Snorkeling at Caño Island with Boundless Journeys

While most of the world’s most famous wild islands are reached by heading out to sea for days at a time, Caño Island lies less than an hour’s boat ride off Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. A perfect choice for nature enthusiasts looking for an exclusive, off-the-beaten-path adventure. With some of the healthiest coral reefs left in the world, birthing and mating waters for two hemispheres of humpback whales, lots of white tip sharks and giant stingrays, vast schools of fish, and the resident spotted dolphin clan, Cano Island offers the best snorkeling on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Most of Caño Island Biological Reserve is forbidden to visitors; one small section of beaches and two short trails on the northwest side of the island are all most people are allowed to see. Six dive sites and two snorkel areas, again on the northwest side of the island, make up the meager portion of the marine protected area that is not forbidden. The fact that a great part of the island is sure to be untouched seems to be its greatest attraction. Back on the mainland, pristine rainforests and the rugged natural beauty of the Osa Peninsula make this region among the most beautiful areas in Costa Rica.