Private kayak and snorkel tours in Aruba

Some groups want the water to themselves. A family with a nervous swimmer in it, a couple marking something, four friends who would rather not make conversation with four strangers. Our scheduled departures are already capped at 10 guests, which is small by anyone's standard, but private is a different thing again: the departure belongs to your group and nobody else joins it.

What private actually means here

On a scheduled tour you share the guide, the pace and the timing with whoever else booked that slot. On a private tour there is no whoever else. The guide is yours, the route can bend to your group, and the stops last as long as your group wants them to last rather than as long as the average of ten people wants.

It is the same crew, the same water and the same gear. What you are buying is exclusivity and flexibility, not a different tour.

Who books private, and why

Families with a wide ability range. A grandparent who wants twenty quiet minutes and a nine year old who wants to paddle flat out are hard to serve in the same group of ten. On a private tour that stops being a compromise.

Couples marking something. Anniversaries, honeymoons, and the occasional proposal. If you are planning the last one, tell us well in advance and be specific, because the guide can help enormously and can also accidentally ruin it if nobody told him.

Groups with one anxious paddler. Nerves settle faster when the person is not performing in front of strangers.

People with a hard deadline. A cruise call, a flight, a dinner reservation. A private departure can start when your day allows instead of when the schedule says.

Photographers and filmmakers. Waiting for light is not something a shared group tolerates well.

What changes on a private departure

The pace, first. If your group wants to sit still in one spot for twenty minutes because the light is doing something, you can.

The timing, second. The scheduled slots are 8:30 AM, 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM. A private booking can often start outside those, within the limits that daylight and wind impose. We will tell you honestly which windows work on your date.

The emphasis, third. More snorkel time and less paddling, or the reverse. Longer ashore at the island. A slower run through the mangrove channels for the birds. Say what you want when you ask and the guide plans around it.

What does not change

The minimum age is still 6. Life jackets are still provided and still worn on the water. Basic swimming ability is still a participation requirement. The guide still calls it off or moves it if the sea says so, and no amount of private booking overrides that judgement. Those rules exist because they have earned their place.

Which route to take privately

The Sea Glass Island crossing launches from the ramp beside the Flying Fishbone in Savaneta and lands you on a small island where decades of waves have worn old glass smooth. It suits groups who want a destination and a treasure hunt.

The lagoon and reef route meets at the Mangel Halto beach sign in Pos Chiquito, threads the mangrove channels and stops twice to snorkel. It suits groups whose priority is what is under the water, and it is the calmer of the two, which matters if somebody in the party is uncertain.

How to ask for one

Message us on WhatsApp at +1 786 971 2221 with four things: your date, how many people, their ages, and which route appeals. If you are flexible on time, say so, because that usually gets you a better answer.

We quote private departures individually rather than publishing a single figure, because the honest number depends on group size and time of day and we would rather give you a real one than a headline that changes at checkout. You get a price from a person, not a form.

Our published rates for scheduled departures, $89.99 for adults and $69.99 for children 6 to 12, are on the prices page, and a private quote is built from there.

Where to next

See the full published price list, compare the two routes in Sea Glass Island or Mangel Halto, check what to bring, or browse all our Aruba kayak tours.