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Arikok National Park covers almost 20% of Aruba. It protects the original natural landscape of Aruba as well as important cultural and historical sites. The park was officially established in 2000.
Visiting Arikok National Park
Arikok National Park is open daily. Admission for foreigner adults over age 18 is US$20 (as of February 2024) while children under 18 are admitted free of charge. Visit the official website for more info.
There are two entrances to the park. The San Fuego entrance in Santa Cruz is open from 8am to 4pm, while the Vader Piet entrance in San Nicolas is open from 8:30am to 3:00pm. There’s no lighting anywhere in the park so you need to make sure you’re out before sunset. One suggestion is to enter at San Fuego in the morning, spend a few hours in the park, and exit at Vader Piet. From there, you can continue to Baby Beach to spend the afternoon.
To fully enjoy what the park has to offer, it’s highly recommended to rent a 4×4. We had a small rental car and did fine on the roads, but we were unable to visit some of the attractions in the park, including Conchi Natural Pool and the Cunucu Arikok. Please note ATVs, UTVs, and motorcycles are prohibited. The speed limit is 20 km/h (12 mph).
It’s very important to bring plenty of water as there are typically no facilities in the park. Wear a hat and sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun, and don’t touch any plants or animals. Some are poisonous! Finally, don’t get too close to the water or the edge of cliffs.
Zones of Arikok National Park
Arikok National Park is divided into three zones. The North Conservation Zone is accessible via 4×4 only and features Conchi Natural Pool. The Central Activity Zone mostly follows the main paved road through the park and is where most visitors concentrate their time. The South Conservation Zone includes three sites accessible by car and two others on foot only.
This post on Arikok National Park mostly covers attractions along the Northern Loop, which is the paved main road through the Central Activity Zone. As previously mentioned, we were unable to visit attractions requiring a 4×4 to reach. We did ask about driving the paved road up Sero Arikok but they wouldn’t allow us with our rental. Hopefully we’ll be back in the future to see the rest of park with a 4×4!
Arikok National Park Visitor Center
The visitor center is the main entrance of the park and where you can pay admission fees. It’s open daily from 8am to 4pm and includes a small museum on the history of the park and its biodiversity.
Geological Wall
Along the visitor center parking lot is the Geological Wall. This natural phenomenon shows the folding and displacement of volcanic rock that formed Aruba 90 to 95 million years ago.
Hofi Shon Shoco
Also outside the visitor center is the short Hofi Shon Shoco trail. This easy loop features several plants and trees that are common in Aruba. The adobe house along the trail allows visitors to sit and watch birds that frequent the area.
Central Activity Zone
After passing through the guard gate and showing your wristband, you’re on the Northern Loop. It’s the paved road through the Central Activity Zone of Arikok National Park. If you have a 4×4, you can take an immediate left to drive to Sero Arikok and onto Conchi. Otherwise, following the road will cut through the heart of the park and lead to almost all of the attractions.
Miralamar Mining Complex
Just after the guard house is the trailhead to the Miralamar Mining Complex. It’s a slight uphill walk through heavy vegetation to one of Arikok National Park’s most important historic sites.
At the top of the hill are the ruins of the Miralamar Mining Complex. It was the largest gold mine on Aruba from 1899 to 1916 and was owned by a company based in London. The most successful year was 1907/08, when the mine produced 700 kilograms of gold. Gold ore was extracted from underground shafts, processed at Miralamar, and transported to the gold smelter at Balashi.
Walking back down the hill, the trail forks. The fork to the left takes you back to the road. If you take the fork to the right, however, you’ll come to a sort of monument with a white rock sitting on a concrete pad. Turning right and walking downhill, you’ll reach an intersection. Just beyond is a fence around one of the old mine shafts.
Scenic Overlook
Further along the Northern Loop is a scenic overlook. It’s a great place to stop and take in the spectacular scenery of the park. You can get an idea of how rugged Aruba is.
Looking towards the south, you’ll see the wind farm at Vader Piet. The windmills are not actually inside the park but follow the road that borders it.
Dos Playa
Next, on the left is the turn to Dos Playa. At the end of the road is a pair of beaches separated by a rocky ridge. It’s a very rough road but if you’re careful and take your time you should be able to drive it in a normal rental car. If you do decide to park your car and hike to Dos Playa, take plenty of water, wear a hat, and put on sunscreen. It’s a long walk and you’ll be completely exposed to the sun the entire time.
In addition to being naturally beautiful, Dos Playa is the most important sea turtle nesting site on Aruba. Several species, including leatherback, hawksbill, loggerhead, and green turtles make their nests and lay eggs there.
