Skip to content
ENES
No ferry Flights only ~29 km to Venezuela

Aruba day trips to other islands — the honest answer is almost none.

This page exists because the internet keeps implying otherwise. There is no passenger ferry from Aruba to Curaçao, and none to Bonaire. The only way off the island is a plane, and the flights are short — roughly 25 to 30 minutes to Curaçao — but short flights are not the same as an easy day. Venezuela is about 29 km away and is not a day trip at all. Colombia is a different journey entirely. Below: what is genuinely possible for each destination, exactly which parts you have to verify yourself for your own dates, and the day trips on Aruba that actually work.

NO FERRY
0scheduled passenger ferries from Aruba to Curaçao or Bonaire
1way off the island — an aeroplane, and that is the whole list
~29 kmto the Venezuelan coast, and still not a trip you can book
$55the cheapest guided day that actually happens — on Aruba
The short answer· 01
In one paragraph

You cannot sail from Aruba to another island, and you probably should not fly. There is no scheduled passenger ferry between Aruba and Curaçao or Bonaire — ferry projects have been announced more than once over the years and none has produced a service you can turn up and buy a ticket for. That leaves flying, which is the only link: about 25–30 minutes to Curaçao, about 45 minutes to Bonaire where a direct service is running, and often via Curaçao instead, which means two flights each way. The flights are short; the day is not, because you are crossing between separate jurisdictions with airport formalities at both ends, and the schedules are thin enough that a same-day return only works if two departures happen to line up. Venezuela is about 29 km away and nobody sells a day trip there. Colombia is not a day trip in any version. Section 07 is what we would do instead — and it is not a consolation prize.

Curaçao· 02

Aruba day trips to Curaçao: a flight, not a ferry

This is the most searched version of the question and the one with the most misinformation attached to it. Curaçao is the nearest neighbouring island — roughly 80 km of open sea to the east — and there is still no boat.

The boat that does not exist

No ferry. Repeatedly, no ferry

There is no scheduled passenger ferry between Aruba and Curaçao. Not seasonal, not weekly, not from the cruise terminal. The idea comes back periodically as an announced project, and an announced project is not a timetable.

If a page offers to sell you a crossing, that is a signal about the page, not about the route. Close it.

The flight

Genuinely short — about 25–30 minutes

The hop between the two islands is one of the shortest scheduled flights in the region, roughly 25 to 30 minutes in the air, operated by a small number of regional carriers.

We are not printing flight numbers, departure times, airlines or fares, because those change constantly and we cannot verify today's version. That part you check yourself, for your own dates.

Whether it fits in a day

Only if two flights line up

Aruba and Curaçao are separate jurisdictions: you check in, you clear formalities on arrival, and you do it again coming back. Budget hours, not minutes.

Departures are thin rather than hourly, so a same-day return exists only when the schedule happens to allow it. And if the return leg slips, your day ends in a hotel in another country.

The honest framing Curaçao is a real destination, not an excursion. Willemstad deserves at least an overnight, and the flight is short enough that pairing the two islands into one holiday makes complete sense. Doing it between breakfast and dinner does not. If you are on Aruba for a week, the choice is a proper two-night side trip or nothing.
Bonaire· 03

Day trips from Aruba to Bonaire: the hardest of the three

Everything that makes Curaçao awkward is worse here, because Bonaire is further away and the routing usually goes through Curaçao to get there.

Distance

Roughly 160 km, and no boat either

Bonaire is the far end of the ABC chain — about 160 km from Aruba, with Curaçao sitting in between. There is no passenger ferry on this route either.

The three islands are constantly grouped together in marketing. Geographically that grouping is real; logistically it is not.

Flying

About 45 minutes — often plus a connection

Where a direct service is operating, the flight is around 45 minutes. Frequently it is not direct, and the routing connects through Curaçao — which means two flights out and two back.

Whether a direct flight exists on your dates is the single thing to check, and it is the thing we will not guess at on your behalf.

