Isla del Caño Biological Reserve in Costa Rica
Located in the beautiful Pacific Ocean, about 20 kilometers off the coast of the Osa Peninsula, Isla del Caño or Caño Island is a spectacular marine biological reserve in Costa Rica. It is part of the province of Puntarenas and north-east of Corcovado National Park, Isla del Caño is considered a very important geographical and archaeological site. Fifteen kilometers from the Port of San Pedrillo, this piece of land of 300 acres was once a cemetery dating back before the Pre-Columbian era.
One of the historical evidence of this island is spherical stones that have been found here, which were carved by hand perfectly round. There are no too much wildlife and fauna on the entire island, just little animals. Either way, Caño Island is used by migratory birds that fly to warmer climates from the northern hemisphere during the winter. Outside the evergreen forests found on the island, the only other trees that grow here are the rubber tree, the wild cocoa tree and some bushes. Along with some birds like the eagle, the black hawk, the cattle egret and the falaropo, there are some reptiles and animals such as the bales, boas constrictors, opossums, tree frogs, pigs, moths, beetles, bats, mosquitoes, rats and lizards.
According to investigations, it is believed that this island was formed some 50 million years ago when the Teutonic plates of the earth were moved and produced that the island emerges. The real beauty of the island’s Cano is not on the surface but underwater. The pristine waters of this island are among the bluest of the country and are home to a spectacular variety of marine flora and fauna as well as some glorious coral reefs. Estimated to be one of the best diving points in the world, the Biological Reserve of Cano Island is also home to a large variety of fish, whales, and sharks.
With fantastic visibility under the water, you can see on any day sea turtles, dolphins, devil rays, manta rays, moray eels, barracuda, tuna, snappers, and other fishes that just swam along with a variety of sharks and humpback whales or pilots whales. Because is considered a reserve the number of divers is regulated and visitors are not allowed to remove anything from the marine life either alive or dead. On the island there have been placed in different places areas for camping and also are allowed to organize tourist boat trips with the warning that can only be until Dominical Bay or Drake Bay.
So if you plan to come here do not forget to bring a breathing tube and your scuba gear and prepare for the adventure of your life underwater.