This past May I was fortunate enough to have qualified for my company’s incentive trip to Aruba. I had always dreamed of visiting the famous beach where the pink flamingos roam free and approach you.
Although my incentive trip was not hosted on Flamingo beach, I knew that if I was ever going to meet the friendly Flamingos this was my shot! My boyfriend and I opted to extend our trip to spend a day at Flamingo beach!
The first thing you should know if you are looking to visit Aruba with the goal to snap some pics with the flamingos is that they actually live on a private Island owned by the Renaissance Aruba.
Reservations for Flamingo Beach
There are only two options if you are planning to visit the beach, the first is to book a room at the Renaissance Aruba, as all guest are able to go back and forth from the resorts main property to the private island as they please. The second option is to buy a day pass.
Since I was planning to extend my trip by a day anyways, it made sense for me to book a night at the Renaissance Aruba that included access to Flamingo beach instead of buying two day passes. I recommend this option if possible. The main reason being that the day passes cannot be purchased or reserved in advance, and they don’t sell them to the public if the resort is at capacity for the day.
If you do choose to go the day pass route, just know that they are on a first come first serve basis. The front desk starts selling day passes if available at 8 am, but plan to be there as early as 7 am since there is often times a line of people waiting to buy a pass. The day passes cost $99 per person and include all day access to Flamingo Beach, as well as lunch and a drink.
Getting to Flamingo Island
Whether you are a guest of the resort or purchase a day pass you will get a “key” to the island, the key is actually a card similar to a hotel room key that you will scan at the boat dock taking you to the Island. Yes, the boat ride is also included!
To get to the boat, you head out back to the pool/beach side of the resort and take a right all the way down until you see the dock. Be sure to be on the lookout for the lizards that live on the resorts property! The boat that takes you to Flamingo Beach leaves every 15 minutes, and is about a 10-minute ride to the private island. The ride itself was a really nice way to kick off the day.
Feeding the Flamingos
Once you arrive at the private island, if you are anything like me you will want to rush right over and see the famous flamingos and start taking pictures. Be sure to come prepared with US quarters to purchase food to feed the flamingos. The flamingo food is available right at the entrance of the beach from a candy like dispenser. One quarter will get you a handful of their food to share with your new friends.
There are 6 flamingos that live on the island. They are all very friendly and will approach you when you extend your hand out with food. I recommend going early in the morning, as they are most active earlier in the day. I spent the entire day on the beach and they napped quite a bit throughout my time there.
There is a bar on flamingo beach that serves food and beverages. The bar accepts cash, credit cards, and if you are a resort guest, you can even bill it to your room.
Flamingo beach is an adults only beach, but they do let kiddos come meet the flamingos between 8-10am.
Once you’ve had your fun with the flamingos, make sure to check out the rest of the private island. The family friendly side of the private island is known as Iguana Beach, you will see several Iguanas and other wildlife if you venture out.
Tip
If you are checking out of the hotel and have extra time to kill before heading to the airport or checking into your next hotel, ask nicely at the front desk they will give you a fresh “key to the island” and stow your bags for you so you can spend more time at the private island.
