Visa and entry requirements Cocos Islands:
Passport required
German citizens require an Australian visa to enter the Cocos Islands, which must be obtained before travel. A new online procedure (“eVisitor”) has been in effect for tourists from Germany since the end of October 2008.

Information from the Foreign Office about your trip to the Cocos Islands:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/australiensicherheit/213920

The Cocos Islands, also known as the Keeling Islands, are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean with around 600 inhabitants. The territory consists of the South Keeling atoll with the main island of West Island, the island of Home Island and 24 other uninhabited islands, as well as the uninhabited North Keeling atoll.

The Cocos Islands are politically part of Australia and are located approximately 1,000 kilometers southwest of the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, approximately 3,000 kilometers northwest of Perth and approximately 1,000 kilometers from Australia's Christmas Island.

The official language of the Cocos Islands is English and the Australian dollar is used as currency.

The main island of West Island, with a length of around 10.5 kilometers and a width of only 600 meters, is the largest island in the region.

The island is home to numerous species of birds, turtles and crustaceans, including some species of crabs.

The economy of the Cocos Islands specializes in fishing, the cultivation of various vegetables, papayas and bananas, and a low level of tourism.

The few sights on the Cocos Islands include the visitor center, Direction Island with its long white sandy beaches, the Pulu Keeling National Park, the old cemetery and the historic buildings used to produce copra.

After the end of my 9-week Pacific tour, I visited the Cocos Islands for four days on the way back in March 2019. In the entire seven years of this expedition to all countries in the world, with around 30 hours and six different flights, it was my longest journey to the next country ever. From the Cook Islands we first went via Auckland to Brisbane with “Air New Zealand” and then with “Virgin Australia” via Melbourne, Perth and a stopover on Christmas Island, to the final Cocos Islands.

Despite the excellent sounding name, I wasn't expecting the archipelago to be nearly as fascinating. After I arrived, it actually felt like I had just landed in paradise.

Because all of the available rooms online were fully booked during my stay, accommodation was actually my biggest concern at first. But fortunately this problem was solved fairly easily and quickly. Directly opposite the airport exit was a motel with around 50 modern rooms and, due to the current low season, still had enough space available. The room price of around 125 euros per night was also the cheapest on the entire Cocos Islands. Right next to my hotel was West Iceland's only restaurant and about 50 meters across the road at the airport was the island's only daily bar. So in the end, you couldn't have a more perfect stay when visiting the Cocos Islands.

For the first two days I rented an electric scooter to explore both sides of the main island. Actually, I can't really describe the feeling, but it felt great to explore this fantastic atoll in the beautiful summer weather. West Iceland has miles of pristine white sandy beaches surrounded by thousands of coconut trees, a truly impressive sight. Because it was no coincidence that the approximately 120 residents of West Iceland were there at the same time, the entire paradisiacal atoll was deserted.

On the third day I took a trip to the second inhabited island, Home Island, and to the uninhabited excursion island Direction Island. A ferry that runs almost every hour connects the only two inhabited atolls in the Cocos Islands. There is also a connection from Home Island to the paradisiacal island of “Direction”, but only on Thursdays and Saturdays. All four ferry trips cost a total of only 5 Australian dollars and were therefore also used by other tourists as an inexpensive boat trip.

Home Island's approximately 500 residents are primarily of Malaysian descent. The small island looks more like a campsite because all the houses and streets look almost identical. Due to the Muslim faith that predominates there, there is no bar or restaurant there; the island is a bit boring for tourists.

The island “Direction” is a fantastic excursion destination and actually a small natural paradise, consisting of endless, fine sandy beaches and countless coconut palms as far as the eye can see.

My four beautiful days on the so-called Keeling Islands were over very quickly and I enjoyed every day like rarely before on my previous trips. Every evening I met the same holidaymakers and usually a large part of the local population in the only bar in the country. There was an incredibly warm and familiar atmosphere there, which is almost unique in the world.

The Cocos Islands are served twice a week from Perth, Australia and are my biggest insider tip on the world map for a completely relaxed and unique holiday trip. West Iceland is really close to paradise and is therefore highly recommended by me. One day I will come back for a longer stay, but then with family.