Flamingo Beach Aruba: Is It Worth It? How To Get There + More

Wondering how to visit the famous Flamingo Beach in Aruba? I recently visited and here’s everything you need to know!

Ever since pictures of girls feeding pink flamingos started popping up all over Instagram, visiting Aruba’s Flamingo Island has been high on my bucket list.

It wasn’t only until early this year that I finally got the chance to make that dream come true.

I’m not going to lie – I was a bit afraid the beach would be one of those Instagram vs. reality places.

If you’re feeling the same way and you’re wondering if the real-life experience compares to those Insta-perfect shots and how to even visit the island, read on!

⛵ Getting to Flamingo Beach Aruba

Flamingo Beach Aruba is located on Renaissance Island, a private island in Aruba that belongs to the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort, which is one of the best places to stay in Aruba.

Getting there requires taking a 10-minute water taxi available at the resort.

The Renaissance Aruba Private Island opens every day from 7 AM to 7 PM.

The first water taxi departs from the resort to the island at 7 AM and the last one back from the island leaves at 6:45 PM.

In between those times, they depart to and from the island every 15 minutes.

🦩 How to visit Flamingo Beach Aruba

Since Flamingo Beach Aruba is a private island, it’s not really a “public attraction” everyone can visit.

To visit Flamingo Beach, you only have two options:

Stay at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort

This is what I did and what I would recommend to anyone who has Flamingo Beach Aruba high on their bucket list. It’s essentially the only option you have to guarantee your visit.

Because the island is privately owned by the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort, only hotel guests are allowed to visit. Unlimited boat rides to the island as well as your entry are included on your reservation.

If you paid for the all-inclusive deal, you will also get access to the island’s restaurant as well as service and unlimited drinks (including alcoholic beverages) at the beach.

You can book your stay here.

Buy a Flamingo Beach Aruba Day Pass

Buying a day pass for $125 is also possible if you don’t want to splurge on a night at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort.

Your day pass includes access to the island, water taxi rides, and lunch + a drink at the island’s restaurant.

However, day passes are only available when the hotel’s occupancy is below 80%.

If you’re visiting during the high season, I highly recommend having an open itinerary and visiting the hotel to enquire about day passes the day before to see if they have any available for the following day.

If you happen to be visiting during the low season, chances are you will be able to snag a day pass and instead of flamingo beach, you can stay at another resort in Aruba and save money.

If you have the budget for it, I would recommend booking a night at the resort to avoid not being able to go if there are no passes available.

📅 Best time to visit Flamingo Beach Aruba

Weather-wise, the best time to visit Flamingo Beach Aruba is between December and March when temperatures are great and there are almost no chances of rainfall.

With that said, even during the “rainy season” (late October to December), rainfall is only over 20 inches in general in Aruba, so you can pretty much visit any time of the year.

🏝️ Flamingo Beach Aruba FAQs

Where is Flamingo Beach Aruba?

Flamingo Beach Aruba is located on Renaissance Island, a private island that belongs to the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort in Oranjestad.

It’s located just off the coast of Aruba and it takes a very short (10-minute boat ride) from the mainland to reach it.

Are there really flamingos at Flamingo Beach Aruba?

Yes!

While flamingos aren’t native to Aruba, there are 8 flamingos in total at Renaissance Island.

This means that Flamingo Island is the only place where you can find flamingos in Aruba.

Is Flamingo Beach Aruba worth it?

In my opinion, I think it’s 100% worth it, especially if what you’re after on your Aruba vacation is to relax.

In all honesty, before my visit, I kept wondering if the real-life experience would compare to what I’d seen in pictures.

I was worried I’d plan an entire trip around that experience alone only to find the flamingos weren’t even there or it’d be an incredibly unethical place. In reality, Flamingo Beach and the entire island it’s set on are actually so much better than I’d originally expected!

Getting to see flamingos up close and walking beside them is an incredible experience in and on itself.

Add to that the fact that the island has two beautiful private beaches, a bar, and a restaurant and you’ve got yourself a perfect recipe for a place you can spend the entire day relaxing amid a setting that looks exactly what you’d expect paradise to look like.

Can anyone go to Flamingo Beach Aruba?

Yes and no. Renaissance Island, the island where the beach is located, is private.

