Aruba’s beauty and calming nature captured by wildlife cinematographer Natalie Clements
Meet our first-ever Artist in Residence at Boardwalk, wildlife cinematographer Natalie Clements, who stayed in Aruba for 14 days with her husband and fellow cameraman Dan Read. The Artist in Residence program was introduced in 2025 and welcomes creatives —local and international—ranging from painters and digital storytellers to astrophotographers and fashion artists. Each will bring a fresh way for our guests to connect more deeply with Aruba’s beauty. The residency includes a stay in a two bedroom casita which includes a separate room that functions as art studio to get inspired and create, for 6 nights up to 4 weeks.
Aruba’s nature: wonder that often goes unseen
Natalie is from the UK. Her lens has taken her across the globe from the dessert landscapes of the Sahara to the dense jungles of Africa, capturing wild, rare, and breathtaking nature. In September, she visited Aruba as part of our artist in residence program. During a head-spinning 13 days she managed to create a short film that tells the story of Aruba’s wild side. She hiked the mangroves at sunrise, and toured Aruba’s largest protected nature reserve, Arikok Park with a ranger. The two wetlands, locally called saliñas, that are flanking our hotel were Natalie’s playground, sitting quietly in the grass with her cameras, waiting for some of the 2,400 bird species that live in Aruba to come by. Under the guidance of Aruba Conservation Foundation she’s been working with local voices and wildlife experts to spotlight the quiet beauty and natural wonder that often goes unseen.
“The island gave me new friends, inspirational conversations, unforgettable moments in the wild and a beautiful introduction to Aruba's nature which will undoubtedly pull me back.”
Quiet places buzzing with life
The result is fabulous. Natalie has done a truly incredible job of showcasing a side of Aruba that so many of us locals know, love, and feel deeply connected to. Natalie’s short, 10-minute video zooms in on quiet places filled with lizards, bees, pelicans, butterflies, water wading birds, birds of prey, cute bananaquits, hummingbirds, and crabs. In doing so, it gives off a very clear message: slow down, look up, and around. Watch a trupial feed on a cactus fruit, a pelican make a dive for his lunch swimming underneath in the ocean and two lizards arguing over a parking space. The effect is enlightening, and eye-opening. Aruba will always be a destination that draws visitors for its famous beaches and the fun in the sun vibe that comes with it. Yet there is so much more to this island left to discover.
Aruba’s endemic owl, the Shoco
The film also highlights the preservation and protection efforts of the endemic burrowing owl, Aruba’s shoco. With its big yellow eyes and elegant posture its the most photogenic of all bird species, and it posed willingly for Natalie’s lens in various places. From their favorite hangout right behind Boardwalk in the saliña to the Tierra del Sol golf course where the Aruba Birdlife Conservation Foundation oversees a project with 30 artifical nests to keep the shoco population safe and thriving.
Insider tip: if you book the Palapa Lodge 360, binoculars and a very informative book on Aruba’s birds are provided complimentary and encourage you to look beyond what first meets your eye. Those wild, untamed wetlands that surround Boardwalk and might come across to an untrained eye as barren land. Think again. Look more closely. As now you know better. Now you know the shocos are burrowing here, and many of the 230 species of migratory birds that pass through when visiting Aruba. The saliñas are alive, teeming with life — if you know where, and how, to look. Next time you find yourself up in our two-story Palapa Lodge 360 make sure to get the full experience. Sit back, relax and study Aruba’s nature, flora and fauna from the comfort of your own wrap around balcony with 360 views. And with some luck, you’ll spot the shoco, too.
Short film
We highly encourage you to take 10 minutes out of your busy day and watch the short film Natalie made. Her film inspires. It instantly calms you down and transports you to an entirely different side of Aruba. It brings to life the beauty and soul of our surroundings in such a thoughtful, visually stunning way—and we couldn’t be more excited to now share this with a wider audience. We encourage all of you to do the same—spread the word, share the story, and help us show a side of Aruba that often goes unseen, but deserves to be celebrated. The film premiered in an open-air cinema setting amid the lush gardens of Boardwalk, in the presence of hotel guests, friends, fans and local collaborators such as Aruba Conservation Foundation and park rangers from Arikok National Park. This is your opportunity to enjoy your own private showing:
<Watch the short film>
Interview with Natalie
- How did you learn of the Artist in Residence Program at Boardwalk?
