For more information on the cruises and all the other travel information you might need to visit Costa Rica and the island, visit our Cocos liveaboard section. Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park is located 340 miles (550 km) off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is Costa Rica’s most secluded and least visited national park and can only be reached by a 36-hour boat ride. (Virgin Australia runs flights twice a week from the former and Fiji Airways once a week from the latter.) There’s lots of waterfalls and wild rocky islets so make for a picturesque scene as to travel to and from the dive sites. Liveaboard trips usually last for at least 8 to 10 days and it takes up to 36 hours to reach Cocos Island from Puntarenas. However, photographic identification, such as an Australian Driver's Licence or Proof of Age card, must be produced for each passenger (including children) for clearance through Customs and Immigration. Tours to Cocos Island . This national park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 for its unmatched natural beauty and rich biodiversity. The island is made up of approximately 120 Australian expats, half of which are children. The Rangers explained that they are trying to get an Immigration officer to the Island, but until that happens they want to see the Permit and the Passports stamped from Costa Rica. There are many locations to go diving in Costa Rica. The only way to see Cocos Island is on a diving liveaboard vessel which you can board from the port city of Puntarenas in Costa Rica. Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, just south of Java, is an Australian territory. Liveaboards depart from Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Liveaboard Ports of Departure for Cocos and How to Get There. The Clunies Ross family, who became known as 'Kings of the Cocos', owned/occupied the islands for more than 150 years. Getting to the Cocos Islands. This remote location’s only tourist activity is by liveaboard boats, primarily Cocos scuba diving liveaboards.Entry to the island is by permit only and there is no accommodations on the island except for the quarters of the dozen park rangers. Due to the distance from the mainland, tours are usually 8 to 10 days and cost $3,000 on average. In this respect, Cocos Island appears to be completely unique. This district is a … The boat will pick you up from San Jose, Costa Rica. Several operators can take you there - usually for scuba diving since you are only allowed on the island by special permission from park rangers. The nearest land is Costa Rica 300 miles (500 km) to the east. Travel time is approximately 40 hours to Cocos, 43 hours to Malpelo, and 40 hours from Cocos to Malpelo. With an area of approximately 23.85 km (9.21 sq mi), the island is more or less rectangular in shape. These flights depart from the Perth International Airport Terminal 1. Check in opens 2 hours before departure, and it is recommended that passports be used when checking in and proceeding through immigration. Accordingly, how do you get to Cocos Island? Passports and visas are not required when travelling to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands from the Australian mainland. Australian. Try bonefish fly-fishing. Today it's a lush, off-the-beaten-path tourist destination famed for its caves and coral reefs. A unique sanctuary 500 km off the coast of Costa Rica, Cocos Island is probably the best-known dive site around Costa Rica. Why does my dog roll around on the carpet after eating? Costa Rica, is one of a number of small nations that comprise the isthmus of Central America. From San Jose, guest are transported to the port of Puntarenas, a two hour drive. Do you need a passport to go to Cocos Island? The only way to get to the island is aboard one of the comfortable and professional Costa Rican liveaboard dive boats that operate in the area from the Pacific town of Puntarenas. In 1978, an Executive Decree declared Cocos Island as a National Park of Costa Rica. Top 10 Things to Do on Cocos (Keeling) Islands Dive deep with Cocos Dive. Try kitesurfing. One may also ask, where is Cocos Island located? Additionally, what country owns Cocos Island? The island features an area 23.8km and is rectangular shaped. You will start by boarding your vessel in Puntarenas Port located in the southern coast of Costa Rica and embark on a 36-hour voyage out at sea en-route to Cocos island. The only way to get there is by boat; either your own or on a tour. Learn more on the Home Island Eco Tour. Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company ship, the Royal Mary, gave the island its name because they arrived on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643. As you climb up to your vessel, you may pause for a while and ask yourself where to stay since there are no hotels in the island. June to November is the rainy season, and in many people's opinions, is the best season for diving in Cocos Island. There are touring companies that can arrange these for you that include transfers from San Jose to Puntarenas. Unfortunately this is not a national park for the thrifty. Activities Whether you just want to sit back and relax or cannot wait to get into the water and explore the uninhabited islands, there is something for everyone. How to Dive Cocos Island A rugged and incredibly beautiful island, today Cocos Island is the most sacred National park in Costa Rica's extensive park system. Cocos Island is a crucial habitat for other large pelagic species like dolphins, giant manta rays and at least eight types of sharks. Cocos Island is located in the Eastern Tropical Pacific approximately 300 miles southwest of Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica. Getting to the Cocos Islands There are many ways to travel to the exotic Cocos Keeling Islands, including flying with Virgin Australia, using your private jet, or the more traditional way, sailing to Cocos. At certain times of the year the crossing can be very rough with big swells and seasick passengers. How to Get There. A permanent ranger station is located on the island that oversees the natural habitats of both land and marine life. In 1955 they became a Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia, and in 1978 Australia purchased all of the lands, excepting the family home, from the Clunies Ross family. Getting to Cocos Island is only possible with a tour. The island is home to lots of boobies and frigate birds, who hang around being nosy and pecking at the antenna on the ribs. Cocos Island, Costa Rica is around 36 hours travel by liveaboard from the mainland, making it a remote and mostly undisturbed haven for marine life and divers alike. Enjoy a Cocos Island Adventure Tour. There are no airports on Cocos, and it can take up to 36 hours by boat, each way, from Puntarenas, Costa Rica to get there and back. Do washing machine hoses need Teflon tape? Having been isolated for so long, evolution has led to endemic species on the island such as the Cocos Cuckoo and the Cocos Finch. It is the southernmost point on the North American continent if outer islands are included. The sublime Cocos (Keeling) Islands are surrounded by aquamarine waters and offer exotic tropical island experiences found nowhere else on Earth. The only way to get to Cocos Island – Costa Rica is via a boat ride. © AskingLot.com LTD 2021 All Rights Reserved. The boat trip itself would take around 36 hours. There are many ways to travel to the exotic Cocos Keeling Islands, including flying with Virgin Australia, using your private jet, or the more traditional way, sailing to Cocos. Manta rays and whale sharks are also more frequently spotted from June to November. Region: Eastern Tropical Pacific, 300 miles (500km) off CoastClosest Town: noneAltitude: Sea Level to 2080 ft (600 m)Closest Airports: noneAverage Temperature: 76º-85º F(24º-29º C)Hard to imagine that a country as popular as Costa Rica could have any part left of it considered to be undiscovered and under the radar, but unless you are an avid scuba diver that is most likely the case. At this time, nutrient upwellings attract the large number of hammerhead sharks Cocos Island is famous for. Virgin Australia operates two services per week to the Cocos Keeling Islands, one on Tuesday and one on Saturday. In 1948, the governments of Australia and New Zealand acquired the mining rights to Christmas Island by buying CIPCO's assets and rights for £2.75 million. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas. Cocos Island is located off the coast of Costa Rica and is completely secluded bearing a ranger office that has a staff of caretakers. The Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (or simply Cocos Islands or Keeling Islands) is in the middle of the Indian Ocean some 2750km north-west of Perth, and 900km west south-west of Christmas Island. Virgin Australia operates two services per week to the Cocos Keeling Islands, one on Tuesday and one on Saturday. How do you reset the control lock on a KitchenAid dishwasher? Indulge in Malay cuisine. The difference between life in Brisbane and life on Cocos is, says Karen, like “chalk and cheese. This air travel distance is equal to 2,572 miles. The air travel (bird fly) shortest distance between Australia and Cocos Islands is 4,139 km= 2,572 miles. The land border to the north is Nicaragua and to the south is Panama. The transit time for the liveaboards to the national park is about 36 hours. In the Region. Consequently, you’ve got to book a liveaboard dive trip if you want to visit. Cocos Island (Spanish: Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately 550 km (342 mi; 297 nmi) southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. I felt like I had been transported back in time to a long lost world as my helicopter hovered over the dramatically lush Cocos Island. The Galápagos Islands are the nearest neighbor a few hundred miles further southwest. Click to see full answer. The Cocos Keeling Islands are an atoll of 27 island of which only two are inhabited, the rest are waiting to be explored. A passport is necessary and a visa may be required. Guest wishing to visit the Cocos Islands should fly into the city of San Jose Costa Rica. Copyright © 2016 Cocos Beach Resort Ph: (08) 9162 6640. Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands were then administered and governed as a part of the colony of Singapore. Duty free purchases may be made for travel to and from Christmas Island. 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