Caño Island Snorkeling & Violines Island
Spend your day snorkeling and swimming in the clear waters of the Caño Island Biological Reserve and Violines Island.
- Duration: 9 hrs
- Available Days: Every day
- Schedule: 7:30 AM
- Hotel Transport Included
- Mobile Ticket Included
- Offered in English, Spanish
Experience Highlights
Located 10 miles (16 km) offshore from the Osa Peninsula, Caño Island is a tropical paradise filled with white-sand, palm-lined beaches and impressive coral reefs. The island's beaches are a great place to relax and sunbathe, and are occasionally frequented by olive ridley sea turtles who come ashore to lay their eggs.
With a visibility of 20 ft. or more and a protected inshore reef, the snorkeling here is excellent. Snorkelers have the chance to spot parrotfish, surgeon fish, barber fish, eels, snapper, puffers, barracudas, turtles, and manta rays. Further offshore, humpback whales and bottle-nosed dolphins can occasionally be seen.
When you’re done snorkeling, you’ll head to Violines Island. The boat ride lasts about 30 minutes. Upon arrival at the island, your guides will prepare a picnic lunch. The rest of your time here can be spent swimming in the bay or relaxing on the beach. Violines Island is often frequented by birds and has impressive tropical vegetation. During the dry season, you can also snorkel in the reefs that border the island.
The amount of time spent at Violines Island will depend on the amount of time spent at Caño Island.
The boat will head back to Uvita around 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. Along the way, you’ll pass one of the largest protected mangrove forests in Central America. The boat will arrive in Uvita around 4:00 p.m.
This is an all day tour. The tour departs from Punta Uvita at 7:30 a.m. and arrives at Caño Island around 9 a.m. During the boat ride to Caño Island you may be able to spot whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and marine birds.
This tour is not recommended for children under 6 years old or people with serious health problems, including IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). There are no restrooms on the boat or on Caño Island. Restrooms are available at a private resort on Violines Island.
Attraction Visited
Isla del Caño Biological ReserveIsla del Caño – situated 20 km offshore from Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula – is an important island for Costa Rica, both archeologically and environmentally. The waters surrounding this biological reserve are swarming with marine creatures, while the island itself protects several artifacts that date back to pre-Columbian times.

What to Bring
camera, sunscreen, hat, towel, swimming suit, sunglasses, hiking shoes, insect repellent and hiking clothes (long pants and a t-shirt).
What's included
transportation from all hotels in the Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal areas, bilingual guide, snorkeling equipment, picnic style lunch, water, entrance fee to Caño island.
Transportation
Many of our tours and activities offer transportation pick up & drop off options from several locations and destinations. Options vary by tour, see “More Time and Rates” for full details.
Traveler Comments
Very professional staff. We felt safe and well supervised in the water. The lunch was as excellent
Snorkelling visibility wasn't as great as we hoped. The drive on the boat was quite long. But we were lucky to see lots of whales on the way. The guide was excellent.
Amazing best snorkeling we’ve ever done. We saw reef shark, turtles, sting rays, coral reefs and plenty of colorful fish
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