Cayo Costa State Park Cabins

Wander through an ancient forest populated with huge ferns and cabbage palms. The trail culminates at a mangrove, vibrating with riparian life. Follow the trail for some two miles, before reaching a quarantine station, which was used over a century ago to rid ships of malaria and yellow fever before their ongoing journeys.

Ascend to a duny landscape populated by slow moving tortoises. After about three miles of coastal hiking you will reach the Boca Grande Pass with its spectacular scenery. Follow the trail down to the ocean, where the crash of the waves is audible and the air is rich with ozone.

This intriguing trail takes hikers to an abandoned fishing village from the 1940s. The ghost town of La Costa is memorialized in its cemetery. The graves here go all the way back to pioneer times, transporting you into times past.

Take a boat out on the glittering surface of the Mexican Gulf, or simply enjoy the water from the beaches and explore the complex submarine habitat at Cayo Costa State Park. Retire to the beach to sunbathe after spotting a variety of fish and marine plants.

This seven mile island boasts nearly ten miles of glittering beaches overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Whether you come to swim or snorkel, the sea is crystal clear, warm and welcoming.

Bike or hike through the park's nature trail system, or go boating to spot the park's wide variety of exciting wildlife. Endangered birds flit through the trees and manatees, porpoises and sea turtles inhabit the coast. Nesting season, between May and October, attracts flocks of birds to the island.