Oct 21, 2026
Circle of Life: Aruba Edition
There are plenty of articles explaining how to navigate Aruba’s traffic circles. I promise, this isn’t one of them.
Traffic circles, roundabouts, rotondas, glorietas. Growing up in New England, they were always rotaries to me. Call them what you will. Which lane to use, who has the right of way and when to signal have all been thoroughly documented. But the proliferation of roundabouts made us all wonder: How many traffic circles are enough?
Aruba’s infrastructure had to keep pace as the airport expanded and the hotel district continued to grow. Dirt roads got paved. Two lanes became four. Roads were renamed and rerouted, and traffic lights eventually gave way to roundabouts.
The ride may have always been scenic, but it wasn’t always smooth. More visitors meant more cars, and traffic increased. To put our island pacing in perspective, I decided to look at it through a New York lens.
Empire State of Mind
New York traffic and its drivers are legendary. Everything moves at a faster pace, and drivers generally make their intentions known. Here in Aruba, we’re considerably more laid-back behind the wheel.
New York City’s five boroughs are home to more than eight million people spread across roughly 300 square miles, yet by most counts, the city has only about 15 roundabouts. Aruba has just 110,000 residents. This is where Aruba says, “Hold my Balashi.” By my count, 83 are spread across our 70 square miles. That’s more than one traffic circle for every square mile.
A few deserve special recognition.
One of the Oldest: Nearly a hundred years old, the Zoutmanstraat roundabout is still busy connecting old Aruba with the new. Surrounding it are the Protestant Church, the old Government Offices and City Hall, where couples still come to be married today.
Best Multitasker: The roundabout at Queen Beatrix International Airport welcomes you to Aruba while testing you at the same time. The ED Card was part one of your Aruba entry requirements. The airport roundabout was the practical portion of the exam.
Circular Excitement: It’s a tie! Roundabouts at Super Food and Palm Beach share the distinction. Their bonus pedestrian crossings add yet another layer of excitement.
Best Dressed: Driekiel Roundabout at Eagle Beach is most meaningful. Its two-ton bronze leatherback turtle honors the turtles that return to Aruba’s beaches to lay their eggs.
Most Efficient: Watty Vos Boulevard brought us 13 new roundabouts, including the impressive six-exit paperclip, the one most likely to make you turn down the music so you can see better. The ambitious project shaved up to 15 minutes off airport trips, giving Aruba a much-needed way around. For an island that had to keep moving through it all, the planning was impressive.
Smallest: The mini rotonda in front of Bubali Food Center, where I often wonder: Is this a traffic circle or merely a suggestion?
Most Recently Renamed: Henny Eman Boulevard. In 2026, the stretch from the Mahuma Roundabout to the Sun Plaza Roundabout was proudly renamed in honor of Aruba’s first prime minister, who served twice. Fittingly, the road connects many of the places that tell the story of the Aruba he helped lead and shape, from the airport and Parliament to our main tourist area.
Longest Holdout: To the best of my recollection, the last traffic light still standing is on Adriaan Laclé Boulevard in Oranjestad, by Peanuts Restaurant.
The Circular Years: 2017–2019
In retrospect, what Aruba accomplished was indeed impressive. New roads and traffic circles were built; others were widened, repaved and rerouted. All the while, life on our small island kept moving.
Orange barrels, cones, barricades and detour signs often dictated our trajectory. Those of us challenged in the punctuality department had no shortage of perfectly legitimate excuses to be late.
Tourists found our beaches and the airport. The rest of us found our way around whatever obstacle du jour was in our path. Pabien to the parents and caregivers who managed to get their kids to school reasonably on time, particularly during rainy season.
If those years proved anything, they proved that with patience, humor and an extraordinary ability to adapt, Arubans can navigate just about anything.
And when the dust finally settled, getting around was easier and we were all the better for it. We came out the other side. Quite literally. Of all the intersections affected during the Circular Years, one hit particularly close to home. Mostly because I drove through it every day.
Palm Beach Roundabout
For nearly five years, the traffic light at the Palm Beach intersection by Wendy’s/McDonald’s stood like a soldier at its post, doing little more than blinking at the cars below. Cones, barricades and strategically placed rocks were enlisted to preserve our safety and sanity. Upon retirement, Rotonde Palm Beach took its place, but its official opening was delayed (pa motibo di awacero) due to heavy rains.
When it finally opened on October 5, 2022, no one was more grateful for a roundabout than the fine people of Palm Beach and Noord.
Coming Full Circle
Our roundabouts are now part of Aruba’s landscape: pretty, practical and occasionally perplexing. I’ve been known to take an extra turn. By accident. Kukoo Kunuku’s big red buses, kings of the roundabouts, take island visitors on double laps just for fun. It turns out going in circles is a remarkably efficient way to move forward.
Author: Carla Cavallaro
Author bio: Carla Cavallaro has called Aruba home since 1989 and helped launch Jolly Pirates in 1997. With nearly four decades on the island, she writes about Aruba’s history, people, sea life and the stories behind the places visitors experience today.
