Savaneta, Aruba: the island's first capital, still working

Most visitors meet Aruba at the hotel strip and never drive east. Savaneta is what they miss: a low, sun bleached fishing village on the south coast that was the island's capital before Oranjestad existed in the form we know, and that still smells of diesel, salt and fried fish, exactly the way a fishing village should.

The oldest address on the island

Savaneta was Aruba's capital until 1797. Under Spanish administration in the sixteenth century it was the seat of government, and after the Dutch took the island the governor stayed in the area, at the bay just along the shore, before the seat finally moved west to Paardenbaai, the bay that grew into Oranjestad.

What followed was a long quiet. By 1816 records describe just one inhabited house left in the settlement. A plantation was established in 1852, the place was recognized as a village again in 1867, a school opened in 1877, and a church was built in 1900. The oldest surviving house on Aruba stands here: a cas di torto, the traditional mud and timber hut, around a century and a half old.

Today Savaneta and its surrounding district hold close to twelve thousand people. It is residential, working and unhurried, and it is not a tourist town. That is precisely its appeal.

What there is to do

Eat fish. Two very different places have made Savaneta famous. Zeerovers is the fish pier: no menu, catch priced by weight, fried and eaten with your hands over the water, cash only, closed Mondays. The Flying Fishbone is the opposite register, a dinner spot with tables standing in the shallow sea, booked well ahead.

Look at the water. The south coast here is the sheltered side of Aruba. The wind that shapes the north coast arrives softened, and the sea in front of the village stays calm and readable most days, which is exactly why fishermen settled here and why kayaks launch from it now.

Drive the coast road. Savaneta sits on the road between Oranjestad and San Nicolas, roughly twenty minutes from the capital and a little over ten minutes from the airport. West of the village lie Pos Chiquito, Mangel Halto and Spanish Lagoon. East lie San Nicolas and the beaches at the island's southern tip.

Practical notes

There is no ticket office, no visitor center and no boardwalk. Bring cash for the fish pier, book ahead for dinner, and treat the village as a place where people live rather than a set. Parking is roadside and informal. Sun on this coast is honest at midday, so a hat earns its space in the bag.

Where our tours start

Vale's Rambo Adventures is a Savaneta operation. Our Sea Glass Island departures meet at the Sea Glass Island ramp, beside the Flying Fishbone, and paddle a short crossing to an offshore islet whose shore is scattered with ocean tumbled glass.

Departures run daily, 2.5 hours, never more than 10 guests: the 8:30 AM slot for the calmest water of the day, the 1:00 PM slot for bright water and easy photographs, the 5:00 PM slot for the sunset on the way home. Snorkelers usually take the Mangel Halto kayak and snorkel tour instead, which meets ten minutes west at the Mangel Halto beach sign in Pos Chiquito.

The company was founded by a veteran Aruban ranger with decades on this coast, and every guide on the crew learned the water from him. Guides work in English, Spanish and Papiamento. Adults pay $89.99 at our summer rate, children from 6 to 12 pay $69.99, and the minimum age is 6. Booking confirms instantly, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure, and WhatsApp reaches a person at +1 786 971 2221. See live availability, or read about Sea Glass Island and all our Aruba kayak tours.