TREASURED ISLANDS

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 sot near the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, is one of the most popular destinations in the country. One-day tours head their regulary out of San Jose 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 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 Island 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. And 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 regulary visited by commercial yachts offering multiday scuba diving excursions.

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