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| SOUTH
PACIFIC REGION |
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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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