Pos Chiquito, Aruba: the quiet coast around Mangel Halto

Pos Chiquito is not a place most visitors set out to find. They set out to find Mangel Halto, and Pos Chiquito is where it turns out to be. It is a small residential stretch of Aruba's south coast, and it holds one of the calmest, greenest pieces of shoreline on the island.

Where it is

Pos Chiquito sits on the road between Oranjestad and San Nicolas, on Aruba's sheltered south coast. Spanish Lagoon lies immediately to the west and the village of Savaneta to the east, which puts Pos Chiquito neatly between the island's largest mangrove inlet and its oldest settlement. From Oranjestad the drive is short, comfortably under twenty minutes.

Administratively it belongs to the wider Savaneta district, and it is home to a few thousand residents. There is no town center to speak of and no strip of shops for visitors. What there is, is coast.

What is actually there

Mangel Halto. The main event. A mangrove fringed beach with shallow, protected water, wooden decking, palapas for shade, and a reef further out that has made it one of the island's known snorkel and shore dive spots. Our full Mangel Halto Beach guide covers parking, entry points and timing.

Mangroves. The shoreline here is not sand and palm trees. It is mangrove, growing straight into the sea, holding the coast together and calming the water behind it. That is why the swimming is gentle and why the wildlife shows up.

Quiet. Pos Chiquito is where Arubans go on a Sunday. It has never been developed for tourism, which is the whole reason it is worth the drive.

Practical notes

Come prepared, because the coast here provides very little. Bring water, snacks and reef friendly sunscreen. Facilities are basic and there is no beach club selling you a chair. Shade exists under the palapas and the trees but runs out on a busy weekend, so an early arrival is worth more here than at a resort beach. Parking is informal roadside and off road parking near the beach access points. Footwear you can walk into the water in is a good idea, since entries are rocky in places rather than soft sand.

Weekdays are noticeably quieter than weekends. Mornings are calmer than afternoons, as they are everywhere on this coast.

On the water from Pos Chiquito

This is where our lagoon and reef tour begins. The Mangel Halto kayak and snorkel tour meets at the Mangel Halto beach sign in Pos Chiquito, paddles out through sheltered water toward the reef, and puts you in the water with a guide who knows where the coral is worth your time and where the current runs.

Departures run daily and last 2.5 hours, capped at 10 guests: 8:30 AM for the calmest water of the day, 1:00 PM for bright midday color under the surface, 5:00 PM for the sunset paddle. Snorkel gear, kayak, water and fruit are included. If you would rather chase ocean tumbled glass than fish, the Sea Glass Island kayak tour launches ten minutes east in Savaneta instead.

The company was founded by a veteran Aruban ranger with decades on Aruba's south coast, and the crew guiding your tour learned this water from him. Adults pay $89.99 at our summer rate, children from 6 to 12 pay $69.99, minimum age 6. Instant confirmation, free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, and WhatsApp at +1 786 971 2221. Book online or compare all our Aruba kayak tours.

Nearby

Continue east to Savaneta for fish at Zeerovers or dinner at the Flying Fishbone, or west into the mangrove channels of Spanish Lagoon.