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The same crystalline waters swooshing the pebbled coast of San Lucas Island were once murked by the crimson red of blood. From 1873 to 1991, the island served as Costa Rica’s principal penitentiary, where some of the country’s
worst criminals were sent to serve often short and torturous sentences. Due to its offshore location, the prison is regularly referred to as Costa Rica’s Alcatraz.
Despite a still-recent history, the island looks much different today than it did at the apex of its haunting days. Turned into a national park and painstakingly cared for and maintained, the entrance to San Lucas features a quaint white bridge with cobalt blue poles, whose walkway leads straight into a tourist sign with the first of many poignant messages: “Ocean and forest protecting history.”
Yet, a few steps in and the reality of its past begins to hit. The first stop of a walking tour leads to a makeshift hospital. The doors of the small white and grey wooden house stay tightly shut until a guide makes sure everyone is ready to enter; otherwise, its rooms quickly fill up with bats and insects. The beautifully tiled floors contrast with pictures of the convalescing prisoners who once laid crammed in the house awaiting the prison’s only doctor, a veterinarian sent to the island after many desperate pleas for medical support.
Seeing the preserved infirmary makes it clear why the Costa Rica Film Commission, and those involved in caring for the island, believe the former prison quarters would make quite the special shooting location. If the heat and humidity of San Lucas can’t be communicated through a screen, the weight of its atmosphere feels primed for the right story. Despite its growth in popularity and mythology, no major project of fiction has been shot on the island yet, with the closest attempt to date being a frustrated initiative to adapt José León Sánchez’s “Island of Lonely Men.” The Costa Rican novelist was imprisoned in San Lucas for decades in a then-overturned conviction for robbery, with the book chronicling days marked by violence and institutional abuse.
On the logistical side, San Lucas Island is located off the Pacific shore of the Gulf of Nicoya, the area that separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the country’s mainland. It is part of the Puntarenas District, an area encompassing a population of over 500,000, with the city of Puntarenas sitting at a 30-40 minute ride from the prison and boasting rich infrastructure.
On top of the colonial medical building, the prison complex features a well-preserved church, a semi-circular structure of cells, a main office, and a large concrete disc built for the purpose of holding a water tank and pumps but cruelly repurposed as a torture chamber. Sitting right in the middle of the courtyard, the underground space is entirely shut except for a small ceiling opening. Poorly behaved prisoners would be sent to the “hole” as punishment, quickly perishing under the punishing heat. Their bodies would remain in the space as others were brought in.
Walking through the facilities, one can see harrowing drawings and scribbles on the concrete walls. The most famous is that of a shapely woman wearing a red bikini, a chilling reminder of a horrifying story of a young woman captured by inmates. Diametrically across her on the opposite wall and in a disorienting symbiotic echo is a drawing of legendary football player Pelé. Another great contrast welcomes those walking away from the prison buildings, as a sprawling forest leads the way out of the island. The National Historical-Architectural Heritage Site is also a National Wildlife Refuge, offering a rare combination of authentic historical architecture and protected tropical landscapes. Its isolation might initially seem a hindrance, but the island’s minimal contemporary intervention coupled with great flexibility in terms of set-ups and local help should make it an attractive prospect for period dramas, thrillers, survival stories and historical productions.
Cabo San Lucas and the former San Lucas Island prison are only one of many compelling locations in Costa Rica. Below, you will find five more:
Gulf of Nicoya – Costa Rica’s Pacific Island Network
The very Gulf of Nicoya that houses San Lucas Island is Costa Rica’s largest Pacific estuary and one of the country’s most strategic maritime corridors. In a long stretch that connects mainland to the Nicoya Peninsula, one can find a vast network of islands, mangrove estuaries, sheltered bays, fishing communities and panoramic landscapes. Beyond San Lucas, the gulf offers several other island possibilities, including Isla Venado with its traditional fishing village and tranquil, accessible beaches. Isla Jesucita provides secluded coves, tropical forest and expansive views across the estuary.
Nicoya’s combination of maritime, historical, architectural and natural settings makes the gulf one of the most versatile coastal production zones in Central America. Its many locations are accessible by boat from the hub of Puntarenas. The district is less than two hours from the capital of San José through paved highways or a ferry, with small plane options available. The main city of Puntarenas is home to almost 100,000 inhabitants and offers a wide range of logistical and bureaucratic services, including marinas, hotels, banks, restaurants, fuel services, and technical suppliers. Having Puntarenas as a central base allows productions to move efficiently between islands, mainland ports, and urban support facilities without the logistical complexity typically associated with island filming.
Speaking with Variety following a recent visit to the area, seasoned location scout Lyall Gardiner — whose credits include “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” “The Mummy” and “Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” — says his visit to the region proved to be an “insightful and invaluable experience.” “For me, Costa Rica’s rich and inviting landscape has the potential to transform your imagination and your film. Incredible location diversity, an inviting and beautiful culture mixed with amazing people. So much still to be discovered, and can’t wait to see more.”
Golfo Dulce and Golfito
Also sitting alongside Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific coast, Golfo Dulce — literally translated to Sweet Gulf — is one of the world’s few tropical fjords, a rare ecosystem where lush rainforest descends directly into the Pacific Ocean. The gulf is surrounded by the Osa Conservation Area, featuring pristine beaches, mangrove forests, rivers, mountains and some of the most biodiverse tropical forests on the planet. Its calm, nutrient-rich waters are internationally recognized as an important nursery for humpback whales and a permanent habitat for several resident dolphin species, with dolphins reaching four meters long often jumping near transportation boats between the nearby locations.
