Isla del Coco National Park

Location

It lies in the pacific ocean, 532 Km from Cabo Blanco heading southwest from the national territory.

Description

By its size, isolation, and been of conservation, Isla del Coco constitutes one of the privileged natural sites at world-wide level.

The island is geologically immature, formed progressively over two millions years by the ejection of molten magma along the Cocos and Pacific tectonic plates. This is, in fact, the same tectonic interaction that has created the Galapagos archipelago. Its summit, 2,000 feet above sea level at Cerro Iglesias, is covered with dense coniferous forest, and the steep cliffs which frame the perimeter of the island stand tall at up to 300 feet. Spouting out from these craggy headlands are waterfalls, many of which dump straight into the ocean. In fact, considering the island's heavy annual rainfall, and its subsequent freshwater sources of significant volume, it's no wonder that Isla del Coco has over 200 magnificent waterfalls.

With an important endemismo and a singular biological diversity, the island can be catalogued like an ideal natural laboratory in the long term to make investigations on the evolution of the species and the monitoreo of the atmosphere.

Isla del Cocos was first discovered by Juan Cabezas, a Spanish explorer, in 1526. Soon after, explorers and pirates were using the island as a place to rest and restock on food and fresh water. From this site, they would also stage their incursions, plundering Spanish settlements and vying for control in the area. Today, the presence of pirates still lingers on the island, part of which is manifested by the prospect of unearthing caches of buried treasure, which allegedly still exist. As legend has it, between the years 1684 and 1821, three famous treasures were hidden here by three infamous pirates: William Davis, William Thompson, and Benito "Bloody Sword" Bonito. The most valuable of the three treasures was allegedly hidden by Thompson. Dubbed the Lima Booty, it consists of large gold leaf sheets, pilfered from domes and cupolas of churches in Lima, Peru. In addition, there are supposedly tons of gold and silver bars, church ornaments, and a life-sized statue of the Virgin Mary made of solid gold

The legends of Isla del Coco and the prospect of uncovering hidden treasure have enticed opportunists and fueled the imagination for centuries. In fact, no where else in the world has there been so much evidence of the existence of a pirate's concealed booty. It's no wonder that more than 500 loot-pursuing expeditions in the past century, and the most renowned adventure book about the subject, Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, were inspired by the legends of Cocos Island. To date, none of the treasures have been found.

The results of important the same investigations could provide information on the dynamics of the ecosystems of the planet and its relation with the global changes of the marine and terrestrial atmosphere. Of here its great importance for the humanity.

In their waters the sharks abound with white fin, the giant sharks hammer, the tunas,

the fish dark-brown, the blankets and jurele. Diverse birds and hundreds of insects finish completing the natural wealth of this park.

There is no Flora for Isla del Coco National Park at this moment

Fauna

Urel (Trachurus trachurus)

The dorsal part of the body is much darker than the ventral, which is almost white. The eyes and mouth are very large in relation to the size of the head. The line that runs through the body.

How to Get There
Permission to Cocos Island National Park must be granted by the park service to enter (admission: US$15; 506/283-0022). There are no overnight accommodations on the island, and camping is strictly prohibited. To get there, most tourists acquire the services of a tour company that places emphasis on diving, hiking, or both.