- It is about 36 hours offshore, as of 5 Oct 2026.
- You go on a liveaboard. It is not a day trip, as of 5 Oct 2026.
Cocos Island National Park
Costa Rica
Sharks in open ocean, 36 hours offshore. A liveaboard for anyone who wants that much Pacific.
Check before you go
Facts
Distance: About 36 hours offshore.
Boat: A liveaboard, not a launch from a beach.
Fee: Fees differ for foreigners and for residents. SINAC posts the figure, and it usually includes IVA, as of Oct 2026.
Map
- The islandOpen ocean. The boat is the visit. There is no pier you drive to.
Open-ocean sharks, from a liveaboard. That is the reason to go that far.
By liveaboard, about 36 hours offshore.
When the boat goes. It is its own trip.
Not from a beach town. About 36 hours at sea.
Yes. The liveaboard is the booking. There is no gate to arrive at.
Fees differ for foreigners and for residents. SINAC posts the figure, and it usually includes IVA, as of Oct 2026. The boat is a separate cost.
The boat sets the hours. This is not a park with a morning gate.
You go with the boat. You do not land on your own.
It is a liveaboard. Follow the boat's rules. Do not treat it as a beach day.
Thinking about living in Cocos Island?
See homes and land for sale in Cocos Island through Costa Rica MLS, or ask a local agent a question.
Parks near
Corcovado
The big lowland forest on the Osa. You go with a guide, by boat or a long beach walk.
Manuel Antonio
The short Pacific park: monkeys, sloths, and a swim inside the gate. Closed Tuesdays.
Diriá
Hill forest inland from Tamarindo, above Santa Cruz. A 4x4 and a river crossing.
Marino Ballena
The whale-tail sandbar at Uvita. You walk it only at low tide, and pay at the ranger hut.
Carara
Macaws and a flat accessible trail, 20 minutes before Jacó. Book the ticket online.
San Lucas Island
The old prison island off Puntarenas. A boat, a guided walk through the cells, and back.