free lot on the road behind the beach, plus roadside spots along the coast road. Come early on Sundays and ship days.

How do I get to Eagle Beach from the cruise port?

It's 5 km by road to the fofoti trees. A taxi takes about 10 minutes at the fixed rate. Arubus line 10A runs along the coast road for $2.60; you get off at Costa Linda. On foot it's about an hour along a busy road, and not worth it in the afternoon heat.

What time should I get to Eagle Beach?

Early, if you want a fofoti tree or a free shade hut. They go first. The sun is at its strongest from 10 to 3. Late afternoon the trees shade the sand again, and sunset is the reason to stay.

Things to do in Aruba › Beaches › Eagle Beach

Eagle Beach

The widest sand on the island

Checked October 21, 2026 shade, parking and the shore from the sources below; distances by road, rounded; wind, sunset and ships from today's readings

Eagle Beach is the widest beach in Aruba, and the two fofoti trees everyone photographs stand on it. Tripadvisor's 2026 Travelers' Choice awards put it #3 in the Caribbean. The hotels sit across the road, not on the beach. It's 5 km by road from the cruise terminal, about 3 miles. The water is usually calm, since the trade wind blows from the east. Parking is free, and the shade huts are first come. One beach day in Aruba? Give it this one.

Today: Airport wind at 1 a.m.: 10 mph from the east. Meteo Aruba has sheltered water at about 1 ft today. 2 ships in port today, with room for about 5,246 passengers. Come early for the shade. Sunset is at 6:17 p.m., and the trees are the place to watch it from.

Map

Where is Eagle Beach

12.5465° N, 70.0594° W Directions in Google Maps Apple Maps OpenStreetMap

How to get there

By taxi from the port About 10 minutes at the fixed island rate. Ask your driver for the fofoti trees; every driver knows them.
By bus Arubus line 10A runs along the coast road for $2.60 a ride. On weekdays most buses are 20 minutes apart, and on weekends they're hourly. Get off at the Costa Linda or Amsterdam Manor stop.
By car A free lot on the road behind the beach. Sundays are busier, when islanders come.

At a glance

Eagle Beach at a glance

From the cruise terminal	5 km (3 miles) by road to the fofoti trees; about 10 minutes by taxi
From the Palm Beach strip	4 km (2.5 miles) south by road; about 5 minutes by taxi
Water	usually calm and shallow a long way out; the trade wind blows from the east most days
Entry	sand all the way, no rocks; you walk out
Snorkeling	no reef within reach; for that go north to Boca Catalina or Arashi
Shade	the fofoti trees and a line of public shade huts, some of them hotel-only. Come early for one
Parking	free lot along the road, plus roadside
On the shore	Passions on the Beach serves food and drinks on the sand; more bars and restaurants across the road
Ship days	check the ship schedule and come early if you want space

From the desk

I'd come at 8 a.m. with a towel: the shade huts are first come, and by noon the sun here is the one that turns you red. For snorkeling from the sand, I'd choose Arashi instead.

The beach

What Eagle Beach is like

Eagle Beach is the wide one. Palm Beach has the piers and the water sports. Eagle has sand, a lot of it, and the two fofoti trees leaning toward the sea that you've seen on every postcard. The hotels sit across the road, low-rise by zoning. That's why the beach keeps its width and its quiet.

The water is the west coast's: calm and shallow. There's no reef to snorkel. Bring a book instead of a mask. Pelicans work the shallows in the morning, and you'll notice roped-off patches of sand near the dunes. They're turtle nests. The volunteers who mark them ask you to walk around.

Shade is the only thing in short supply. The palapas nearest the hotels belong to the hotels. The fofoti trees and the free huts go first, so come early or bring an umbrella. Come at noon without one and you're in the sun until 3. That's when the trees' shadows swing east.

Tours