Visitors can’t just pop up and visit the island – you need to either book a stay at the Renaissance Wind Creek Aruba Resort (access to the island is included on your stay as well as your boat trips) or get a day pass for $125.

Note that day passes to Renaissance Island are limited and not always available as they don’t want the island to get too full.

Can you visit Flamingo Beach with kids?

Kids are only allowed to visit Flamingo Beach from 9 AM to 10 AM in order to minimize disturbance to the flamingos. Touching, chasing, or holding the flamingos is prohibited and they must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Is there food at Flamingo Beach?

Yes.

Papagayo Bar & Grill is located on the island at Iguana Beach (which is almost right beside Flamingo Beach). It offers delicious cocktails and dishes like burgers, salads, and wood-fired pizza.

You can order at the restaurant/bar or have the service team bring them over to your chair/cabana. Breakfast is also served here.

At Flamingo Beach, you will find Mangrove Beach Bar, which serves delicious cocktails as well.

Note that if you booked an all-inclusive deal at the hotel, both Mangrove Beach Bar and Papagayo Bar & Grill are included in the deal.

Is Flamingo Beach Aruba ethical?

In all honesty, this is a question I found myself asking all the time during my visit to Flamingo Beach Aruba.

I’m in no way an expert to talk, but I do like observing how animals are treated and coming up with my own conclusion.

If you’ve read any other posts on wildlife travel experiences, you’ll know I’m always 100% honest if I see something that doesn’t look right.

However, with Flamingo Beach, I found myself at loss as to what my conclusion was.

On one hand, the flamingos aren’t native to the island and they were brought here from another place in order to attract visitors, but they did seem very well taken care of.

There are some rumors going around about the flamingo’s wings being clipped in order to prevent them from flying away. I did observe them and they all had their wings all right BUT, I did see four of them try to fly and they didn’t seem to be able to lift themselves up for more than a meter.

So… I don’t know? Something didn’t feel 100% right to me, but it didn’t feel wrong either. I just couldn’t figure things out nor did I find any information on where the flamingos were brought from.

There was an incident where a girl tried to hold a flamingo and the staff on-site quickly jumped in order to stop her. I did like how they worried about the flamingos not getting too stressed. They also don’t “force” them to take pictures with visitors (taking that flamingo picture is harder than it looks!).

Is there more to do at Flamingo Beach Aruba?

Yes! Of course, the flamingos were the main reason I visited Flamingo Beach Aruba, but I found myself quickly getting over them after a while.

Still, I visited the island on three different days because it’s simply gorgeous and a wonderful place to relax.

There aren’t a lot of activities, but there are many beach chairs, hammocks, a bar, and a restaurant on site both at Flamingo Beach as well as Iguana Beach (which is right next to Flamingo Beach Aruba). They also offer overwater cabanas for rent.

Moreover, the water here is calm and a stunning turquoise blue, making it perfect for swimming.

Map of Flamingo Beach Aruba

As you can see, the location of Flamingo Beach couldn’t be more perfect. It’s easily accessible from the airport and the capital of Aruba, and the short water taxi ride is a fun way to start your beach day.

Plus, the fact that it’s a private beach means that you’ll have plenty of space to relax and enjoy the stunning surroundings.

📷 How to get the perfect flamingo photo at Flamingo Beach

As pretty as those Instagram photos of girls wearing pink bikinis look, getting that perfect photo isn’t as easy as it looks (I have to admit I wasn’t 100% happy with mine).

At the end of the day, flamingos are animals and not models, so if you want your shot, you will need to be patient.

Here are some tips on how to get the perfect shot with flamingos:

There are vending machines where you can get food to feed them. This will make the flamingos so much more eager to approach you so you can snap your shot. Bring American quarters as the vending machine only accepts those 🙂
Get to Flamingo Beach Aruba as early in the morning as possible (it opens at 7 AM). This will make it easier to get your photo because the flamingos will be hungry and there won’t be as many people.
If you don’t get your photo in the morning, wait until 6 PM or so. Most people have left the island by then and the flamingos start getting hungry again around this time.
Don’t force the flamingos to pose for you. You will just scare them away.
Do not touch the flamingos or try to hold them. This is prohibited.
If you’re staying several days at the resort, you can visit the island several times – you can always come back again if you aren’t happy with your photos!
Don’t distribute the flamingos if they clearly don’t want to be bothered or when they’re napping. It looks something like this:

☀️ Other things to do at Flamingo Beach Aruba

Relax at Iguana Beach

There are two beaches at Renaissance Island: Flamingo Beach (where flamingos are found most of the time) and Iguana Beach.

