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TREASURED ISLANDS - BEACHES IN COSTA RICA
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As if the Costa Rican mainland didn´t have enough
beaches, the country also has several islands that are well
worth visiting. Tortuga Island, a splendid spot near the
tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, is one of the most popular
destinations in the country. One-day tours head their regularly
out of San José and several Central Pacific beach
resorts.
Tortuga Island boasts a fortune in natural assets, including
a flawless white sand beach, turquoise water, submarine
wonders and tropical dry forest.
Caño´s Island, a biological reserve near Drake
Bay, was considered sacred by the country´s pre-Columbian
inhabitants, who buried their chiefs there, and left behind,
and left behind important artifacts. Today the crystalline
waters that wash against its cliffs and beaches hold the
big attractions, since the marine life that abounds around
the island draws skin divers from far away. Other popular
dive spots are Santa Catalina Islands and the Murcielago
Islands, which lie off the northwest coast, and can be easily
visited from resorts in the Gulf of Papagayo region.
The country´s greatest dive spots, however are located
some 330 miles southwest of the mainland, at legendary Coco´s
Island, which is said to be where Robert Louis Stevenson
set his novel Treasure Island. An uninhabitaded isle covered
with thick jungle and surrounded by an incredible array
of marine life, this island is protected within a national
park, and is regularly visited by commercial yachts offering
multiday scuba diving excursions.
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