We did enjoy our jeep tour at Arikok National park, but it didn’t include a Natural pool visit, so today we decided to take a ride to this popular Aruba attraction.
We rented a 4WD UTV at George’s and started our journey to Natural Pool.
It didn’t take long to reach one of the entrances to the Arikok National park.
The road in the beginning was decent.
While driving, we saw a few Aruban blue lizards like this one. They are small but brightly colored.
We stopped near this interesting cactus.
The road became really rough as we got close to Natural Pool. At this point, I wouldn’t even call it a road, more like a goat path. 🙂
After this sign, Natural Pool is accessible by foot only, so we had to walk there. The Papiamento word for “Natural Pool” is “Conchi”.
Windy… It is always windy in Aruba and warm, always warm!
The first view of Natural Pool from the top of the hill.
The natural pool is protected from the rough sea by surrounding rocks. As beautiful as it is, everyone should be very, very careful. The pool is located on the island’s violent east shore, infamous for its enormous waves, and rip currents. The water looked calm inside the pool at this time. Aerial photo from our UAV (drone).
People were swimming and snorkeling there. We went for a swim as well. There is another smaller pool on the top right inside, blocked by boulders.
It is not easy to get to the pool. We had to climb over some large boulders, some of which were pretty sharp and slippery. It was adventurous though.
Then, we took some pictures with our drone. It was less windy down by the pool, so Dave was able to lunch the drone pretty high. At some point we could barely see it.
Us and the drone near Natural Pool.
It was a difficult ride, but Dave handled it very well. We worried about UTV (the rented vehicle) a few times though.
Nice view from the road while driving through Arikok National Park.
The Arikok Hill (Sero Arikok) is the second tallest hill on Aruba. It offers a 360 degree panoramic view of Aruba. Located on the top is an air traffic control beacon.
There were many wild goats near the air traffic control beacon enjoying the rare shade provided.
As soon as we got closer, all the goats ran away to the edge of the hill.
The Arikok National park Visitor Center is seen in the middle.
Shortly, we were passing the Arikok Visitor Center.
The roads here are nice.
We noticed some sand dunes ahead.
Closer view of Sand Dunes. It is possible to hike into Arikok National Park through the sand dunes.
We spotted an interesting beach ahead of us and decided to stop there.
This is Boca Prins, a very small beach, that only measures at about 55 meters. This beach is part of Boca Prins Bay, a bay surrounded by cliffs on the east coast of Aruba. Because of the currents and the high waves it is dangerous to swim or snorkel here, but it is worth visiting. This place is absolutely beautiful and unique.
Boca Prins Bar & Restaurant is situated in front of Boca Prins Bay. This rustic place is probably the only one that offers food and drinks in the middle of the Arikok National Park.
Next, we stopped at Quadirikiri Cave.
There were some information stands near the cave entrance.
The Guadirikiri Cave is famous for its two chambers, illuminated by the sunlight streaming through holes in the roof of the cave. The cave extends for about 100 feet. The darker portions of the cave nest hundreds of harmless bats.
A beautiful view from inside the cave on the way out.
After that, we headed to Baby Beach through Vader Piet Farm, a landmark with wind turbines along a road that lies next to the park and offers an exit towards the direction of Rodgers Beach, Baby Beach and San Nicolas. The island took a giant step in the production of alternative energy with the official opening of Vader Piet Wind Park on the eastern end of the island.
Wild goats were everywhere.
This is a noticeable landmark near Baby Beach. Usually, someone always takes pictures there, but nobody was there at that time. Many people give directions to Baby Beach using this Big Red Anchor as a landmark.
A popular Land Rover jeep excursion was heading to Baby Beach, the same one that we took earlier this week.
We didn’t have time for a swim or snorkeling at Baby Beach this time, but we were able to take some pictures and video with our Phantom Drone. It was really windy, but some pictures came out pretty nice. Baby Beach from the air.
Closer view of our favorite part of the beach.
We stopped for early dinner at the local restaurant Zeerover, which means Sea Pirate. This cozy food shack is located in the heart of the fishing village Savaneta. It is known for its fresh off-the-boat fare and a laid-back atmosphere. We ordered our food from a window and chose a table outside, on the wooden deck.
The menu here consists mostly of the deep-fried baskets of fried fish and jumbo shrimps paired with local side dishes such as “pan bati” (Aruban pancakes), “funchi” (hearty cornmeal cake or fritters) and “banana hasa” (fried plantain). It was tasty, but messy to eat. We were not impressed with the food, but we enjoyed the nice casual atmosphere near the water.
On our way to Oranjestad to return the UTV. The vehicle rent was a little expensive, but we had so much fun! We did get a little sunburned, but it was a minor detail. I can only imagine how toasted we would have gotten in an ATV (without a roof). It was the most enjoyable way to experience Natural Pool and explore the Arikok National Park.
