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Travel tips for Cocos (Keeling) Islands The Cocos Islands (or Keeling Islands) are an archipelago in the Indian Ocean and belong to Australian external territory. The islands are said to have been discovered by the Western powers in 1609 by the captain of the East India Company, William Keeling. There is, however, no conclusive evidence for this fact. During his five-year voyage around the world with the British research ship "Beagle", Charles Darwin moored here in 1836 and conducted important observations on the origin of coral reefs.
The Cocos Islands are located at a latitude of 12.2 degrees south and longitude 96.8 degrees east. They consist of two circular atolls of volcanic origin, with a blue lagoon at the centre. The total area of the islands is about 14 sq km. The highest point is only 9 m above sea level. North Keeling is the smaller atoll located in the north and consists of only one island, which since 1986 has been a protected national park, as one of the largest breeding colonies of seabirds in the Indian Ocean is to be found here. The southern atoll, South Keeling, consists of 26 islands and a lagoon. The main island, West Island is about 10 km or 4 miles long and 1.5 km or 0.5 miles wide. There are no rivers or lakes on the islands.
Extremely high UV radiation and high humidity can occur from December to April along with cyclones (tropical cyclones). The best time to visit the islands is between June and September.
The airport of the Cocos Islands is on the main island, West Island. National Jet Systems offers flights from Perth to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island (2 x weekly). The Australian Indian Ocean Airlines fly weekly from Kuala Lumpur to Cocos (Keeling) Islands with a stop at Christmas Island. Flights from London to Perth are for example operated by Qantas.
The administrative capital is on West Island.
The main attraction is the diversity of nature on the islands. Tourist activity is focused on water sports, the magnificent beaches and the fascinating lagoon. The beach on Direction Island is one of the best on the islands due to its fantastic location on a narrow section of the coral reef ("The Rip"), where the lagoon merges imperceptibly into the deep blue of the ocean.