The uninhabited Isla del Coco off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast is the country’s most “wonderful” natural site, according to thousands of people whose opinions were requested by the daily La Nación.
In July, the newspaper invited readers to nominate places in Costa Rica with “special beauty or symbolism.” The 20 most popular places – chosen by about 3,000 people who voted by e-mail or snail mail – were then put to another vote. Some 27,500 people called or e-mailed La Nación to choose seven of the 20 nominees. Costa Rica’s “Seven Wonders” were announced Sunday.
Isla del Coco, the country’s legendary “Treasure Island” located 365 miles west of the Pacific port of Puntarenas, received the most votes. In second place came Arenal Volcano, the third most active volcano in the world, located in north-central Costa Rica.
Chirripó, the country’s highest peak at 12,530 feet, claimed third place. Fourth was Río Celeste, a sky-colored river in the AlajuelaProvince northwest of San José. In fifth place was Tortugero, a national park on the north Caribbean coast known as “the little Amazon.”
Poás Volcano, which towers over Central Valley, northwest of San José, was sixth. Seventh was Monteverde, a Quaker community and cloud forest preserve in the TilaránMountains in north-central Costa Rica.
The 13 places nominated but not chosen were the national parks Corcovado, Manuel Antonio, Cahuita and Braulio Carrillo; the volcanoes Irazú and Rincón de la Vieja; the Caño Negro reserve; the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge; the beaches Conchal and Bahía Drake; and La Paz Waterfall.