The verdict

Do not do this in a day

Bonaire is a diving and shore-snorkelling destination. Its value is in slow mornings and repeat entries into the same water — the opposite of a day with two flights bolted to each end.

If Bonaire matters to you, give it nights, not hours. If it does not, Aruba's own west coast is a short drive from your hotel.

Venezuela· 04

Aruba day trips to Venezuela: 29 km away, and not bookable

This is the question where the gap between «how close it looks» and «what you can actually do» is widest. We are going to answer it plainly and without commentary.

The geography

Closer than any island

The Venezuelan mainland lies about 29 km south of Aruba — nearer than Curaçao, nearer than anything. On a clear day people report making out the coast from the south-eastern end of the island.

That proximity is why the question gets asked so often. It is also the only part of the answer that is encouraging.

The reality

No tourist day trip exists

No operator on Aruba sells a Venezuela excursion, by boat or by air. It is a separate country with its own entry and visa requirements, and transport links between the two have been suspended repeatedly in the past.

Several governments maintain their strongest «do not travel» advice for Venezuela. We state that as a fact about travel advice, and leave it there.

What to do with that

Treat it as scenery

The practical version: Venezuela is something you can occasionally see from Aruba, not somewhere you go from Aruba. Plan the day as if the mainland were not there — because for your purposes, it is not.

Anyone telling you otherwise is selling something they cannot deliver. There is no version of this we can recommend.

What we are not printing on this one: route options, crossing times, prices, or «it may be possible if you arrange it privately» hedging. We could not verify a single bookable option, and on a subject involving another country's border rules, an unverified suggestion is worse than no answer. This is the boundary of what this page knows.

Colombia· 05

Aruba day trip to Colombia: the arithmetic does not work

Shortest section on the page, because the answer is short.

The map is misleading

Close, but to nothing

The nearest Colombian territory is the tip of the Guajira peninsula — a remote stretch of coast with nothing a visitor would fly into. The map makes Colombia look near; the near part is not the part anyone means.

The flight

Hours, usually with a connection

The Colombian cities people actually have in mind are hours away by air, normally with a change on the way, and the services that exist run at most once a day.

We are not naming routes, airlines or fares — that is exactly the kind of detail that goes stale and misleads.

The verdict

A separate holiday

Any Colombia trip from Aruba contains at least one overnight, and realistically several. It is a second holiday attached to the first, not an excursion.

Worth doing. Not worth doing badly, in a day, from a beach hotel on Aruba.

All four, side by side· 06

Aruba day trips to other islands, compared honestly

Distances are approximate and stated as such. Everything schedule-related is flagged as «check it yourself», because it genuinely changes. Click a header to sort.

Curaçao, Bonaire, Venezuela and Colombia compared as possible day trips from Aruba, with approximate distance, the only available way to travel, and whether a same-day return is realistic
DestinationDistanceHow you would get therePossible in a day?The honest verdict
Curaçao~80 kmof open sea, to the eastFlight only, about 25–30 min. No ferry.Only if flights alignPhysically possible on the right pair of departures, and still a bad use of the day. Any delay on the return strands you overnight. Better as a two-night side trip.
Bonaire~160 kmthe far end of the ABC chainFlight only, about 45 min direct — often via Curaçao. No ferry.Effectively noTwo flights each way in most routings. Bonaire is a diving island that rewards several days; a day trip gets you the airport and a taxi.
Venezuela~29 kmthe closest land to ArubaNo tourist route sold. Separate country, own entry rules.NoNobody on Aruba sells this. Several governments maintain their strongest do-not-travel advice for Venezuela. Proximity is not access.
ColombiaHours awaythe near coast has nothing to fly intoFlight, usually with a connection, at most once daily.NoA separate holiday with at least one overnight in it. Not an excursion under any reading.
Somewhere on Aruba0 kmyou are already thereHotel pickup, or a taxi, or your own two feet.Yes — every dayArikok, the Natural Pool, Baby Beach, the wreck, the west-coast reefs. From $55 guided, and nothing in the plan can be cancelled by an airline.
Possible in a day? Yes, reliably Conditional on schedules No

On the distances. These are approximate straight-line figures between the islands, given so you can picture the crossing — not navigation data and not the distance any aircraft actually flies. They are here to make one point: Curaçao is close, and still nobody runs a boat.

