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local Wednesday 9 august 2023
National Park Arikok: Aruba’s biggest nature conservation

The National Park Arikok National Park.
comprises almost 18 % of
the island. Its rugged ter- The Landscape
rain, desert-like hills filled There is a great geological
with tall cacti, breathtaking variety within the park. The
coastline and protected main aspects are the rough
local flora and fauna wel- hills of the volcanic Aruba
come you to be explored. lava formation, the mysteri-
There are numerous ani- ous rocks of the batholithic
mals to discover, for ex- quartz-diorite/tonalite, and
ample the sea turtle who the limestone rocks from
lays his eggs on the park’s fossilized coral. The two
beaches. tallest hills on the island are
situated within the park.
The national park Arikok Jamanota hill 188 meters
takes you on a memorable (617 ft) and Arikok hill 176
journey of the islands past meters (577 ft), from which
offering unique geological, the name of the park is de-
cultural and historical sites. rived.
These can all be enjoyed Caquetío Indians left rock
and explored either on The line of the permanently paintings in Cunucu Arikok
your own or during guided wind-and-wave beaten and Fontein Cave. The bird
tours. A wide variety of ed- North Coast is broken by drawing in the park logo is
ucational and informative several bays (boca’s). Most a copy of one of these his-
programs and fun activities of them are small yet im- torical artistic expressions.
is available. pressive inlets at the mouth
of dry riverbeds. Some Old plantation (Cunucus)
Did you know that four of of these bays (boca’s) sites tell the story of an ac-
the in total seven species are spectacular sights, tive yet challenging agri-
of sea turtle lay their eggs adorned with white, sandy cultural past.
on Aruba's beaches? In beaches and sand dunes,
the national park, a Least as is the case at Boca Prins These Cunucus were also
Tern (Sternula antillarum) and Dos Playa. residential areas for the
keeps a strict eye on a very few families that worked
special event taking place Arikok is also home to Con- the land. These families
below on the beach: a chi, Aruba’s most impor- found ways to survive in
majestic Leatherback (Der- tant natural attraction; also the difficult conditions, and
mochelys coriacea) heads known as The Natural Pool. were able to erect their these adobe houses. ruary 2017, mangrove and
back to sea after laying her The journey to the Pool is homes with materials found wetland RAMSAR site #198
eggs, while another nest and adventure by itself and in the area. Two of these Park Management Spanish Lagoon was an-
laid 2 months ago by the only possible by foot, horse, adobe houses have been For the management of nexed to Arikok National
same female hatches— ATV or 4×4 vehicle. restored. Park rangers are the park, a dedicated Park due to its importance
a very rare occurrence learning many of the old foundation “Fundacion as a feeding and breeding
of daytime nesting and Cultural and Historical building techniques in or- Parke Nacional Arikok” area for water birds and as
hatching. Sea turtles pre- components der to preserve this unique (FPNA), known today as a nursery area for a variety
fer nesting in the cool and There are a number of sites Aruban mud-house. At Cu- the Aruba National Park of marine organisms. With
dark hours of the night. And within the park that attest nucu Arikok and near Plan- Foundation was estab- this addition, the areas un-
hatchlings usually wait for to the history of Aruba. The tation Prins you can find lished in July 2003. In Feb- der FPNA management
the cue of cooling surface increased by 70 hectares
sand before emerging. while the amount of spe-
cies of flora and fauna to
Nature Conservation be conserved to over 250.
The protected area of Na- On December 21st, 2018
tional Park Arikok was of- (AB 2018 no. 77) Parke Ma-
ficially established in 2000. rino Aruba – currently con-
Arikok National Park is a sisting of four marine pro-
34 square kilometers (7907 tected areas (MPAs) – was
acres) of natural area, lo- officially established and
cated at the north-eastern subsequently brought un-
part of Aruba which con- der management of FPNA.
tains examples of most of In 2019 management plans
the island’s flora and fau- will be established for the
na against a backdrop of new MPAs which include:
great geological complex- coral reefs, sea grass beds,
ity. We are proud to state mangrove systems, a large
that approximately 18% diversity of breeding sea-
of the total land area of birds. Parke Marino Aruba
Aruba is assigned as a Na- also contains potential
tional Park, to protect and shark nursery areas, en-
preserve the flora, fauna, dangered sea turtle nest-
geology and historical re- ing beaches and marine
mains present within Arikok mammal nursery areas.q