PN ISLA DEL COCO

Specifically: 5 ° 30 ' 34 "north latitude and 87 ° 18 ' 6" west to avoid losing you. 2 400 ha land and 73 100 ha marine. The journey, to get there, can last 36 hours. Anchorage in the Baies and Chatham bays north of the island. This «green bouquet in the middle of two seas» of volcanic origin (3 000 m altitude from the seabed), the dream of any experienced diver, was discovered in 1526 by Juan Cabezas. The island later became a point of fresh water supply and a collection of stolen treasures between 1684 and 1821. The "treasure" of Lima, which included a representation of gold from the Virgin to the Child, was perhaps hidden by the pirate William Thompson. The island's relief descends sharply towards the sea, promoting spectacular waterfalls. Rainfall of 7 000 mm per year provides a green vegetation where there are some 235 different species of plants, including 70 endemic species, 97 bird species, 3 species of which are specific to the island, 2 endemic species of reptiles (the lizard Norops townsendi and the salamander), 450 species of insects and 3 species of spiders. In the marine part of the park, there are 57 species of crustaceans, 120 species of molluscs, 300 species of fish and 18 species of corails. This rather technical list shows the ecological importance of one of the largest virgin islands, which served as a model for Michael Crichton for the Island of Jurassic Park and the Lost World of Sir Conan Doyle. It was classified as a World heritage by UNESCO in 1998 and became even more difficult to reach.

Precipitation: from 2 000 to 3 000 mm.

Average temperature: from 27 to 33 ° C.

Practice: no accommodation because it is forbidden to stay on the island. In fact, you have to stay on a boat. Sentiers trails.