Aruba 365
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Aruba 365
Aruba's clifftop lighthouse with sweeping coastal views
The California Lighthouse stands on the rugged northwestern point of Aruba, above the village area of Noord, where the calm leeward beaches give way to open ocean and bare limestone hills. Built in the early 1900s, it takes its name from the steamship California, which was wrecked off this coast before the light was raised, a reminder of how exposed these waters once were to passing ships.
The draw today is the setting as much as the structure. The lighthouse crowns a low rise surrounded by rolling sand dunes, divi-divi trees bent flat by the constant trade winds, and a panorama that takes in the whole northwest corner of the island. From here you look back along the hotel strip toward Palm Beach and out over the wilder shoreline near Arashi Beach and Boca Catalina.
Late afternoon is the classic time to come. The low sun turns the dunes gold, the wind eases a little, and the lighthouse becomes one of the best places on the island to watch the sky change colour over the sea. A restaurant beside the lighthouse makes it easy to linger for a drink or a meal.
Come for sunset, bring something for the wind (it is steady and strong up here), and wear shoes that handle the rough, sandy ground around the base.
Interior access is limited and not always open, but the real draw is the setting. The grounds, dunes, and viewpoints around the base are free and open at any time, with sweeping views over Aruba's northwest coast.
The lighthouse is named for the steamship California, which was wrecked off this exposed northwest coast before the light was built in the early 1900s. The name has stuck ever since.
Late afternoon is the classic time. The low sun turns the surrounding dunes gold, the trade winds ease a little, and it becomes one of the best places on Aruba to watch the sunset over the sea.
Yes, mainly for the panorama. From the hilltop you look over rolling dunes, wind-bent divi-divi trees, and the whole northwest corner of the island, with a restaurant beside the lighthouse for a drink or meal.
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