I personally found Flamingo Beach a bit too hectic, especially during the morning and early afternoon. I actually visited the island three times during my trip to Aruba and spend most of my time at Iguana Beach (you can walk from one beach to the other).

It’s a lot more beautiful and relaxing. There are super comfortable beach chairs available as well as a restaurant.

The flamingos are super fun to look at and take pictures with, but after you’ve done that, you can spend the rest of the day relaxing under the sun at Iguana Beach.

Book an overwater cabana

There are 20 beautiful overwater cabanas available for rent at Iguana Beach and you can rent them!

These aren’t included on your day pass or hotel stay, but prices start at $400 USD for the day and can fit up to 10 people. The price includes plenty of things like a bottle of sparkling wine and more.

Get a massage at the spa

The hotel’s spa, Okeanos Spa is located right on Renaissance Beach at a very private oceanfront location. They offer plenty of treatments you can enjoy with beautiful views of the sea included!

Accommodation Near Flamingo Beach

As I’ve mentioned before, the best place to stay in Aruba if your heart is set on visiting Flamingo Beach is The Renaissance Aruba Resort.

This is because Flamingo Beach is part of the hotels and only guests are guaranteed to be able to visit.

If it’s too much of a splurge for you and you’d rather stay elsewhere and try to get the day pass (info on that above), here are some cool spots to stay in Aruba:

Luxury: The Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort is an adults-only resort with a focus on sustainability. The resort has a private beach and offers a range of activities, including yoga classes and water sports.

Budget: The Aruba Blue Village is a popular choice if you’re on a budget. Its affordable rates and proximity to the beach. The hotel offers basic amenities, like a pool and free Wi-Fi.

Another option is the Aruba Tropic Apartments, which offers apartment-style accommodations with kitchenettes. The hotel is located just a short walk from the port to Flamingo Beach and offers a range of amenities, including a pool and barbecue facilities.

Tips for Visiting Flamingo Beach

If you’re planning a trip to Flamingo Beach Aruba, there are a few things you should keep in mind to make the most of your visit. Here are some tips to help you have a great time:

Get there early: Flamingo Beach never really gets super crowded because it limits the number of people that can visit, but beach chairs do run out, so if you want to get a good spot on the beach, it’s best to arrive early in the morning.
Bring plenty of sunscreen: Aruba is known for its sunny weather, and Flamingo Beach is no exception. Be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and reapply it throughout the day to avoid getting sunburned.
Don’t feed the flamingos: While the flamingos on Flamingo Beach are used to people, it’s important not to feed them with anything aside from the food proved by the island. Feeding them can disrupt their natural diet and cause health problems.
Respect the environment: Flamingo Beach is a beautiful and unique ecosystem, so it’s important to respect the environment. Don’t litter, don’t disturb the wildlife, and stay on designated paths to avoid damaging the ecosystem.

More Things to Do in Aruba Aside from Flamingo Beach

Even though Flamingo Beach was the entire reason I booked the trip, I was surprised there are plenty of other amazing and unique things to do in Aruba.

Visit De Palm Island

Palm Island is an artificial island off the coast of Aruba that is home to and luxury beachfront hotels.

Connected to the mainland by a bridge, it offers visitors a secluded resort experience with white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and an upscale atmosphere.

Here is a summary of the tour in 1-2 sentences:

Tip: This all-inclusive day trip is a wonderful choice. They’ll take you from Aruba by air-conditioned bus to the private island of De Palm Island where they can enjoy beach activities like waterslides and snorkeling, view tropical fish and coral reefs, relax in a hammock with included meals and drinks. BOOK HERE.

Take a Jeep Safari at Arikok National Park

Arikok National Park covers over 20% of Aruba.

It features dramatic coastal cliffs, caves, beaches, and desert inland areas that can be explored along its hiking and biking trails, offering visitors beautiful ocean views and a chance to see the island’s unique geology, vegetation, and wildlife.

Tip: This full-day tour will take you on an adventure through the rugged terrain of Arikok National Park by 4×4 vehicle to explore scenic landmarks and stop for swimming and snorkeling at the natural attractions of the Natural Pool and Baby Beach, while enjoying a barbecue lunch along the way. It’s the best way to experience the park! BOOK HERE.

