Aruba Weather, climate and geography

Weather and climate

Best time to visit

With an average temperature of 28°C (82°F), this dry and sunny island is made pleasantly cool throughout the year by constant trade winds. Short showers occur during the months of October, November and December.

Required clothing

Lightweight clothes. Sweaters are useful for air conditioned hotels and restaurants. Some upscale restaurants do not allow shorts and T-shirts.

Geography

Aruba is the smallest island in the Leeward group of the Dutch Caribbean islands, which also include Bonaire and Curaçao; they are popularly known as the ABCs.

As the westernmost island of the group, Aruba is the final link in the long Antillean chain, lying 20km (12.5 miles) off the Venezuelan coast. The island is 30km (19.6 miles) long and 9km (6 miles) across at its widest, and has a flat landscape dominated by Jamanota Mountain (188m/617ft).

The west and southwest coast, known as Palm Beach, boasts 11km (7 miles) of palm-fringed powder-white sands while, in contrast, the east coast has a desolate and windswept shoreline of jagged rocks carved into peculiar shapes by the pounding surf.