For first-timers, a guided tour is your best bet, and these can be tailored for beginners or experienced hikers. There are 20 miles of trails throughout the park, with many recent upgrades such as stone pavers and handrails. Wander through the candelabra cacti and find your way to Cunucu Arikok, a cactus-hedged adobe farm house; the Cero Arikok vista for looking over the island; and Fontein Cave with Indian petroglyphs. Burrowing owls, lizards, and parokeet-like prikichi birds are abundant.
After the hike, stop by the visitors’ center to learn more about the flora and fauna you spotted, or stop by the café for one of the best authentic pastechi on the island. It’s worth it to drive further into the park and out to the coast if you’ve got a four-wheel-drive vehicle; the rugged coast is a sharp contrast from the pristine sand and gently lolling waters of Eagle Beach or Palm Beach. Donkeys roam the area and will approach your vehicle enthusiastically, and for the true conservationist, you can get up close and personal with the row of windmills that are now providing about twenty percent of Aruba’s power by harnessing its legendary wind.
