Arikok National Park Aruba and the Natural Pool (2026)

Arikok National Park covers about a fifth of Aruba: the whole rocky, windswept interior and the wild north east coast. It is the opposite of Palm Beach, which is why it is worth a day. It is also the place where guests most often arrive with wrong information. Fees, gates and the Natural Pool rules have all changed in the last few years, so here is the 2026 version from a host who sends people there every week.

Arikok National Park entrance fee and opening hours (2026)

• Entry: $22 per adult, 18 and over. Children 17 and under free. Residents of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao get a reduced rate with ID. Tickets are sold at the gates only, not online. The old $11 price you will still find on many websites is out of date.
• Gates: San Fuego (the main one, with the visitor centre, off the road from Santa Cruz) opens 8:00 am and closes 3:30 pm. Vader Piet, on the south east side near the wind turbines, opens 8:30 am and closes 3:00 pm.
• Vehicles: paved road from San Fuego to the Fontein cave and Boca Prins area is fine for a normal car. Everything else is 4x4 only, and ATVs, UTVs and motorbikes are banned inside the park entirely.
• No lifeguards anywhere. No shade to speak of. Water, hat, closed shoes.

Getting there

From Palm Beach, drive inland via Noord and Paradera to Santa Cruz, then follow signs to Arikok. About 25 minutes. From Eagle Beach, similar. The park office number is +297 585 1234 if you want to ask about Conchi conditions that morning, and they will usually tell you.

The Natural Pool in Aruba (Conchi): how to get there

A pool of calm seawater enclosed by a ring of volcanic rock on the north east coast, with surf crashing over the rim. Snorkelling inside is good on a calm day: small fish, clear water, a few metres deep. It is the park’s famous spot and it is the hardest to reach.

Four ways in:

1. Guided jeep tour. The normal way. Shared tours from around $85 to $110 per person for four hours, most including the park fee, snorkel gear and water. Pickup from Palm Beach and Eagle Beach. The track is rough, 45 to 60 minutes inside the park, and people who get motion sick should know that before they book.
2. Your own 4x4. Allowed by the park, but read your rental contract. Most Aruba rental agreements exclude unpaved park roads and your damage is not covered. We do not recommend it for first timers.
3. Horseback. Ranches on the east side of the island ride in to the pool, roughly $160 per person for the half day.
4. On foot. From the visitor centre it is around 7.7 km out and back, two and a half to three hours in full sun. There is a shorter, rougher route from the Daimari beach side. Start at 8 am, carry two litres each, and tell the rangers.

Whichever way you arrive, the last stretch is about 100 steps down the cliff and back up. The pool closes for swimming when swell comes over the rim; rangers and tour operators decide on the morning. December through May it is open most days. June through November, especially after a windy night, it may not be. Book Conchi for the first or second day of your trip so you can try again.

Fontein and Quadirikiri caves

Both reachable by normal car on the paved park road, both open 8 am to 4 pm with a ranger at the entrance. Fontein has Arawak drawings on the ceiling, brown red pigment several hundred years old. Quadirikiri has two chambers lit by holes in the roof, which is the photograph everyone takes, and a colony of bats that you will smell before you see. Ten to fifteen minutes each. Hats off inside Fontein; the ranger will ask.

Boca Prins and Dos Playa

Boca Prins is the dune field and beach at the end of the paved road, limestone cliffs, big surf, sand that blows uphill. Do not swim. The view and the wind are the point. Dos Playa, a short drive or walk north, is two coves where turtles nest and bodyboarders from the island come when the swell is right. Again, not a swimming beach for visitors. Both are a good thirty minutes of your park day.

Arikok hiking trails

The visitor centre hands out a map of marked trails from 1 to 8 km. The Cunucu Arikok trail is the easiest introduction: an hour through cactus and divi divi past a restored adobe farmhouse, with the park’s goats and iguanas for company. Mount Jamanota, the island’s highest point at 188 metres, is a longer walk with the whole island at the top. All trails: start by 8:30, finish by 11, nothing after noon from May to October.

What a good park day looks like

Gate at 8 am. Caves first while it is cool. Boca Prins by 9:30. Then either the jeep tour to Conchi you booked for 10:30, or the Cunucu trail and out by noon. Lunch after, not in the park: there is a small kiosk at the visitor centre and nothing else. Drive down to Savaneta for fish at Zeerover and you have a full day.

What to bring

• Closed shoes with grip. The volcanic rock at Conchi is sharp and slick.
• Two litres of water per person. There is no shop inside.
• Reef safe sunscreen and a rash guard. Shade is a cactus.
• Cash or card for the gate. Both accepted at San Fuego.
• A dry bag for the jeep; the track is dusty from January to August and everything in an open vehicle turns orange.

Stay nearby

Arikok is 25 to 35 minutes from all four of our homes, and every jeep tour picks up on the Palm Beach and Eagle Beach strips. Ocean View 2BR on Palm Beach and the Hideout Dream Big Suite and Hideout Happiness Suite near Eagle Beach are on the pickup routes. Oasis Hideaway in Gold Coast is the one for washing the dust off in your own pool afterwards. See them at /stays/.

Questions people ask

How much is the Arikok National Park entrance fee?

$22 per adult (18 and over) in 2026, paid at the gate, cash or card. Children 17 and under are free. Residents of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao pay a reduced rate with ID. Many jeep tours include the fee; check before you book.

Can you drive a regular rental car to the Natural Pool?

No. The track to Conchi is rough and only 4x4 vehicles are allowed. Even with a rental 4x4, most rental contracts exclude unpaved park roads, so check yours. Most people take a guided jeep tour, ride a horse, or hike.

Is the Natural Pool always open?

No. It closes for swimming when swell breaks over the rock rim, which rangers decide each morning. It is most reliably open December through May. Plan it early in your week so you can retry.

What are the Arikok park opening hours?

The San Fuego main gate is open roughly 8:00 am to 3:30 pm and the Vader Piet gate 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. The caves are open 8 am to 4 pm. Last entry is well before closing, so go in the morning.

Are ATVs allowed in Arikok?

No. ATVs, UTVs, buggies and motorcycles have been banned inside the park since 2020. UTV tours that advertise the Natural Pool drive to the gate and transfer you to a jeep.