The Arikok park fee in 2026

How much is the Arikok National Park fee in 2026?

$22 per adult for a day pass. Under-17s are free. Residents of the ABC islands pay a lower local rate with a government photo ID.

The ACF experiences page lists the Parke Nacional Arikok day pass at "USD22 per person", children under 17 free, and a "local discount applicable for residents of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao with a valid local government issued picture I.D." The page does not print the resident price, so locals should ask at the desk. An annual pass is sold at San Fuego only.

One pass covers one person for one day. It is a conservation pass, not a parking ticket, so it applies whether you hike in, ride a horse, drive a rented Wrangler or sit in the back of a tour truck. The park rules back it with real teeth: violations of the nature law can draw fines up to $100,000. Nobody fines a tourist that much for a missing pass, but it shows how seriously the island guards the park.

Has anything changed for 2026? Not at the gate. ACF's figures for 2025, reported in August 2026, credit a day-pass price increase with roughly Afl. 631,000 of extra income that year, and the $22 rate is what the site shows today. If you see a headline about park fees "adjusted from the 1st of April 2026", check the country: the consultation behind it is not about Aruba.

Where and when can you buy the Arikok pass?

Only at the park: the San Fuego visitor center (daily 8:00 to 15:30) and the Vader Piet booth (daily, closes 15:00). There is no online sale.

ACF lists two sales points. San Fuego, the main visitor center on the west side of the park, sells day and annual passes from 8:00 to 15:30. Vader Piet, the second entrance, sells day passes only and shuts at 15:00. Both open every day. Guide sites report that card and cash are both accepted.

The hours matter more than the price if you drive yourself. Roll up at 15:45 and there is nobody to sell you a pass. San Fuego is also the last proper restroom before the pool, which has none. On a guided tour the timing is the operator's problem; on a self-drive Wrangler day it is yours, and our guide to renting a jeep or taking a tour covers the track itself.

Which Aruba jeep tours include the park fee?

AGW, EZ Raider, De Palm, the Arikok safari truck and the Outback Safari include it. ABC Tours charges $25 at check-in, Fofoti $20, and the private open-air tour pays at the gate.

The fine print sits in each listing's inclusions and exclusions. AGW lists "National Park fees" as included. EZ Raider lists the "Entrance ticket National Park Arikok" plus all fees and taxes. The Arikok safari truck includes the "National Park Entrance Fee". De Palm and the Outback Safari mark the park and pool stops as admission included.

The other side of the list: ABC Tours states that the Arikok fee "is not included- an Addition $25 per person will be charged upon check in", and the same line appears on the full-day island safari. Fofoti adds $20 per person and names the park entrance fee as an exclusion. One Fofoti guest put it plainly: "bring $20 for the park". On the private open-air tour the Arikok stop is marked admission not included, and a guest describes paying for the group at the visitor desk.

Read the table by the last column. Fofoti's $78 becomes $98, which still undercuts most of the field. ABC's $99 becomes $124, more than De Palm or EZ Raider with the fee built in. Our price guide sets the routes side by side.

The fee is already in the $89: Arikok, the Natural Pool and Baby Beach, with port pickup for cruise guests.

★ 4.7 · 4 hours · from $89

Explore the AGW jeep tour → Tour details

Do children pay the Arikok fee on a jeep tour?

Not at the gate: under-17s are free. On tours that collect the fee themselves, check the wording, because ABC's $25 is written per person with no child exception.

At San Fuego a family of two adults and two teenagers pays $44. Book a tour that includes the fee and the kids' share is already priced in, which is often nothing. Book a tour that charges at check-in and the operator's own rule applies. ABC Tours words its $25 as a charge "per person", and the listing does not carve out children. Fofoti's $20 is also per person. Ask before you go if the difference matters to you: on four people it is up to $100 in cash.

Age limits are a separate question from the fee. ABC takes children from 2, EZ Raider from 4, AGW from 5, De Palm from 6 and Fofoti from 8. Our guide to jeep tours with kids lines them up.

What does the Arikok conservation fee pay for?

The park itself. Visitor income is the biggest slice of ACF's budget, and it pays for rangers, staff and conservation work.

ACF counted about 196,000 visitors in 2025, according to its annual figures. Visitor-related income came to close to Afl. 6 million, and about 61% of the foundation's total income of Afl. 10.2 million is now self-generated. Operating costs rose by almost 20% to more than Afl. 5 million, covering personnel and conservation activities. The foundation plans a cafe and a souvenir shop at the visitor center too.

On the ground that means rangers at the pool deciding whether it is safe to swim, maintained park roads, the cave sites and work on access. A guest in May 2026 reported that the park was building new cement stairs down to the Natural Pool. The rules the money enforces are simple: 20 km/h inside the park, stay on park roads, no drones, no rock stacking, nothing taken home. UTVs, ATVs and motorbikes are banned outright, which is why the pool is a 4x4 trip. More in jeep or UTV.

Frequently asked questions