On everything we have not printed. No flight numbers, no departure times, no airline names, no ticket prices, no «leave at 08:00 and be back by 19:00» itineraries. Schedules on these routes are thin and they change, and a plausible-looking timetable invented by a website is how people miss flights. Check current departures for your own dates before you commit to anything.

What to do instead· 07

The day trips from Aruba that actually happen

Every one of these runs from your hotel, on the day you booked it, without an immigration queue in the middle. Prices, ratings and review counts match the rest of this site. Click a header to sort.

Day trips on Aruba itself, bookable as an alternative to Aruba day trips to other islands, with duration, price per person, rating and review count
TourLengthFromRatingWhat it isBook
Half-Day Island Tour with Top Attractions ↗Bookable today4 h$55per person★ 4.6118 reviewsThe cheapest guided day compared here, and the honest replacement for a flight you were never going to make. Half a day, no border in it.Book →from $55Compare them all
Snorkel Cruise with Open Bar & Light Lunch ↗Bookable today3 h$69per person★ 4.7420 reviewsThe most-booked thing on Aruba, and the deepest review record on this page. If you wanted a boat across open water, this is the boat that exists.Book →from $69Our review
Full-Day Island Tour with Baby Beach Swim ↗Bookable today7 h$79per person★ 4.854 reviewsSeven hours end to end — the same span you would have spent in two airports — spent at the far south end of the island instead. Only 54 reviews so far.Book →from $79Read the guide
Arikok National Park Jeep Safari ↗Bookable today4 h$109per person★ 4.8229 reviewsBest-rated four-hour safari on the island. The wild east coast is the part of Aruba that looks least like the brochure — and least like anywhere you would have flown to.Book →from $109Our review
Full-Day Island Jeep Safari ↗Bookable today8 h$150per person★ 4.9237 reviewsEight hours, the longest land day sold here, and 237 reviews behind it. Expensive for Aruba — but it is a whole day that cannot be cancelled by an airline.Book →from $150Compare them all
De Palm Island Day Trip ↗The only «other island» you can reachFull day$180per person★ 4.265 reviewsA private island a short operator boat transfer off Aruba's own coast — a resort day with snorkelling attached, not another country. Lowest-rated thing on this page, at the highest price.Book →from $180Compare them all
Sort by price, length or rating — click a header.

Three things worth knowing before you rebuild the day

01 The «island day trip» you can actually buy is De Palm Island

It is the only offshore island most visitors set foot on, and it is Aruba's own — a short operator boat transfer, not a border crossing. It is also $180 and rated ★4.2 on 65 reviews, the weakest score in the table at the highest price. Book it because you want a resort day, not because it sounds like another island.

02 Two airports cost more hours than a full-day tour

Check-in, formalities, the flight, the same again coming back — that is most of a waking day for 25 minutes in the air. The eight-hour jeep safari uses the same hours and spends all of them somewhere you meant to be. Compare the day, not the flight time.

03 If you are on a cruise, do not even consider it

A port call is a fixed window and the ship does not wait. Flying off the island during a call risks being left behind at your own expense. Everything worth doing on a call is on Aruba — the cruise port guide has the version that fits.

Live availability· 08

The other islands do not fit in a day — these two do, on this one

Everything above ends the same way: the flights, the ferries and the border queues do not fit inside a holiday day. These two leave from your hotel, on the date you booked, with no immigration in the middle. Dates and prices come live from GetYourGuide.

Snorkel Cruise with Open Bar & Light Lunch

$69, ★4.7 from 420 reviews, three hours. If what you wanted was a boat across open water, this is the boat that exists — the Antilla wreck and two reef stops. Honest catch: a big, loud, sociable deck.

