Things to Do in Arikok National Park
Thirty-four square kilometres, close to a fifth of Aruba, and everything worth stopping for sits on two roads. Here is what the park holds, and the order a first visit is best taken in.
Swim at Conchi
The Natural Pool is the one thing almost everybody comes for: a clear rock basin walled off from the open sea, reached by 4x4, on horseback or on foot. Ninety-three steps drop to the water. Whether you can get in is decided by the swell on the day.
Walk into both caves
Fontein Cave carries Caquetío rock drawings on its ceiling and a pond where small fish nibble your feet; Quadirikiri Cave has two chambers with daylight falling through holes in the roof. They are ten minutes apart and both sit on graded road, which makes them the part of the park you can reach in an ordinary hire car.
Stand on Jamanota
At 188 metres, Jamanota is the highest point on Aruba, and from the top you see the windward and leeward coasts at the same time. The walk up takes about an hour, or you can drive most of the way.
Reach the windward bays
Boca Prins with its dune field, Dos Playa's twin bays, and the quieter coves north of them. You do not swim at any of them — the swell arrives unbroken from the Atlantic — and that is exactly why they look the way they do.
Look for the shoco
The Aruban burrowing owl is the national symbol and is genuinely findable in the park at the right hour. Blue-tailed cododo lizards are on every wall, and wild goats and donkeys use the roads. There is more on all of it on the wildlife page.
Walk one of the named trails
Cunucu Arikok past a restored farmstead, Sero Jamanota to the summit, or Rooi Prins for the wild ground. None of them has shade, all of them start early. The trails page has the distances.
A half day, in order
- 8:00am — San Fuego gate, buy the pass, take a map.
- 8:30am — Quadirikiri Cave, while the light is coming through the roof.
- 9:15am — Fontein Cave and the fish pond.
- 10:00am — Boca Prins and the dunes above it.
- 11:00am — the drive back out, or a short loop from the visitor centre.
That is the self-drive version and it needs nothing but an ordinary car.
A full day, in order
- 8:00am — collected from your hotel by an open 4x4.
- 9:00am — into the park, the first stop while it is still cool.
- 10:00am — Conchi, before the wind builds and before the convoy.
- 11:30am — the caves, on the way back out.
- 12:30pm — Dos Playa or Boca Prins for the view.
- 1:30pm — Baby Beach, outside the boundary, for the swim the windward coast cannot give you.
Every guided departure on guided tours of Arikok National Park is some version of that shape. Compare the Arikok National Park tours by park time.
Which of these suits which visitor
Matched against what each part of the park actually asks of you.
| If you are | Do this | Time it needs | What you need |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here for the photograph everyone has seen | Conchi, on a guided 4x4 | Half a day | A booked departure |
| Driving yourself with an ordinary hire car | Both caves and Boca Prins | 3 to 4 hours | The pass and a full tank |
| Travelling with young children | Quadirikiri Cave, then Baby Beach | Half a day | Free entry for under-17s |
| A walker | Sero Jamanota, early | Half a day | Two litres of water each |
| A photographer | Quadirikiri at midday, the coast at either end | A full day | Your own vehicle, or a private jeep |
| Off a cruise ship for the day | A guided departure from an Oranjestad office | 4 to 5 hours | A wide margin on your all-aboard time |
Find the departure that matches
Two roads, fifteen ways to drive them
Compared by park time, price and whether the conservation pass is already paid.
With children
Under-17s enter the park free, which is the single biggest saving available to a family here. The caves are what children remember and the jeep ride itself is usually the highlight. The two things to weigh are the ninety-three steps at Conchi and the roughness of the track; one operator sets a minimum age of four and two carry infant seats.
What else the day holds
Beyond the boundary, most guided circuits add the Ayo and Casibari rock formations, the Bushiribana gold mill ruins from the 1824 rush, the Alto Vista Chapel and the California Lighthouse. Baby Beach at the southern tip is the swim. None of it is inside the park, and on a four-hour day every one of those stops is time you are not spending in it — which is a fair trade if you want the island rather than the park.
Frequently asked questions
Is the park accessible for wheelchair users?
Every tour listed here states that it is not wheelchair accessible, and the terrain inside the park is rough. What is reachable is the visitor centre and the made paths near the San Fuego gate, in your own vehicle. Two operators do carry strollers and two carry infant seats.
Can I visit with back problems or while pregnant?
The jeep and UTV days are made for people who are happy being bounced about for an hour, and they are not the right choice with back trouble or a pregnancy. The gentle way in is to drive yourself to the caves and Boca Prins, both of which sit on graded road. The guided walk up Arikok Mountain is the other option, at your own pace.
Can I fly a drone in the park?
No. The park's own posted rules prohibit drone flying, along with rock stacking, metal detecting and collecting anything at all. Fines are set out on the same board at the entrance.
Pick the shape of your day first and the vehicle second — that order saves people the most time here. Both are laid out on Arikok National Park Tours.
Departures built around this list
Aruba Signature Jeep Tour: Natural Pool and Baby Beach
Pass paid at check-inLocal guideMax 12
From $78 per person
Half Day Hike at Arikok National Park & Snorkel
Park pass includedTransport includedSnorkel gear
From $115 per person