I’m on Top of the World, HAY! ⛰️🧗🏼

We’re staying at an AirBnb in the Santa Cruz area of Aruba, so we an see Hooiberg from any angle from the house. I had read about visitors climbing the peak, so I wanted to also give it a go.

Hooiberg, meaning haystack in Dutch, is the 2nd highest point in Aruba. It’s roughly 165m in elevation. The peak consists of 587 steps that take climbers to the top, including several points for breaks along the way (good for me with asthma).

After spending the afternoon walking around Oranjestad, I thought it’d be the perfect afternoon for a hike, some nature, and maybe a sunset. My aunt, uncle, and I decided to give it a go.

We arrived around 6:15pm and started our journey to the top. It took about an hour to go up and back down, with the ascent taking far longer than the descent. The top didn’t offer anything in terms of activities (not even a restroom), but the views were top notch! And I was pleasantly surprised to take in the sunset, as we made it to the top just in time to experience the orange/yellow/red skies! 😍

Overall, this was a really good experience and I recommend it to anyone visiting Aruba. I’m not sure if I would climb it again, feels more of a once and done kind of thing, but I’m glad I did it!