Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Even though this is the turf of hard-core divers, making landfall and exploring is worth the
time and effort. Need a second opinion? The famous oceanographer and diving guru
Jacques Cousteau famously dubbed Cocos 'the most beautiful island in the world.'
Rugged, heavily forested and punctuated by cascading waterfalls, Cocos is ringed and
transected by an elaborate network of trails. The highest point is at
Cerro Iglesias
(634m),
where you can soak up spectacular views of the lush, verdant island and the deep blue Pa-
cific.
Note that visitors to the island must first register with the park rangers, though your tour
company will most likely make all the necessary arrangements well in advance.
Activities
Diving
The diving is excellent, and is regarded by most as the main attraction of the island. But
strong oceanic currents can lead to treacherous underwater conditions, and Isla del Coco
can only be recommended to intermediate and advanced divers with sufficient experience.
The island has two large bays with safe anchorages and sandy beaches: Chatham Bay is
located on the northeast side and Wafer Bay is on the northwest. Just off Cocos are a series
of smaller basaltic rocks and islets, which constitute some of the best dive sites.
Isla Manuelita is a prime spot, home to a wide array of fish, ray and eel. Shark also in-
habit these waters, including huge schools of scalloped hammerhead as well as whitetips,
which are best spotted at night. Dirty Rock is another main attraction - a spectacular rock
formation that harbors all kinds of sea creatures.
Wildlife-Watching
Because of its remote location, Isla del Coco is the most pristine national park in the coun-
try and one of Costa Rica's great wildlife destinations. Since the island was never linked to
the Americas during its comparatively short geological history, Cocos is home to a very
large number of rare endemic species.
Heading inland from the coastal forests up to the high-altitude cloud forests, it is pos-
sible to find around 235 unique species of flowering plants, 30% of which are found only