For locals on Aruba, camping is just as synonymous to the Easter season as egg hunts and bunny rabbits.  Although we don’t have forests, woods, or campgrounds like most traditional campers enjoy, we have miles of breathtaking coastline and some of the world’s top-rated beaches to pop up a tent, laze in a hammock or beach chair, and have fun with family and friends playing dominos, beach volleyball and beach tennis, and of course relax and refresh with ice-cold Chill—Aruba’s beloved beach beer.

This camping tradition takes place during the week before Easter (Semana Santa or Holy Week, as we call it here) as well as the week after Easter. On Aruba, families and communities in general are close-knit, so it’s no surprise that large groups of extended family and friends coordinate their camping sites together.  Many of these families have been frequenting the same camping area for decades.  In fact, the tradition began before the first hotels sprang up on the island, with locals observing this holy time in the peaceful setting of nature.

Cheers to memorable days with family and friends enjoying Aruba’s beach lifestyle…and don’t forget to keep the beaches clean, pick up your trash, and save your empty Chill, Balashi, and Magic Mango bottles to return for cash!