Go Horseback Riding Around Arikok

If you’d prefer a slightly wilder experience, you can also explore Arikok by horseback riding!

provides the unique experience of horseback riding through the scenic landscapes of Arikok National Park with a guide, before cooling off with a refreshing swim at the natural pool. BOOK HERE.

Hop on a Snorkeling Cruise

Even though Flamingo Beach Aruba is incredible for the flamingos and the beach itself, snorkeling here is pretty boring, so I recommend booking a tour to experience the water around the island in a better way!

Tip: I recommend this snorkeling tour so you can get close and personal with the underwater world in Aruba. You’ll get a private guide, full transport, and stop at two local snorkeling sites to observe several species including colorful coral, sea turtles, and tropical fish. BOOK HERE.

Explore Aruba in a Day

Aruba is pretty small, which means you can cover a lot in one day!

This full-day bus tour provides a comprehensive sightseeing experience around the whole of Aruba, visiting popular coastal landmarks like the California Lighthouse, rock formations, a local aloe vera factory and rum distillery, the gold mining ruins at Bushiribana, and relaxing at Baby Beach. BOOK HERE.

Travel Insurance for Aruba

Don’t forget travel insurance for your trip to Aruba! Even the most careful traveler can encounter unexpected situations, such as lost luggage or medical emergencies. Travel insurance can help protect you from financial losses and give you peace of mind during your trip.

We always use and recommend Safety Wing for travel insurance. They offer comprehensive coverage for medical expenses, emergency medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and more at less than $2 USD a day. Check them out here.

Flamingo Beach Aruba FAQs

Here are some specific details you might need if you plan to visit Flamingo Beach in Aruba.

Where do you get the boat to Flamingo Beach Aruba?

You can catch a boat to Flamingo Beach from the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino. The boats run regularly throughout the day for hotel guests.

Is Flamingo Beach in Aruba Worth it?

Yes, many visitors find Flamingo Beach’s unique experience of interacting with flamingos on a beautiful Caribbean beach to be worth it (it definitely was for me!). It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity for great photos and memories.

Is Flamingo Beach Free?

Access to Flamingo Beach is not free. It is a private area for Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino guests. Non-guests can purchase a day pass, subject to availability.

What time is flamingo beach open?

Flamingo Beach is open from early in the morning until sunset. However, times can vary slightly if there’s an event, so it’s best to check with the resort for the exact times during your visit.

What are the entry requirements for Flamingo Beach?

The entry requirements include either staying at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino or having a purchased day pass. There are also age restrictions for certain times of the day (kids can only visit Flamingo Beach during the morning, but they can stay at the adjacent Iguana Beach the rest of the day).

How do I book a visit to Flamingo Beach?

If you’re a guest at the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, you can just hop on the next boat (rides are included in your stay). If not, book a day pass through the hotel, but keep in mind that they are limited and in high demand.

What amenities are available at Flamingo Beach?

Flamingo Beach offers amenities such as beach chairs, a bar, a restaurant, and a spa. Towels and food are available for purchase (if you booked the all-inclusive option at the Renaissance Hotel, it will also apply here!)

Can children visit Flamingo Beach in Aruba?

Children can visit Flamingo Beach only during designated times (during the morning).

The rest of the time, the beach is an adults-only area to ensure a tranquil experience for all visitors.

How do you get a day pass for Flamingo Island?

Non-resort guests can purchase a day pass for Flamingo Island – which includes Flamingo Beach – from the Renaissance Hotel.

These passes are limited and only available is there is low occupancy at the hotel. To get them, you’ll need to visit the Renaissance Hotel’s counter and ask if there are any available for the day.

Are there flamingo encounters available at other locations besides Flamingo Beach?

While Flamingo Beach is known for its up-close encounters with flamingos, there are other locations in the Caribbean where you can see them (like the flamingos in Curacao), but these are generally not as interactive as the experience at Flamingo Beach.

Flamingo Beach Aruba: Conclusion

Flamingo Beach Aruba is a must-visit destination for anyone looking for a unique and unforgettable beach experience.

With its crystal-clear waters, soft white sand, and of course, the iconic flamingos, this beach offers a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure.

Whether you’re looking to sunbathe, snorkel, or simply take in the stunning scenery, Flamingo Beach Aruba has something for everyone.