Costa Rica’s Isla del Coco is one of the few places in the world that is free of corona virus

Coco Island (Isla del Coco in Spanish) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica. It is located approximately 550 km or 360 miles southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. The island has an area of approximately 9.21 square miles, and is more or less rectangular in shape.

Coco Island has been a Costa Rican National Park since 1978, and has no permanent inhabitants except for Costa Rican park rangers. Surrounded by deep water, Cocos Island is popular with scuba divers divers because of the hammerhead sharks, dolphins, rays and other marine species that live in its waters. The island also boasts over 100 species of birds.

Isla del Coco is a laboratory for studying nature. Jacques Cousteau called it the most beautiful island in the world.

Michael Crichton’s novel Jurassic Park and the subsequent film adaptations take place on fictitious Isla Nubar of Costa Rica, which is said to be modeled after Coco Island. Some say the novels Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe were inspired by Cocos Island.

Costa Ricans, expat retirees and tourists can visit the island by boat. The trip lasts between 30 to 36 hours from the mainland. Charters and diving tours are available. There are no accommodations on the island and to go ashore a special permit is required. So, visitors have to sleep aboard ship. According to park officials, some 3,000 foreign tourists annually visit Isla del Coco. The only drawback is that the trip is not inexpensive. To see the cost of a trip: http://www.okeanosadventures.com/es/isla-del-coco/

Because of the world-wide pandemic, the park was closed to all visitors during April and May of 2020. In June it opened up to Costa Ricans and residents but now it is open to tourists.

Because of strict protocols among the small group of park rangers there has not been one case of covid. They virtually have no contact with tourists. All visitors have to take a coronavirus test 72 hours before boarding the vessel that will take them to the island.