Ten minutes outside of town, the road into Aruba's interior turns to cracked earth and loose stone. Arikok's arid landscape stretches to the sea. Above the sounds of the powerful wind, parakeets and troupials can be heard chattering, and the bleating of goats reverberates across rolling hills. A regular site in the arid Arikok park, gigantic stands of cacti reach into the blue Caribbean sky. Contrasted against the fingers of a cactus, the smoking pipes of an oil refinery foul the air on the isolated southeast coast of Aruba At the fractured base of one such hill, within sight of the blue sea, the stalactite-draped entrance to Quadiriki Cave invites exploration.
Bats fill the air with a soft, fluttering sound as they dart in and out of the cave's entrance.
Many of the flying mammals remain hidden in the smooth crevices of the cave's ceiling. The cave tunnels into an ancient coral formation, and at the tunnel's distant end, a faint light can be seen glowing beyond thick columns of stone. Walking toward the glow, down the narrow passageway, the light intensifies with every step. Suddenly, the tunnel expands into huge room with two cracked openings in the ceiling. The brilliant Caribbean sun beams onto the floor, flooding the cavern with light and illuminating the etched details of its weathered walls.