Caño Island and Those Magical Spheres

Caño Island in Costa Rica is one of those magical places you will not soon forget if you are lucky enough to get there. Dating back to pre-Colombian era, the island was a burial site of the tribes inhabiting the Osa Peninsula.

The entire island, including three kilometers out from her shores, is National Park and preserve. Only day trips are permitted, no overnights or camping is permitted. There is a ranger station on the island where all divers, snorkelers and visitors must register and pay the park entrance fee (about $7.00 p/p).

The park rangers also patrol the three kilometers to make certain no fisherman wander into the preserve to take advantage of the abundance of fish protected by the preserve.

The 740 acre island lying 17 miles off the coast of the Osa Peninsula is largely untouched as day trips are primarily confined to short hiking trails. The trails lead to small ruins which are well marked and easy to negotiate.

The main attraction is the great snorkeling near the ranger station. There are a number of birds using the island as a resting place during migration as well as many small ground animals including, possums, pigs, tree frogs, rats and lizards.

The animal population on the island is small compared to the abundant life in the sea surrounding the island. Snorkeling and diving are very popular at the island where the fish are protected for three kilometers creating huge schools of many varieties of fish as well as dolphins and whales.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this magical island is the stone spheres found there. It is the only known place on the earth where these spheres have been found. While no one is certain as to the creation of these perfect spheres, there are a number of theories.

The most common of these being that the Indians who inhabited the Osa Peninsula carved them as offerings to the Gods for the departed. Other theories include space travelers who set them up as markers to be used in navigation. My theory is that they were part of a massive explosion sending molten lava so high into the atmosphere the spherical drops of lava hardened into perfect spheres before returning to earth.

No one really knows how they got there. There are hundreds of them in the area and still more have been removed and taken to be used as monuments in other areas of Costa Rica.

Caño Island is a peaceful place where visitors can feel the same kind of tranquility the Indians of long ago must have known as they laid their family and friends to rest there for peace everlasting. It is remarkable that the Costa Rican government has preserved this magical island in it’s entirety as a place anyone seeking complete peace may visit.

When visiting the Osa Peninsula in the South West Of Costa Rica be sure to schedule a day at Caño Island. All resorts have tours as well as many tour guides in Sierpe and Drake Bay. It is easy to schedule a trip there and well worth the effort.

It is likely you will see Dolphins, Sea Turtles, Flying Fish, Cormorants, Frigate Birds, schools of Tuna and Whales just getting out to the island. Remember you are not allowed to remove ANYTHING from the island, not even a small stone for remembrance.

Written by VIP Member Jim Cameron who lives in the Sierpe River area of Costa Rica.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.