- You can only visit with a local guide registered with ACOSA, and the visit is booked and paid ahead with SINAC, as of 31 Oct 2026.
- SINAC's page allows only snorkeling and diving, with no landing. Ask whether landing is allowed now, as of 31 Oct 2026.
- Up to 200 visitors a day, in a morning and an afternoon shift. Visits end at 15:00, as of 31 Oct 2026.
- Bring your passport or ID card, as of 31 Oct 2026.
Caño Island Biological Reserve
Costa Rica
A small island off the Osa Peninsula with some of the best coral reefs on the Pacific coast. You visit by boat with a registered guide.
Check before you go
Facts
Run by: SINAC, Osa Conservation Area (ACOSA).
Created: 1978 (Law 6215).
Size: 320 ha of land and 5,800 ha of sea.
Fee: Non-resident adult US$16.95, child 2–12 US$5.65, VAT included. Diving extra.
Contact
SINAC reservations: reservaciones.pnc@sinac.go.cr
Checked with official sources, as of 31 Oct 2026.
Map
- Coral reefs: Five coral platforms, among the largest and healthiest on Costa Rica's Pacific coast.
- Snorkeling and diving: Only in the zones marked with buoys, with up to 10 people in a zone at a time.
- Whales and dolphins: Humpbacks from the south from July to October, from the north from around December. A dolphin species lives here all year.
- Stone spheres: Remains of pre-Columbian stone spheres have been found on the island.
Coral reefs with sea turtles, rays, moray eels, barracudas and sharks. Humpback whales and dolphins use the reserve's waters.
SINAC's page still says visits are limited to the sea, with no landing on the beach, at the ranger station or on the trails. That rule dates from the pandemic, so ask your guide whether landing is allowed now.
US$16.95 per non-resident adult and US$5.65 per child 2–12. Residents pay ₡1,808 and ₡565. Diving adds US$4.52. All include VAT. The boat trip is paid separately.
Humpbacks from the Southern Hemisphere arrive from July to October, and northern ones from around December. Both come to mate and give birth.
No fishing, fires, food, alcohol or smoking. No single-use plastic and no overnight stays. Don't touch, feed or chase wildlife. Drones need a civil aviation licence.
Parks near
Corcovado
The big lowland forest on the Osa. You go with a guide, by boat or a long beach walk.
Marino Ballena
The whale-tail sandbar at Uvita. You walk it only at low tide, and pay at the ranger hut.
Piedras Blancas
Rainforest on the Golfo Dulce, near Golfito. Rivers decide the day in the wet months.
Manuel Antonio
The short Pacific park: monkeys, sloths, and a swim inside the gate. Closed Tuesdays.
Chirripó
The highest peak in the country. A booked permit, a 3 a.m. start, and a night at the base lodge.
Los Quetzales
Cold oak forest at km 76, for quetzals. Pair it with a night in San Gerardo de Dota.