California Lighthouse - but not in California!

The next stop on our "Ambitious Itinerary" Aruba tour is the California Lighthouse.  Located at the far northwest end of the island, this lighthouse sits at the top of the hill of Hudishibana with views of the ocean on several sides.  It's an easy drive as there is pretty much one way up the local road once the main highway ends.  You can park right next to the lighthouse as it is literally right next to the road.

When we saw the California Lighthouse in May 2013, it was really not maintained well.  The structure was not very clean with rust staining the top of the tower.  The green and yellow paint was fading and chipped everywhere, and the front door had a rusted gate that was locked, so you could not go inside.  It basically looked abandoned, and according to Wikipedia, it's no longer open to the public due to a tragic event.  It's also not very big, maybe 100 feet high, so you can capture the lighthouse in a single photo pretty easily even if you are standing close.

The immediate surrounding area was a large dirt clearing along with the road circling in a loop for cars to turn around.  There is also a well-known Italian restaurant, La Trattoria el Faro Blaco, located right here in the loop that I hear is actually quite good and worth a stop.  Unfortunately, we did not have time to eat here, but I have had friends give the restaurant good reviews and high praise for the hospitality by the owners and chefs.

View of the High-Rise Hotels from the Lighthouse

Wild Dogs

Beyond this area, the rest of the hill looks like a canyon filled with shrubs.  There are some pathways that you can walk around to get closer views of the ocean and the high-rise hotels in the distance - but be careful as there can be wild dogs roaming around.  We saw quite a few as we hiked around the trails, and you can never be sure how they would react to strangers.  Luckily, the dogs we saw pretty much sat calmly about 50 feet away and did not bother us at all.


Pin Stop Ranking: 3 Pins

While not as epic as other lighthouses we have seen, it's still a nice spot to visit in Aruba.  This place is more about the area rather than the lighthouse itself, as there are views of the ocean and walking trails to help take in the warm Aruba breeze and atmosphere from the top of the hill.  If they cleaned up the lighthouse, it would be a much better place to visit.