Page 15 - AHATA

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local Friday 16 May 2025
Aruba’s most family-friendly beaches

(Oranjestad)—One of the and tents. Much like Baby
biggest concerns that par- Beach, these sites are one
ents have when travelling of the best beaches for
with their children is a guar- your children to play and
antee of their safety and build sand castles.
healthy enjoyment. There-
fore, we thought it would Boca Catalina in Malmok
be a great help to travel- Boca Catalina is a small bay
ling parents to list off some beach near the Malmok
the most family-friendly beach area further down
beaches around the island. the hotel areas. Though it
may not be a very sandy
Baby Beach in San Nicolas beach, it is relatively quiet
Baby Beach is one Aruba’s and tranquil. This is a great
most popular and visited place for family to lay down
beaches, and for good rea- a big blanket and have a
son: This sandy and quiet little picnic. This is also one
lagoon is a great place for of the best places to snor-
parents to sit back and re- kel, as this area is filled with
lax while their children play little fish and corals, even
in the shallow shores of the close to the shore.
beach. Beside the relaxing
atmosphere, there are also Palm Island
several services that may Pos Chiquito city. Though set up their belongings. In and Palm Beach is where Ok, this one is technically
accommodate your stay, there are several stairs on this area, the shore is also most of our visitors go to not a beach, but a must-
like a parking lot, sun tent the sides of the beach cliff shallow, falling right around tan, swim or play in the visit attraction for family fun.
rentals, chairs, bathrooms leading you down, the best your knee before slowly white sand. Because they This small water park oasis is
and a snack bar right at spot for families to hang getting deeper: perfect for are near the low-rise and located further down the
the far left of the beach. out is across the bridge, kids to safely play. high-rise hotel areas, these Mangel Halto Beach and
passed the mangrove trees beaches are the most ac- is reachable by boat. This
Mangel Halto in Pos near the entrance sign. Eagle Beach/Palm Beach cessible for visitors on foot. water park offers 6 hours of
Chiquito Here, there are small and in the hotel area These beaches also offer fun activities, food, drinks,
Mangel Halto is situated big palapas, perfect for Yet another highly popular many palapas free to use, and a chance to see pink
in the back streets of the big and small families to beach site, Eagle Beach but you can also rent chairs flamingoes up close! q

Unique fauna of Aruba: The Conew

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