Category Archives: Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Exploring Costa Rica’s Incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Kelly Phillips Badal; Luxury Retreats

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Costa Rica – Area de Conservación Guanacaste

This teeny Central American country has an abundance of natural beauty—and four wildly diverse World Heritage sites.

Its landmass rings in smaller than West Virginia, but this Central American country has an abundance of natural beauty—and four diverse World Heritage sites.

When the recent World Economic Forum’s 2017 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked 136 countries according to the natural resources they possess—including their number of World Heritage natural sites, protected areas and species—tiny Costa Rica swooped in at number 3 (Brazil and Mexico took spots one and two). But it’s no real surprise: this lush, peaceful paradise, whose name translates to “rich coast,” is awash in verdant rainforests, cloud forests, cerulean waters, volcanoes, and wildlife galore.

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Costa Rica

Cocos Island – World Heritage Site and Mission Blue Hope Spot; Cathy Evans; PADI

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Costa Rica – Cocos Island National Park

If, like a lot of divers, your inspiration to start diving came from Jacques Cousteau then Cocos Island should be on your radar: he considered Cocos Island to be the most beautiful island in the world.

In 1997 the island, located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Uninhabited, it boasts the only humid tropical forest on a tropical island in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and is one of the most important sites for the protection of large pelagic migratory species, such as sharks, rays and dolphins. Sharks that are commonly found here include endangered and near threatened species like the scalloped hammerhead shark, silky sharks and whale sharks.

Why is Cocos Island a Hope Spot?

Hope Spots are a concept launched by Dr. Sylvia Earle in her 2009 TED talk.

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Costa Rica

Top 4 Best Cocos Island Liveaboard Diving Trips; Danielle Pacheco; The Adventure Junkies

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Costa Rica – Cocos Island National Park

Cocos Island deserves its reputation as one of the best diving destinations in the world. Situated 342 miles off the coast of Costa Rica, this remote volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Since reaching the island takes over 30 hours by boat, the best way to discover the destination is with a Cocos Island liveaboard.

The island is a haven for pelagic fish, most notably schools of hammerhead sharks. The area is rich in underwater pinnacles and seamounts and boasts colorful, healthy coral reefs. Diving with a liveaboard boat at Cocos Island is an unforgettable experience.

Here at The Adventure Junkies, we want to help you get the most out of your liveaboard trip to Cocos Island.

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Costa Rica

10 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES BEST DISCOVERED BY BOAT; Boat International

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Costa Rica – Cocos Island National Park

COCOS ISLAND NATIONAL PARK

Costa Rica

As the only emerged volcanic peak of the Cocos underwater ridge, and the only island in the eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest, the Cocos Island National Park is a truly unique spot. Perhaps known best for being the supposed burial spot of the legendary Treasure of Lima, Cocos Island (or Isa del Coco) has one of the world’s most dramatic and interesting marine ecosystems, making it a haven for divers and biologists alike. Inscribed in 1997 with an extension in 2002, it’s plethora of large pelagic species such as rays, tuna, sharks and dolphins make it one for the scuba diving bucket list.

How to visit: There are very limited superyacht facilities on Isla de Coco, so combine it with a trip to Costa Rica (be sure to visit the new superyacht marina in Costa Rica’s Golfito Bay, which opened recently), Isla de Coiba and the Gulf of Chiriquí.

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