Costa Rica’s 7 Natural Wonders Part Three
Cocos Island (Isla del Coco)
Cocos Island, or Isla del Coco as it is known in Spanish, is a whole lot of island for its tiny footprint! It ranks #1 on Costa Rica’s list of 7 Natural Wonders, and for good reason: there is simply no place like it on earth. Even famed diver Jacques Cousteau is quoted as saying it is the most beautiful island in the world… and if ever there was a man who saw some beautiful islands, it was Jacques Cousteau, am I right? But Isla del Coco is not just humbling and awe-inspiring in its beauty, it is also of high ecological importance.
Cocos Island was designated a National Park way back in 1978, and the 9 square mile island itself became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 before the 770 square miles of marine land surrounding the island were added to the designation in 2002. The island is also included in the list of Wetlands of International Importance, is a Ramsar designated wetland, and in 2009 it was even shortlisted as a candidate for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. A popular one, this little island!
A Dramamine-necessitating 30- plus hour boat ride from Puntarenas, scuba diving Isla del Coco is a diver’s dream with its unique underwater topography joining shallow and deep waters together. This, coupled with its strong counter-currents bring us highly varied species of pelagic fish (which love it when shallow and deep water meet), and legendary schools of hammerhead sharks… the largest numbers in the world are consistently recorded in the waters off Isla del Coco.
At one time, another type of shark lurked off the shores of Isla del Coco, the pirate kind! Cocos Island’s history is replete with story after story of plunderers, and physical evidence exists, in addition to much fanfare and lore of course. If you look closely you can see carvings in stone from actual explorers and pirates who literally wanted to leave their mark. It is said that the most valuable treasure buried on (or perhaps PREVIOUSLY buried on!) Cocos Island is the storied Treasure of Lima, a stash of loot that Captain Thompson was to keep track of, but failed to, when his crew overtook him and reportedly stashed the treasure on Cocos Island. Or what about Benito Benito, the “terror of the Atlantic”, who had quite a successful run and reportedly left the equivalent of some $300 million (of today’s!!) US dollars buried somewhere on the island.
The island currently has no human residents other than park rangers, so the entire area is one big largely untouched and exuberant rainforest, its skyline produced by the gentle roll of hillsides, not rooflines. Rivers crisscross throughout the forest on the island, and splash over cliff sides creating the most gorgeous waterfalls of all shapes and sizes. Nearly 90 bird species are found here, including seven species of land bird… and even one called the Cocos cuckoo (say it five times fast, go on!) which is endemic to the island. Over 235 species of flowering plants, with trees dressed in orchids and velvety mosses, and the look is complete with punctuation added around that “most beautiful island in the world” designation.
Indeed Cocos Island is loved the world over, and is periodically even the lucky recipient of monetary gifts to support its growth and preservation… some from as far away as Switzerland! In 2013 Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre took the initiative and donated the 300,000 Euros necessary to beef up surveillance to aid in the prevention of illegal fishing near the island. What a great gift to help ensure the future protection of the island! Way to go, Jaeger-LeCoultre. And your watch designs are pretty sweet too.
Because Cocos Island is so protected and studied, there are no hotel accommodations or overnight stays allowed, even camping, but daytime visitors are permitted on the island with prior go-ahead from the Park Rangers, and on the promise that they do not remove any flora, fauna, or minerals from the island.
With its ecological importance and flawless natural beauty, we think you’ll agree: Isla del Coco has absolutely earned its spot at the top of Costa Rica’s 7 Natural Wonders, and deserves all the protection we can offer it. We tip our hats to the Park Rangers and to all the people who care for the island as if it were their own, so that the ecology of the whole world will continue to benefit from its strong health.