Page 12 - AHATA

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local Thursday 26 June 2025
Best spots to view the sunset

(Oranjestad)—What can also a breath taking scen- about. The sunset on these hill to the California Light top the 587-step stairs and
be more romantic than sur- ery of most of the island. In beaches is truly breathtak- House. A favorite for surf- reach the top to enjoy this
prising your partner with a the distance you can spot ing; the sky and ocean look ers and body boarders, the incredible scenery.
date watching the sunset. all the hotels, the west- so big and spacious, and Arashi sky stretches out for
Aruba’s sunset leave many ern shoreline and the wild paired with the orange/ miles, lending a spectacu- Casibari Rock Formation
speechless, and luckily, the waves that crash on the pink hue of the sunset, the lar canvas for the sun to If you’re a rock climber, you
best spots to view the sun- northern side of the island. white sandy beaches and create a masterpiece of might enjoy watching the
set are entirely accessible the soft sounds of waves orange, pink and purple sunset on top of the Casi-
and easy to find. Here are Manchebo & Eagle Beach crashing—it can only be hue. bari Rock Formation. It’s no
some of the best places to Speaking of the western described as an experi- Yosemite, but it does offer
view the sunset on the is- shoreline, the best spots ence!* Hooiberg Hill a fun little exercise to get
land. for viewing the sunset on These last two options are to the top. But if you pre-
the beach has to be either Arashi Beach for more active couples. If fer not to get your hands a
California Light House Manchebo Beach or at Another beach that has to you and your partner like to little dirty, you can always
Of course, being one of the Eagle Beach, which stretch be considered as another hike, the Hooiberg Hill may use the stairs in the back.
highest point easily acces- along the entire western great spot to view the sun- be a great place for you to
sible to locals and tourists, coast of the island starting set. Arashi Beach is the last get your daily workout in Editor’s note: This spot may
the California Light House from behind Bucuti & Tara beach you will find along and enjoy a beautiful view be my personal favorite, if
hill not only offers a tremen- Beach Resort up to the the western coast line, just of the sunset and the island you couldn’t already tell…
dous view of the sunset, but Amsterdam Manor round- before you drive up the as a little reward. Climb on q

Unique fauna of Aruba:

Conew

For a small island, Aruba sure has a lot of unique treasures. Among year averaging 5 young each. The doe only visits her young once or
these, we have some subspecies of animals that are unique to our is- twice a day to nurse her babies for a period of 2 to 3 weeks. The young
land. These have evolved to perfectly adapt to our desert climate and reach independence at 4 to 5 weeks.
make Aruba their home. At the same time, they are part of what makes
Aruba truly one of a kind. The Aruban Conew is an endangered species and protected by Aru-
ban law. The Conew is thought to have drastically declined due to an
Conew (cottontail rabbit, Sylvilagus floridanus nigronuchalis) increase in human activities, habitat fragmentation and predation by
The Eastern Cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) was probably the invasive Boa constrictor as well as feral cats and dogs. However,
brought over to the island by Indian settlers thousands of years ago as a recently there seem to be more rabbit sightings in rural and wilderness
source of food. This rabbit, locally known as Conew, has spread all over areas and also in the National Park. This could be linked to a recent
the island and has become part of our ecosystem. The very adaptable decline of the invasive Boa population after the long period of drought.
Conew can live in a wide variety of habitats, including Aruba’s xeric As the Conew can reproduce very quickly, a short break in predation
scrublands, where it typically grazes on weeds and grasses. pressure can lead to a fast increase of rabbits. Sadly, the Boas are back
on the rise again with the truly wet rainy seasons we have recently ex-
The Aruban Conew has a brownish grey color and a distinctive white perienced. This could cause a new decline in the Conew population
belly. This white fur extends to the bottom of the tail which becomes vis- that was just starting to recover.
ible as the rabbit runs. These rabbits can grow up to approximately 40
centimeters in length over their short lifespan of 3 years. Cottontail rab- These are but a few of Aruba’s beautiful inhabitant, which we must all
bits reach reproductive maturity when they are just 2 to 3 months old. A contribute to protect. For more information, visit https://www.arubana-
female rabbit, called a doe, finds a suitable nest spot under a shrub or tionalpark.org/main/flora-fauna/ q
rocks and lines it with fur. She can have an average of 3 to 4 litters per