Arikok National Park

Arikok covers about twenty percent of Aruba and protects the island's dry, dramatic interior and windward coast: a landscape of columnar cactus, divi-divi trees bent by the trade wind, volcanic hills and limestone terraces dropping to a shore of surf and dunes. Caves in the limestone hold Arawak rock drawings in red and black, some of them centuries old. Ruins of nineteenth-century gold mining sit at Bushiribana, and trails climb the twin hills of Jamanota and Arikok for island-wide views. It is the antidote to the resort strip and shows what Aruba actually looks like.

What you actually see

• Fontein and Quadirikiri caves - Arawak drawings and light shafts through the roof.
• Bushiribana gold mill ruins - the coastal stone shell of the old works.
• Boca Prins dunes - pale sand hills above a wild beach.
• Jamanota and Arikok hills - the climbs to the island's high points.

When to go

Year round, with the caveat that the park is hot and shadeless - early morning is the sensible start in any month. The trade wind is constant and takes the edge off. Rain is rare and brief.

Honest expectations

Most of the interior needs a 4x4; ordinary cars reach only the visitor centre and a couple of points. There is no water available inside beyond the entrance, and the heat is serious - two litres per person minimum. Swimming on the windward coast is dangerous almost everywhere except the natural pool. The island's endemic rattlesnake lives here; it is shy and bites are extremely rare, but watch where you step.

Nearby

Conchi natural pool, San Nicolas and the island's south coast.