Every few years I get an itch to create something of my own, somewhere new in a place that I don't know very much about. I was intentionally looking for an artist or filmmaker residency in the Caribbean area, because it ticked those boxes - a place I don't know much about and have never explored. So it was a wonderful moment of happenstance finding the Boardwalk Boutique Hotels Artist residency. It was purely through online searching and timing, but what really stood out was the ethics at Boardwalk being strong in sustainability and supporting locals that confirmed this was something I wanted to apply to.
- Given your exotic travels to Africa and India (amongst others), what made you think Aruba would be a great place to spot and film wildlife?
Not knowing much about Aruba, I did a little research just before interviewing for the residency and I was delighted to find that the island has the endemic Shoco burrowing owl. I love owls, who doesn't! So that alone was an exciting prospect to film. But also, Caribbean birdlife and reptiles on the island included a lot of creatures and variations of wildlife that I had not yet seen or filmed. The landscape as well had a lot of potential, the opportunity to witness the contrast between pristine sands to incredibly rugged coast lines, venture into cactus filled environments and witness the golden hour in all of these places was a big draw to visiting.
- Was this your first visit to Aruba? What were your expectations beforehand, if any?
Yes, this was my first Aruba visit. My expectations before landing on the island were really positive. I had a list of things I wanted to capture and the knowledge that there were going to be happy suprises along the way, and Aruba delivered. The wildlife showed up in it's own way and the sunsets and sunrises were beautiful. There were some birds on my list that I didn't get the opportunity to capture, but that is wildlife and it instead delivered moments and opportunities that I never expected to see, which is exactly why I love filming wildlife.
- What surprised you the most during your time in Aruba?
I'd done a lot of research once I'd booked my flights and noticed most of what I could find about the island was tourist focused, which potentially posed a challenge - were there many people who could help me find wildlife and navigate my way to the best nature locations for filming? But the Boardwalk had a host of local people and contacts at the ready and I was greeted with so much enthusiasm, passion and willingness to help me create a film that really showcased the island in all of it's natural beauty.
- If you would have to describe Aruba's nature in 1 sentence, based on your extensive 2-week stay on island, what would you say?
Aruba's nature is rugged, calming, present and sometimes surprising. Look out for it, care for it and embrace it!
- How did the Artist in Residence Program work for you? Can you share some of your experiences?
The residency program was perfect in everyway. The Boardwalk itself is just beautiful, full of welcoming and lovely staff, so many lizards and has created it's own little wildlife haven between two very important local nature reserves.
Our initial discussions before visiting was to focus on these reserves, the saliñas, however the story developed as I explored the island and the program embraced this and really supported me. I had the freedom to create and reflect in a location that ensured my day to day needs were taken care of.
The accommodation was perfect, food provided was delicious but also allowed me to really focus on my work whilst keeping fueled, and also having a kitchen meant I could do my dawn starts and sort out my lunches really easily. It's not something that is thought about often, but food and rest are some of the most important elements when filming nature from early morning until dusk. The Boardwalk made sure I was covered with both of these key elements!
Not only did the team help connect me with local people to film with and help me explore, but they also arranged a showcase of the final film in a stunning setting, under the stars at Boardwalk Boutique Hotel, it gave me the opportunity to thank everyone involved and let the work find it's supporters. It's very easy to drop into a location, create a film and leave without the local people getting a chance to watch it together, so this was a really important moment and I'm very thankful for Boardwalk for suggesting and setting this up.
- You mentioned upon your departure that you would love to return to Aruba sometime, what caused you to say that, and what would you make (more) time for next time you visit?
I left Aruba with a head full of ideas of wildlife stories that could be told and there was a whole migratory bird season I missed purely due to timing. Knowing the opportunity that exists there to film so much more and how accessible it is to navigate the island, I would love to return to spend a bit more time understanding and capturing some of the creatures I encountered during this trip but also to see what birdlife lands on the island during migration.
- What are your biggest take-aways from your time in Aruba, what did the island bring you?
The island gave me new friends, inspirational conversations, unforgettable moments in the wild and a beautiful introduction to Aruba's nature which will undoubtedly pull me back.
“Aruba's nature is rugged, calming, present and sometimes surprising. Look out for it, care for it and embrace it!”
About Natalie
With over 15 years experience on camera, wildlife cinematographer Natalie Clements specializes in capturing the natural world, animal behaviours and conservation driven content. A resident of Cardiff, UK, Natalie provides television content for broadcast in the UK on a regular basis and has built an extensive stock of British wildlife, represented by Nature Picture Library. More info on Natalie and her work can be found on Instagram @tvcameragirl, on Tiktok and Youtube @wildlifecameragirl and on her website https://natalieclements.co.uk.