Malmok Beach is fantastic. It is most famous for being one of the best snorkeling spots on Aruba with calm waters, clear water, and a rocky shoreline.
It’s just not a normal beach environment. Sure there is one tiny stretch of sand, but realistically Malmok Beach is a launching point to one of Aruba’s best snorkel spots.
The beach is made up of a number of rocky coves. These coves are the perfect location for tons of sea creatures to call home.
It is super easy to access these coves with your snorkel gear, no boat tour needed, though those are offered if interested.
Even if you aren’t snorkeling, you can come here and walk along the boardwalk while enjoying a perfect sunset. We came back here to stroll along the shore for two different sunsets!
It is located just north of the main hotel area.
Malmok Beach Quick Info:
- Other Names: Tres Trapi Beach (next door), Malmok Cove
- Where: northwest side of island of Aruba, just north of the “high rise” hotel area
- Facilities/Amenities: no bathrooms or showers, but a few umbrella pavilions ( get there early to claim one
- Not So Good For: sunning on the sand or taking small kids (boca Catalina is the best for kids)
- Available excursions: lots that look like they are on pirate ship
- Parking: plenty on side of road and small pull off lots
- Cost: free
What you can Expect at Malmok Beach
Once again, don’t expect a stereotypical beach experience. This beach only has one small stretch of sand. Instead it features approximately six small coves that are all easy to access from the water.
Once you enter the water through the one small beach area you can’t miss the sea life. They are swimming nearly everywhere.
There are a handful of rocky coves that you can access by swimming in either direction. The swim is easy and the sea life plentiful.
Swimming Conditions
Generally the water is calm so you don’t need to worry about getting pushed against the rocks.
Occasionally there will be waves that cause the water to be murky, and it to be unsafe to swim near the rocks.
On most days the water is calm and the clear and gorgeous turquoise that makes Aruba popular around the world.
Malmok Beach Snorkeling
Snorkeling here is beginner friendly, however, the water entrance is not the easiest. It is rocky even in most of the sandy spots.
The water stays shallow (under 5 feet) until you go further out by the rocks.
You can expect to see tons of fish! They range is size and variety, but I was most shocked at the large schools of about 1 inch white fish.
When swimming through these schools of fish I felt like I was going to inadvertently swipe 100 of them. Thankfully this didn’t happen as they all get out of the way in time.
Fish we saw while snorkeling there:
- Trunkfish
- Atlantic Blue Tang
- Tons of Pelicans and other interesting sea birds (Obvs not in the water)
On Shore Wildlife
There was also a lot of on shore wildlife in this area. We saw tons of pelicans (like 8 of them sitting on rocks). We were even able to swim right up to them. At one point I was within a foot of the pelican! I have never been able to get so close.
I saw more lizards/iguanas here than anywhere else on the island. We put our stuff by a tree and at one point we had 7 or 8 lizards eating ants right next to us.
Crowds
The beach is popular and can attract some crowds. This is especially true when the large tour boats come in and moor just offshore.
Even though the shore may feel crowded, even if there are a lot of people in the water it’s still easy to find your own spot in the water where you can see a lot of sea life.
The tour boats will have a bunch of people snorkeling at once, but even then we didn’t feel so crowded that we wanted to leave.
Amenities
Built in pavilions available, free to use, first come first serve.
Sunsets On the Boardwalk
Malmok beach is a great spot to watch the sunset.
This spot is especially popular at sunset as it is west facing. This means it gives you a perfect view of the sun dipping below the horizon.
Since the beach was located within a few minutes of our hotel we came back for sunset 4 different nights. It was our favorite spot to watch the sunset. Even on days we didn’t snorkel.
The short boardwalk and pavers sidewalk are the perfect spot for a stroll.
There were a number of professional photographers that had the same idea. They brought a few families out here to snap extremely memorable family or engagement shots.
Where is Malmok Beach located?
Malmok Beach is located less than a mile north of the hotel “high rise” zone on the northwest tip of the main island of Aruba.
If you are coming from the airport the drive will take you about 25 minutes, assuming there isn’t traffic, which unfortunately can happen on the island.
Exact location on google maps here.
The beach is directly next door to Tres Trapi Beach. Many people park at one and walk to the other as they are only about 50 yards apart and have similar appeal.
Note: Boca Catalina beach is walkable from Tres Trapi.
How to get to Malmok Beach
It’s very easy to get to Malmok Beach. The parking is immediately off of the main road. If you are coming up from the main hotel area the drive will only take you 5 minutes.
From the street you will see a rocky coastline. Once you park you can see the places where you can safely enter the water without having to climb jagged rocks.
Parking
There are plenty of options for parking at Malmok Beach. There is a small parallel parking lot directly to the side of the road, there are dirt spaces across the street, or you can park in the large dirt lot at Tres Trapi Beach.
All of the parking options are free.
Other beaches worth visiting nearby:
There are a lot of options within a mile stretch along this coast. Some with sand, some without, some with amenities, some with none. Read the section below to figure out which beaches would best suite your needs on your Arubian vacation.
All the beaches listed below are within a 4 minute drive of each other. Malmok is the first beach you will come across and Arashi is the last. There is only a 4 minute drive from Malmok to Arashi.
Tres trapi – most crowded of the three. But amazing and worth the visit.
Boca Catalina – Easiest water entrance of the three making it the best choice if you have small children. best for snorkeling and small children. Children can snorkel right off the shore. The fish are so close! Sandy entrance.
Arashi – more of your traditional beach with lots of sand and amenities.
Conclusion: Is Malmok Beach worth visiting?
If you are looking for an easy to access snorkel spot or location for a sunset stroll, I highly recommend Malmok Beach or the next door stores Trapi.