National Parks of Costa Rica
Other Areas
Coco Island National Park

Area:

2,400 Terrestrial Ha
97,235 Maritime Ha

Location:

In the Pacific Ocean, 532 Km southwest of Cabo Blanco and the national territory, between 5 30' and 5 34' north latitude and 87 03' and 87 06'west longitude.

On Coco Island, 235 species of plants have been identified of which 70 are endemic. There are also 57 crustacean, 118 shellfish, 200 fish, 351 insect and 18 coral species.

The island is covered by an evergreen forest, of the type typically found in South America, with clouds covering the tallest peaks. The landscape is very broken, thus forming many waterfalls, some of which are spectacular as they plummet from great heights to the sea. The sea is turquoise and amazingly transparent.

The marine life is exceptionally abundant, particularly with sharks, most notably the hammerhead, which can reach four meters in length, and the white-tipped shark. Also widely found are parrotfish, tuna and mantas. This is one of the reasons why this island is a scubadiver's paradise.

The most numerous plant species are the cupey, the endemic Euterpe macrospadix palm, and huriki. Ferns, bromeliads, and selaginellas are also very abundant.

The three endemic bird species are the Coco Island cuckoo. Sea birds are particularly abundant, especially on the nearby islets.