Arikok National Park Jeep Safari

$109, ★4.8 from 229 reviews, four hours. The other half of Aruba, which is the half most people who fly out for a day never see: Arikok, the caves, the Natural Pool. Honest catch: four hours in an open vehicle in full sun.

Questions people actually ask· 09

Aruba day trips to other islands, answered straight

Are there day trips from Aruba to Curaçao?
Not as a product you can book. No operator sells one, because there is no passenger ferry and the only link is a scheduled flight of roughly 25–30 minutes. Whether you can get there and back in one day depends entirely on whether two departures happen to be timed to allow it — and that is something you have to check for your own dates. Even when the timings work, airport formalities at both ends eat several hours, and one delay on the return leg turns the day into an unplanned overnight in another country.
Is there a ferry from Aruba to Curaçao or Bonaire?
No. There is no scheduled passenger ferry between Aruba and Curaçao, and none between Aruba and Bonaire. Ferry links between the islands have been announced as projects more than once over the years, and none has produced a lasting scheduled service you can turn up and buy a ticket for. If a page offers you a crossing between these islands, treat that as a reason to close the page, not as a booking option.
Are there day trips from Aruba to Bonaire?
Realistically no. Bonaire is the furthest of the three ABC islands from Aruba — roughly 160 km — and again there is no ferry. Flying takes about 45 minutes where a direct service is operating, and routings frequently connect through Curaçao, meaning two flights in each direction. Bonaire is a diving destination that rewards several days. A same-day return from Aruba is the worst possible way to see it, even in the rare case the schedule allows it.
Are there day trips from Aruba to Venezuela?
No. The Venezuelan coast is about 29 km from Aruba — closer than any other land — but no tourist day trip exists across that water. Venezuela is a separate country with its own entry and visa requirements, several governments maintain their strongest «do not travel» advice for it, and links between the two have been suspended repeatedly in the past. No operator on Aruba sells a Venezuela excursion. The proximity is a fact of geography, not a travel option, and we are not going to dress it up as one.
Can you take a day trip from Aruba to Colombia?
No. Colombia is a different scale of journey. The nearest Colombian territory is an empty stretch of the Guajira peninsula with nothing a visitor would fly into, and the cities people actually mean are hours away by air, usually with a connection, on services that run at most once a day. Any Colombia trip from Aruba contains at least one overnight, and normally several. It cannot be squeezed into a day, and nobody sells it as one.
Can cruise passengers do a day trip to another island from Aruba?
No — and this is the one where the answer is not even close. A port call gives you a fixed window measured in hours, flying off the island means airport formalities in two countries, and the ship does not wait. Leaving Aruba by air during a call risks being left behind at your own expense, so it should not be attempted. Everything worth doing on a call is on Aruba itself — the cruise port guide is the version that actually fits the window.
What is the closest island to Aruba?
Curaçao, at roughly 80 km of open sea to the east, is the nearest neighbouring island. Closer than that is the mainland: the Venezuelan coast is about 29 km to the south. And closer still — the only offshore island most visitors ever set foot on — is De Palm Island, a private island a short operator boat transfer off Aruba's own coast. That last one is a resort day out, not another country, and it is priced accordingly at $180, rated ★4.2 on 65 reviews.
So what day trips can you actually do from Aruba?
The ones that stay on the island — and they are the reason people come here in the first place. A half-day guided island tour is $55, rated ★4.6 on 118 reviews. The most-booked boat trip on the island is $69 for three hours, ★4.7 on 420 reviews. A full-day island tour with a Baby Beach swim is $79, and the Arikok National Park jeep safari is $109, ★4.8 on 229 reviews. De Palm Island is $180, ★4.2 on 65 reviews. Every one of those happens on the day you booked it, from your hotel, with no airline in the plan.

The flight was never the good version of this day. Here is the good version.

Sixty tours on Aruba compared on live prices, real review counts and honest verdicts — from $45, all of them running from your hotel on the day you booked them.

Compare all 60 tours →