Aruba - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 81

From the top of Casibari, you'll have a good
view of 541-foot Hooiberg (Dutch for hay-
stack), a local landmark that indeed resem-
bles a stack of hay. Steps lead to the top and
the climb is worth the effort. Try to visit on
a clear morning when you'll have cooler air
for climbing. If the visibility is good, you
may be able to see the Venezuelan coast to
the south.
Back on the east coast, south of Boca Andicuri, the fit and adventurous can
hike over sand dunes along the coast. Everyone else will need a four-
wheel-drive vehicle or a horse to reach spectacular Boca Daimari and
Boca Ketu .
When you see palm trees swaying in the breeze, don't assume you're deliri-
ous from too much sun. Rancho Daimari , now a horseback-riding estab-
lishment, was once a thriving coconut plantation. The first trees were
planted in the 1600s - one of the first coconut plantations in the
Caribbean.

TIP: See Horseback Riding , page 99, for informa-
tion on rides along the coast and through the na-
tional park.

A short distance to the south, just beyond Boca Ketu, is Cura di
Tortuga , a natural pool. This small rock-enclosed seawater pool is diffi-
cult to enter and exit, and not worth the trouble, unless you just want to
cool off. However, it is worthwhile to climb up onto a boulder to watch the
ocean surf break over the rocks and cascade into the basin. Forget about
snorkeling on most days. The water is too churned up. Visit the pool for the
magnificent views.
Arikok National Park is Aruba's ecological treasure. It protects a
large triangle-shaped portion of land bordered on the east by the sea from
Boca Daimari to Boca Prins. The apex of the triangle is inland, just west of
Mount Arikok, near the center of the island. Follow signs for Parke
Nacional Arikok from the town of Santa Cruz to the entrance of the park
located on the left a short distance beyond the paved road.
The enclosed wilderness preserve has 21 miles of marked hiking trails
that showcase the island's native plants and animals, as well as early
Indian rock art and historic structures. Among the desert vegetation in
the park, are divi-divi trees, rare and exotic cacti, aloe plants, and colorful
tropical flowers. Critters living in the reserve include the local conejo rab-
bit, indigenous Kododo Blauw lizards, and the endemic Cascabel rattle-
snake. The park is open daily from 8 am to 4 pm;

297-582-8001.
A path from the national park parking lot leads to Cunucu Arikok ,a
somewhat restored farm at the foot of 500-foot Cero Arikok. (Look for the