Page 9 - aruba-today-20200912

A9
LOCAL Saturday 12 September 2020

Take a hike

ORANJESTAD — Enjoy gor- a variety of habitats. The ularly known as Fontein processed where it was
geous vistas of Aruba’s main eco-type is the xe- Cave, is an important ar- transported afterwards to
rugged terrain, desert-like ric scrubland. Candela- chaeological site as well the Gold Smelter at Spanish
hills filled with tall cacti, bra cactus are scattered as a good example of the Lagoon.
a breathtaking coastline across the landscape, geological history of the
and protected local flora along with thorny bushes. limestone terraces. Inside Cunucu Arikok
and fauna. Aruba’s na- During the dry season many the cave, visitors can find This site recalls Aruba’s agri-
tional park’s staff is ready of the plants lose a portion many Indian pictographs cultural past. Different types
to welcome and guide you and sometimes all foliage. that date back to about of plants were cultivated at
throughout your visit to the Plants that keep foliage 1000 years. Along with the this site. An old farmhouse
National Park. They are usually have other adap- ancient drawings, more re- made from adobe is a re-
open daily from 8:00 am to tations to maintain mois- cent carvings have been mainder of those times. against goats, sheep, and
4:00 pm, a valid Conserva- ture and limit evaporation, left behind by colonial visi- Cactus hedges and stone- donkeys.q
tion Ticket or Annual Pass is for example thick leathery tors some dating back to walls were built to protect
required to access the Na- leaves. the early 1800's. The caves
tional Park. are open between 9:00 am
Fontein Cave and 4:00 pm. During your
Arikok National Park hosts This limestone cave, pop- visit help us protect our na-
tional park by following our
rules and regulations.

Miralamar Hill
A short hike from the Visi-
tor Center brings you up to
the Miralamar Hill. As you
walk to the top you follow
a trail lush with vegetation.
At the hilltop lays the ruins
of the Miralamar Gold Mine
Complex. On this particular
location mine shafts ran un-
derground where gold was
extracted in rock ore and