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CAÑO ISLAND BIOLOGICAL RESERVE
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The tiny, tabletop Biological Reserve sits placidly in the ocean some 20 km due west of Drake Bay. It is formed by a block of Eocene basalts, 50-60 million years old, that rose up to subduction or the collapse of the Cocos Plate under the Caribbean Plate along the Central American Trench.
The central 90 m high plateau is covered in a very tall evergreen forest.The island
is thought to have been a burial ground of the Diquis pre-columbian inhabitants,
who would have brought their famed lithic spheres here from the mainland in large,
ocean-going canoes. The beach is of white sand and the water very clear most of
the time. It is a prime destination for snorkelling and diving. Around the island
there are five platforms or low coral reefs amongst which 15 species of scleractinia
corals can be distinguished and where Porites lobata stands out for sheer numbers.
At the island, there are trails where you can take
a hike. There are not many birds and almost no animals on the island. If you
wish to see the spheres and pottery described in books, you will be unlucky
because there is very little left. The boat trip sometimes could be rough depending
on the weather. You may see dolphins near the boat and if you are lucky you
might see whales. ( January to March ) life.
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