Cayo Costa

Beautiful Island with soft white sand and an abundance of sea shells. The water was clear, turquoise, and exactly the right temperature when we came in May this year. I know many people who go there to hunt for shark teeth between the shells or to go fishing from the beach to catch some of Florida’s amazing fish. Will definitely be coming back to enjoy this incredible place in nature.

First time there and it is breath taking. Beautiful beaches with soft sand and more shells then you can imagine. The local wildlife is abundant and captivating. Saw three dolphins very close to the shore just playing in the waves. Found a stingrays, pipers, birds and again so many sea shells !! Luckily the insects were not too horrible seeing it's early still, and the walk through the mangroves was just beautiful. Luckily the locals keep it very clean with no litter to be found. I loved my visit !

You can only get here by boat, and it’s worth getting there. Beautiful unspoiled beaches, tons of shells, sea creatures, and gopher tortoise. We paddled our canoe from gasparilla island, I would only recommend if you are an experienced paddler. Also, the park attendants told us there were a lot of hammerhead shark in the area. We loved it and will be back to camp on this gorgeous island.

Tent camping- Me and my besties decided to spend my birthday weekend at cayo costa island this year. It was truly an adventurous and memorable birthday I have ever had. We took the tropic star ferry from Bookeli to the state park. The tram was ready to pick us when we reached the entrance of the park. The ranger was very adorable. He stopped on the way and we picked woods for the camp fire and ice packs. We reached our camp site [#site 8] and pitched our tent on the beautiful camp site. The camp site had picnic table, grills, hammock and 100% shade. Later we walked south side of the beach and were jaw dropped seeing plenty of shells and sea creatures. We were amazed by the nature walkway [ocean split kind of a view] in the beach. We watched the sunset and the splendid colors of sky and the beach. These campsites do not have electricity and water. There is public shower and water available for cooking purpose in a common area. All these made my camping experience an extraordinary one. There are some short hiking trials as well. Star gazing lying in the tent and hearing the roaring ocean is just breathtaking and inexplicable. Cons: Mosquitoes and small flies all around in the month of June/July. If you are planning to stay for one night, its better to have a thermacell with minimum of 6 repellent mats. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

Absolutely beautiful! Great place to pull up your boat and spend the day on the island swimming and hanging out. It is a nature preserve so there are areas of the beach that are protected for sea turtles. It is very clean but traffic is picking up so hopefully people will continue to clean up after themselves.

A little touch of paradise, just a short ferry ride away from Pine Island or Captiva. Bring your own food (there's none on the island) but the shelling the birding and the swimming are amazing. Uncrowded and spectacular. Dolphins, masses of fish, pelicans and terns and sealife of all kinds. We even had a visit from a manatee family. Great sunsets if you stay the night. Camping available (sites, and cabins - very rudimentary). Highly recommended.

It was cold and damp for us. And quite windy. Our cabin was very basic with bunk beds. But that is what it's to be expected. Would love to go back in warmer weather and check out the seashells. Lots of dead fish due to red tide in the area.

This is a beautiful piece of undeveloped Florida coastline perfect for a beach getaway with a fun adventurous twist of having to travel by boat to get there. The ONLY huge caveat is that depending on the season there are biting flys everywhere (“no-see-ems” lovingly called by the locals- Ceratopogonidae family of sandflys if you want a more specific name). The thing that really worked for us was using bug spray wipes with deet from Off! Deep Woods. They are only bad in the AM and PM and at night so plan accordingly. My wife and I stayed in a cabin there and there is plenty of running water (no heater or cooler for the outdoor showers in the park as the place runs mostly on solar power). The place was a blast to spend time there away from all of the south Florida craziness. It was also hot as the dickens when we went (late June). If you camp bring a fan (essential for sleeping). One of the treats of calming is the nights are georgious (as long as you’re bug protected) and it is a hot stop for 100s of sea turtles every year when we were there the ranger told us that they had had over 350 nests that last year. However if you aren’t a fan of ruffing it- or have kids that get tired and uncomfortable and whiney easily- they have lots of fun day trip options to get there with the local guides. I would highly recommend this place- just come prepared.