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Casibari
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Ayo Rock Formations |
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Who knew piles of boulders could be so interesting? |
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Essentials |
Location: On the road from Oranjestad to Boca Mahos. At the village of Paradera turn east to reach Casibiri. Ayo is located several miles away, to the northeast. These two spots are littered with huge boulders weathered into fanciful animals shapes by the eternal trade winds. At Casibari, you can climb the rock steps to the top for surveying the island or viewing the Haystack. The more developed of the two spots, Casibari has a souvenir and drink stand. It is ranked the second most popular tourist spot, after the Natural Bridge . Ayo, just to the northeast of Hooiberg and usually less crowded, has been called the Stonehenge of Aruba. No steps have been cut into any of the rocks, so you have to do all the scrambling yourself. A wall is planned around the rocky cluster to keep out the goats, who find Ayo a highly desirable hangout. If you're lucky, at dusk or dawn you may spot a burrowing owl, or one of the rare mammals found here before European contact. Spanish explorers recorded a small species of mouse, several kinds of bats, and a cottontail rabbit. Similar to their U.S. cousins, Aruba and Curacao cottontails bear a distinctive black patch on their necks. It's believed the rabbits were probably imported in pre-Colombian times by the Indians, since the cottontails around the Maracaibo region of Venezuela also have the same neck distinctive markings.
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