Things to do in Aruba

Arikok National Park

Aruba doesn't have a lot of land to play with, so it's heartening that almost 20 percent of the island has been set aside as the Arikok National Park. It encompasses a significant chunk of the interior and a long stretch of the northern windward coast. The park contains traces of nearly all the significant forces that have impacted on Aruba's history, including Arawak petroglyphs in the Fontein Cave, the remains of Dutch peasant settlements at Masiduri, plantation houses in the Prins Valley and the ruins of an old gold mining operation at Miralamar. The park encompasses 620ft (188m) Mount Jamanota, Aruba's biggest hill. It's worth taking the short but stiff walk to the top if you didn't score a window seat on the flight in and want to get a tip-to-tip perspective.

There's a road running through the park, but you'll appreciate the landscape more by exploring one of the hiking trails. Keep your eyes peeled for the rattle-less Aruban rattlesnake, a local resident and one of the island's indigenous subspecies.