Page 12 - AHATA

a11
local Friday 21 November 2025
Basic driving rules on Aruba: Traffic signs

(Oranjestad)—Though Aru- wde kom”. These can be that your priority is over.
ba’s traffic is relatively easy found in San Nicolas and
to manage, driving here— Oranjestad. Bebouwde Another priority sign you
especially if it’s your first kom sings are rectangular may encounter is a triangle
time visiting—can be for- and blue, and essentially sign with a red border and
eign. To help you out, here’s tell you that you are in a something that looks like a
a breakdown of some traf- heavily inhabited area. The cross. You’ll see this sign in
fic signs you might encoun- maximum speed limit in a an intersection. The gen-
ter on the road. bebouwde kom is 50 km/h. eral rule of thumb for cross-
Just like the previous pair, ing an intersection that do
Speed limit in certain areas bebouwde kom signs are not contain traffic lights,
As mentioned in yester- also paired with a similar roundabouts, sign or arrows
day’s issue, the legal mini- sign crossed out. on the road, is to always
mum and maximum speed Priority signs yield for traffic on your right.
limit on the island is 50 and However, if you encounter
80 km/h respectively. How- On the main roads of Aru- this sign on your side of the
ever, there are some areas ba (not the highways), you intersection, you have pri-
where it is mandated to may see a yellow, squared ority over the other cars,
drive up to a certain speed. sign with a white border. even the one on your right.
This is always indicated by a This sign tells you that on
circular traffic sign with red this road, you have priority However, be careful not to
border and the number 50 and all other traffic should confuse this sign with a simi-
on it. Signs like these are al- yield to you. This sign can lar up-side down triangle,
ways paired by a similar sign be seen in Savaneta for ex- also found on intersections.
with the number crossed ample. So, if you are driving This sign is a prohibition sign,
out further down the road. on the main road in Sava- telling you that you have to
This means that the man- neta going to San Nicolas, stop and give other cars
date for this speed is now you are driving on a single priority. Of course you also
over; you may increase long road, and other cars have a “stop” sign that
your velocity. Red borders that want to get on this mean the same thing. The
on traffic sign—whether it’s main road or cross it, either stop sign is generally used
a circle or triangle—usually from an intersection or from for tricky intersections with
signal a warning, prohibi- a dirt road, must all wait un- minimal view of opposite
tion or preference. til traffic on the main road incoming traffic. to drive on the island. These view of all traffic signs used
is clear. In other words, you are of course other traffic on Aruba.q
Besides the “50” sign, you do not have to stop for These are some of the ba- signs, and we recommend
may also encounter a traf- them. This sign too has a sic rules that you would you visit aruba-travelguide. Picture credits:
fic sign that says “bebou- counter part that indicates have to know if you decide com for an extensive over- aruba-travelguide.com

Blackstone Beach

(Oranjestad)—Named after its most recognizable
feature, the Blackstone Beach almost represents the
opposite of the typical Aruban beaches. For one,
it has black sand and is covered in black smooth
stones. Secondly, it lies on the northern side of the is-
land, away from the white sandy beaches of in the
southern region. So, if you feel up for something differ-
ent—or if it’s opposite day, visit the Blackstone Beach.

Blackstone Beach shows the more natural side of Aru-
ba; the stones that cover the beach and the shape
of it has been crafted for thousands of years through
volcanic eruptions, coral reef movements and wave
activity of the rural northern part of the island.
Located further east to the Natural Bridge and Andi-
curi Beach, the Blackstone Beach is relatively easy to
access. Once you get passed the Ayo Rock Forma-
tion, take the Andicuri road leading up to Andicuri
Beach. There, you can park your car and take a 1km
hike towards Blackstone Beach.

This beach forms part of the Arikok National Park and
is therefore a site that is preserved. This is why it is also
relatively untouched by commercial influences. De-
spite being called a beach, do note that it is not ad-
vised to swim in the water, as the current is very strong
and can easily stray you further in the wild ocean.
However, you can still enjoy a spectacular view of
the stones and the northern ocean that stretches out
in front of the beach and take a picture with your
friends or family!q