You can climb onto the rocky ridge to access the second beach and get another view of the first beach. Unfortunately, there was a lot of plastic that had washed up on both beaches.
Plantage Prins
Across the street from the road to Dos Playa is another road leading down to Plantage Prins. It was once a coconut plantation that belonged to the Printz family. The business went bust after all the palm trees died off after a disease spread through the island.
At the bottom of the road is the house, which was built in the 1950s but is now in ruins. A large bird cage is attached to the back of the house and is used for studying different species of birds. It’s forbidden to photograph the birds and there are security cameras around the house. Supposedly, Plantage Prins is also a great bird watching site.
Boca Prins
Where the Northern Loop meets the sea you’ll find Boca Prins. It’s a narrow bay that was much deeper inland about 1,000 years ago. Today, it contains mangroves and powdery white sand.
A staircase leads down to the beach at Boca Prins. You’ll be able to get a view of the cliffs from ground level. Swimming is strictly prohibited because of the strong currents and large rocks.
Back atop the cliffs, you can walk towards the sea on the jagged coral. The mist spraying on your skin as the waves crash into the cliffs is a nice way to cool off, but don’t get too close to the edge. Looking south, you get another good look at the wind farm at Vader Piet.
Boca Prins Dunes
Boca Prins is backed by the Boca Prins Dunes. They were formed as the water that was once inland dried up. The dunes are constantly blowing towards the southeast, slowed only by the vegetation growing on the site. You can access the dunes via Boca Prins or the parking lot at beginning of the road to Dos Playa.
Fontein Cave
From Boca Prins, a gravel road leads to the Fontein Cave. It’s a significant geological and archaeological site within Arikok National Park. Rangers give short tours explaining the importance of the cave, pointing out important details along the way.
The most impressive and valuable features are the pictographs drawn by the native Caquetío people who once inhabited the island. They date back to around the 10th or 11th century. There’s also graffiti left by late 19th and early 20th century visitors.
Pond
Our guide at the cave told us to follow a short path from the parking lot down to a small pond for a fun surprise. The pond, frequented by wild goats, has a small section full of small fish. If you dangle your feet in the water, the fish will nibble the dead skin off your toes to give you a free pedicure. All the visitors who had wandered down to the water really enjoyed the experience.
Plantage Fontein
Just beyond the pond are the buildings of Plantage Fontein. This plantation is named for the natural water source that fills the pond, seeping down from a high limestone plateau. It officially became part of Arikok National Park in August 2022.
In the 18th century, the Dutch West India Company (Westindische Compagnie) allowed its cattle to graze in the area. They built a stone house for the cowman who supervised the cattle. Banana and coconut trees as well as other crops were planted near the pond. The widow of Commander I. F. W. Gravenhorst acquired the property in 1839, and it later passed on to several different owners. The land was commercially farmed in the 20th century.
South Conservation Zone
The South Conservation Zone at Arikok National Park consists of five attractions. Three are accessible by car while the rest can be seen on foot. The Vader Piet entrance in San Nicolas is in this area. We visited one site.
Quadirikiri Cave
Quadirikiri Cave is a large limestone cave with an indigenous name. The road to the cave is about halfway between Boca Prins and the Vader Piet entrance. Flashlights are prohibited inside the cave.
The entrance to the cave is via a stone stairway. At the top, you can walk into the cave to reach the first chamber. Flashlights are not necessary because a hole in the roof of the chamber lets in natural light.
Continuing further into the cave is the second chamber, which is also lit by a hole in the roof. It’s slightly bigger than the first chamber.
At the end of the second chamber, we saw bats resting on the wall of the cave. They’re the real reason flashlights are prohibited, as they might disturb the bats. They exit through the holes at dusk to search for food and return to rest during the day. Occasionally, a bat might whiz by your ear as it flies through the cave. You can’t make them out in the photo below but there are several bats in it.
Lookout Tower
Next to the parking lot for Quadirikiri Cave is a lookout tower built into a natural rock formation. There’s a stairway on the back side allowing you to climb up and enjoy great views of the park.
From the top, you can look north towards Boca Prins. To the south, you can see the wind farm at Vader Piet. Behind the tower, you can see the cliffs forming the outer part of the cave.
My Thoughts on Arikok National Park
Although we were wiped out at the end because of the heat and humidity, we really enjoyed our visit to Arikok National Park. Overall, it helped us appreciate how difficult life must have been on Aruba in the past and we really admired the beautiful natural scenery. We definitely want to return one day with a 4×4 to explore more inaccessible sections of the park. The Cunucu trail is on our list as well as Daimari, Conchi, and Jamanota Hill. Hopefully we’ll be back sooner than later!
