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|  Published Monday, July 13, 2020
Isla del Caño National Park
reopens on Wednesday
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
Since the national emergency due to covid-19, the Isla del Caño National Park, located in Osa in Puntarenas Province, has been closed since March 20.
According to the National System of Conservation Areas, during the closure, workers made improvements to allow for a safe reopening and reception of tourists by minimizing risks of covid-19 contagion.
The park is in a Yellow Alert zone, however, the authorities announced the reopening of the marine part for visitors beginning on Wednesday, June 15.
For more updated information on Yellow Alert restrictions read the article, "Restrictions are maintained in areas with a Yellow Alert."
Visitors will be able to enter the park from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The reopening of the marine part is exclusively for diving, snorkeling, and whale watching.
The disembarkation of tourists to the terrestrial part of the park is prohibited. Only the tour guide is allowed access to land.
Tourists who pay for navigation services in areas within the park must have a certified tour guide with the certificate of seaworthiness of the boat, the departure permit, name and ID number of the captain.
Only 50% of the maximum capacity of tourists will be allowed to arrive on tourism boats.
People interested in doing a tour in the waters of the park must reserve the tour beginning July 15. Reservations and payment of the tour are to be made in advance and only online. Information on how to make reservations should be emailed to: pncorcovado@gmail.com. Online reservation hours will be Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon.
Because the box office remains closed, no cash payments are accepted.
According to the Tourism Institute, the Isla del Caño, a biological reserve located in the Pacific region of the country, is about 16km northwest of the Osa Peninsula, in Puntarenas Province.
The island covers 320 hectares of land and 5,800 hectares of sea. It has one of the most extensive and healthiest coral formations on the Pacific Coast. The reserve contains five coral platforms that range from 0.8 to 4.2 hectares in size.
"There you will find the ruins of stone spheres that were created by pre-Columbian civilizations," said the institute. "The island was occupied by several peoples. It is believed that between 700 and 1500 BC the island was used as a cemetery by the Chiriquis, or as a permanent residence for the Quepos or Brunca people."
The reserve is a breeding site for humpback whales from both the northern and southern hemispheres, as well as a resident species of dolphins, said the institute.
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