Today in Aruba⛅83°F28°C · partly cloudy💨18 mpheast wind🌊84°F29°C water🌅6:10 pmsunsetTip: book tours in the morning, before the midday heat.
✓ Verdict: Worth It

Bushiribana Hike: An Easy North Coast Walk to Monte Geel

By a local at Aruba Adventure Guide · born and raised on Aruba
★Written by someone born and raised on Aruba who has done many of these tours, not a generic AI summary.
The short answer: an easy 1 to 2 hour walk on Aruba’s wild north coast, past the Bushiribana gold mill ruins and a quiet water channel that locals call Monte Geel. Go early morning or late afternoon, wear closed shoes and bring water.

A local’s take

I did this hike with a guided group booked through Sattva. It’s an easy walk, and the late-afternoon light over the ruins and the water was beautiful. One of the old-timers there told us they call this area Monte Geel.

What you see on the way

The walk starts at the Bushiribana gold mill ruins, one of the north coast’s best-known stops. From there the trail heads inland through cactus country to a water channel and a still pond that most visitors never see.

Bushiribana gold mill ruins on Aruba’s north coast
The Bushiribana gold mill ruins, where the walk starts.
Water channel on the Monte Geel hike near Bushiribana, Aruba
The water channel locals call Monte Geel.
Red-topped melon cacti beside old stone ruins near Bushiribana
Melon cacti growing between the old stones.

How hard is it?

Easy. Plan on 1 to 2 hours. The ground is mostly flat but there is loose rock and a lot of cactus along the path, so this is not a flip-flop walk.

Hikers on the cactus trail near Bushiribana at sunset

Local tips for the day

  • Go early morning or late afternoon. There is almost no shade out here.
  • Wear closed shoes. Cactus spines and loose rock are everywhere.
  • Bring water. More than you think you need.
  • Park at the gold mill ruins. That’s the easiest place to start.

Go with a guide

If you’d rather not find the trail yourself, a guided group hike is the easy way to do it, and the guide shares the stories behind the place. Sattva lists local guided hikes you can book.

Want a guided hike in Arikok National Park instead? These two Natural Pool hikes are the ones our readers book on Viator:

Tall cactus on the hiking trail near Bushiribana, Aruba

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