We left Bahia Drake in good time arriving at Isla del Cano shortly after 9am. We took the dinghy ashore to the ranger station to pay our park fees and learn about which dive sites we could explore. Disappointingly we learned we were not allowed to dive without a local guide but we were allowed to snorkel and hike the park trail for our efforts.
We hiked the island first. There was only one trail leading from the ranger station that immediately climbed up on top of the flat topped island. The trees and foliage was quite dense and eerily quiet. We saw lizards scurrying out of the way and could hear the occasional bird but all was largely still. We came to a fork in the path and headed in the direction of the archaeological site. This turned out to be a collection of spherically carved rocks by some ancient natives to the area. We returned to the fork taking the other path which took us to a high lookout over the sea on the other side of the island. We had, on the way, tantalizingly passed near some falling water but no path descended to what could have been a refreshing dip.
Back on the beach we took to the water. The water near the beach was exceedingly murky but as we rounded some rocks it suddenly cleared revealing numerous fish in waters we could see 100ft. We stayed snorkeling for some time before eventually heading back to the beach and returning to the boat. While on the island though we had met and chatted to a local dive guide who would be willing to take us out from Drake Bay if we were to return, which is possible.
Given that we had more time remaining in the day than we had planned we decided to head off to Uvita rather than return to Drake Bay. This will reduce our distance to Quepos which we need to reach by the 24th. The area may also be conducive to some diving. Now that we have all the gear out we’re keen to follow through.
We arrived by 5pm. The nature of the place is that it gets quite swelly when the tide is high but settles down in between. There is a 2.5 mile beach which extends out to some rocks at low tide. All good for exploration.
Leave a Reply