Cocos Island National Park, located in the Pacific Ocean, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, due to its unparalleled natural beauty and biodiversity. Its limits extend 12 nautical miles around the land area of the island, covering an extension of 2,071 square kilometers of marine area and 24 square kilometers of land area. Since the end of the 16th century, this was a place of refuge, rest and supply for pirates, corsairs and whalers who traveled the Pacific coast of Spanish America.
The coast of the island has cliffs up to 183 meters high, and has countless underwater caves. The 2 main bays are Wafer and Chatham, in the north of the island, with the only 2 sandy beaches in this park. The turquoise blue sea is extraordinarily transparent which, added to the large number of rock formations, constitutes a unique habitat for a great abundance of fish, sharks (hammerhead and white fin), dolphins, manta rays, mollusks, and many other marine species that make this island one of the most extraordinary places for diving in the world.
In terms of biodiversity, the island has, thanks to its climatic regime, evergreen forested areas of great natural beauty. Around 500 plant species have been identified in these forests, of which a large number are endemic species. As for the fauna, more than 1,400 species with a high degree of endemism have been identified. Among them, large pelagic species such as: hammerhead shark, whale shark, manta rays, yellow fin tuna and marlin stand out. Mammals are also present, with 5 terrestrial species being identified: pigs, cats, white-tailed deer and 2 species of rats, as well as several marine species such as the bottlenose dolphin and the humpback whale. On the island, you can also sight more than 100 species of birds, of which 13 are residents and 3 are endemic to the aforementioned park.
The many impressive waterfalls, as well as the legendary stories of pirates and treasure hunters, supposedly hidden there, make this island a place of incalculable ecological and historical value. In addition, the park offers information services for visitors, trails, signage, restrooms, showers, a communication system, drinking water, and various natural viewpoints.
