Cocos island is an uninhabited island and as close to paradise as you can come. There is a small ranger station on the island but other than for people working there no one is allowed on the island except for a few hours a day. The island that is a haven far divers due to the deep richer waters that surrounds it is approximately 23.85 km² in area and located 550 km of the coast of Costa Rica. It is well known for its spectacular Forest, unique climate and the large amount of sharks, rays and whales that can be seen in these waters. Divers can see hundreds of hammerhead sharks or rays at the same time and it is said that you after only a few days in these waters stop noticing reef sharks because they are simply nothing special to see. The island, which in its entirety is a national park is a part of Costa Rica but this water wonderland is unfortunately threatened by illegal fishing and sharking.

The island is home to a large number of endemic plants and animals. An example of this is that the island is home to 70 endemic flowering plants and 2 endemic reptiles. An interesting fact is that this tropical island, despite its luscious green wilderness and cloud forest lacks amphibians of any kind. We could go on and on about what makes this island and the sea surrounding it so special but the fact is that it needs to be experienced to be properly understood so instead of trying to explain it we will move on to how to get there.

The island is a dream destination for many scuba divers that unfortunately often need to stay a dream for most people since it is very expensive to go there. The most common way to go there is to buy a space on a research ship that goes there and that offer tours as a part of their funding. A week long tour, the shortest tours you normally ever see starts at USD 5000 during low season and this does not include equipment rental. The price do however usually include room and board on the ship. Everyone that goes to the island needs to sleep on board their ship even if they want to spend their days on land.

If you want to go to this fantastic island you need to plan and book your trip far in advance. The number of seats to go there is usually very limited and even if it possible to be lucky and find an unbocked seat in the somewhat near future it is always better to plan the trip in advance so you can go when you want to go and when the wildlife you want to see is expected to be at the island. If you have the time we recommend spending some time on mainland Costa Rica as well. Nicaragua is a cheaper alternative right next door that offer most of what Costa Rica offer but since you are looking at going to cocos island you will likely not be on a budget trip.