Aruba UTV tours and the Natural Pool

Can you drive a UTV to the Natural Pool in Aruba?

No. ATVs, UTVs and motorbikes are not allowed inside Arikok National Park, and the Natural Pool sits inside the park.

The ban dates from 1 June 2020, according to the Viator listing of our pick. Jeeps and trucks run by licensed tour operators still go in, and so do horses and hikers. Visit Aruba puts it in one line: UTVs and ATVs are banned in the park. Any tour that sells you both a UTV and Conchi has to swap vehicles at the gate.

Which UTV tours include the real Natural Pool?

Combo tours: you drive a UTV on the north coast, then ride a 4x4 truck through Arikok to swim at Conchi.

The best known is ABC Tours UTV Adventure with Lunch: about six hours, roughly 45 minutes at Conchi, plus Bushiribana, Alto Vista Chapel and the Tres Trapi steps, with lunch and snorkel gear. It is priced per two-seat UTV, and the park entry fee and an insurance fee are paid on top.

Where does the "natural pool swim" UTV tour actually swim?

On the north coast: the 2, 3 and 4-seater tour stops for about 30 minutes at Andicuri Beach, not at Conchi.

Its route runs from Philip's Animal Garden to Alto Vista Chapel, Wariruri Bay, the Baby Bridge and the Bushiribana ruins, then Andicuri Beach, the Tripod Bridge and Black Stone Beach. It is a terrific ride with a 4.9 rating from more than five thousand reviews. Viator now lists it as "Aruba UTV Tour: Ride to Animal Sanctuary and Natural Cave Pool"; its earlier title promised a natural pool swim. Book it for the driving and the coast, not for the Natural Pool.

What happened to the Bushiribana cave pool?

Aruba Today reported that the ladder down to the small cave pool near the Bushiribana ruins was removed and the pool is no longer accessible, because the climb was too dangerous.

For years it was sold as the "new natural pool", with cliff jumps into a sea cave. The flagship UTV listing now shows it as a pass-by stop. If any guide offers a jump or a climb somewhere on the north coast, it is your call: currents there are strong, and one recent guest described the cave stop as unsafe.

Booking for the ride itself? The 2 to 5 seater tour covers the north coast highlights with hotel pickup.

★ 4.9 · 4 hours · from $122 per person

Explore the 2 to 5 seater UTV tour → Tour details

Is the Natural Pool always open for swimming?

No. Conchi closes for swimming whenever waves wash over its rock wall, and that can happen on any day.

Guests on the jeep safari and the horseback ride describe rough water at the pool, so treat the swim as likely rather than guaranteed. Your best odds are December to May. You still see the pool and the coast either way.

How much extra does the Natural Pool cost?

Plan on the Arikok entry fee, about $22 per adult, on top of most jeep and combo tours; the horseback ride includes it.

Children enter the park free, and tickets are sold at the gates, open daily 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Visit Aruba). The ABC combo spells out its own extras on its Viator listing: the park fee at $25 per person and mandatory insurance of $50 per UTV, both collected at check-in.

Which UTV or Natural Pool tour should you book?

Book the UTV tour for driving and the north coast, a jeep or horse for Conchi, and the combo if you need both in one day.

A couple who want to drive and swim at Conchi should take the combo. A family of four who mainly want to drive will spend less in one 4-seater on the per-person tour. If Conchi is the main event, the Natural Pool jeep safari is the cheapest way in. See how to get to the Natural Pool and UTV tour prices.

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