A burgeoning location in the Golfo Dulce is Golfito, a town lying on a narrow strip of land between Golfito Bay and housing just over 11,000 inhabitants. Golfito, a major banana-growing region, was home to the U.S. United Fruit Company in the mid-20th century, which makes the small town quite unusual in its architecture and landscape. Driving through its small roads, one can see several Colonial and Victorian-style houses that look like they have been lifted from small American towns, including Golfito’s very own university, made up of colorful, wooden Colonial buildings.
The gulf has recently risen in popularity as a filming location, particularly with national projects such as Kim Torres’s “If We Don’t Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night.” Veteran Costa Rican producer Ana Lucía Arias (“Forever Your Maternal Animal,” “I Have Electric Dreams”), who recently shot Neto Villalobos’s upcoming “Love Is the Monster” in the town, tells Variety that shooting in a remote location “comes with many challenges,” but the support of the local community and authorities “was key in the process of making our movie.”
“Golfito became more than just a filming location for ‘Love is the Monster,’ it also shaped the story and its characters,” she adds. “The combination of lush tropical jungle and architecture marked by the town’s history created the unique world of the film.”
On the logistical side, Golfito and Puerto Jiménez offer domestic airports, quality accommodation, and well-established tourism services, making the area highly accessible for productions of different scales.
Limón – Caribbean Coast
Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast offers distinct yet complementary filming environments: the multi-ethnic port city of Limón and the tropical beaches of Cocles and Punta Uva. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay shot an episode of his “Uncharted” show on these beaches. He also paid a visit to the Catato Family farm, members of the Bribri indigenous tribe, who demonstrate the traditional process of making a rich, dark chocolate drink from roasted, stone-ground cacao beans.
A boat ride through the mangroves of the Moin Canals offers sightings of sloths, iguanas, monkeys, caimans and a bird watcher’s dream where some 90 species of birds live. Among others, “Jane,” an Emmy-winning AppleTV+ series filmed here as well as on Cocles Beach, as did ”Harlem Globe Trotters, Secrets of the City,” which also shot in Punta Uva, Arrecife and Limón City, according to Location Manager Mickey Ryan, a Variety Below-the-Line Talent to Track last year.
“Most of the locations in the Southern Caribbean are within a 10-mile radius, which makes the whole region convenient for shooting,” he says.
Limon’s Afro-Caribbean heritage, historic wooden architecture and waterfront boulevards create a unique urban setting unlike anywhere else in the region. Take in a Gospel performance at Saint Mark’s Church and visit the United Fruit Company Building, now a cultural landmark called G&E Chocolate Factory, owned by local artist, historian and cultural advocate George Grant.
Says L.A.-based location scout ‘Zippy’ Downing of COlabs about the region: “What surprises me most is the diversity. In a remarkably compact area, you have volcanoes, rivers, Caribbean beaches, rainforest and the distinctive architecture of Limón. The landscapes and urban environments offer incredible storytelling potential and Limón’s unique textures can convincingly double for locations around the world.”
Turrialba Volcano and the Burnt Forest
Situated a roughly two-hour drive from the capital of San Jose, Turrialba is one of Costa Rica’s most visually diverse regions, where volcanic landscapes, cloud forests, fertile valleys, winding rivers and lush Caribbean vegetation blend within a relatively compact area. It is also among the habitats of the quetzal, one of the most iconic and visually striking birds of Central America. Swiss engineers have been consulted to build gondola rides to the peaks.
Anchored by the towering active Turrialba Volcano, this striking region packs rolling highlands, coffee fields, dairy farms, dense rainforest and Caribbean landscapes into one area. The dramatic shifts in elevation allow productions to move between cool mountain scenery and tropical lowlands in a single day.
The sprawling 865-acre Hacienda Tres Equis, in the family for three decades, grows world-class coffee and has plans to build lodgings for visitors. It has focused on protecting its forests, which have attracted bird-watching tours.
One of Costa Rica’s most surreal landscapes, the nearby Burnt Forest (Bosque Quemada) was the site of filmmaker Felipe Zuñiga’s debut feature documentary “The Dive” (“La Picada”), which follows Rosmeri, the only inhabitant of a village decimated by the eruptions of the nearby volcano.
Shaped by decades of activity from Turrialba Volcano, its charred trees, ash-covered terrain and skeletal forest create a stark, otherworldly setting unlike the country’s lush rainforests. Naturally cinematic, it doubles convincingly for post-apocalyptic worlds, alien planets, abandoned wastelands, survival dramas, psychological thrillers and fantasy realms.
Bajos del Toro – Alajuela
Foreign shoots have yet to discover the azure waterfalls of Bajos del Toro in Alajuela, just north of the Limón region, with a highway connecting it to the capital of San José through the Vara Blanca region, one of Costa Rica’s most versatile filming destinations where the acclaimed Costa Rican drama “Clara Sola” by Nathalie Alvarez was shot.
While it has been featured in many Tourism Institute ads promoting Costa Rica, thus far, only a local movie titled “A un paso de mi” has been filmed at Bajos del Toro. The region is known as the “Land of Waterfalls,” with more than 30 waterfalls spread across the valley.
Its mix of cascading waterfalls, misty cloud forests, volcanic terrain and remote mountain landscapes gives productions access to a wide range of visual worlds within a reduced area.
Says location manager Ryan: “Because it remains relatively undiscovered compared with destinations like La Fortuna or Monteverde, filmmakers can capture spectacular scenery that feels fresh and unique while avoiding many of the logistical challenges associated with heavily visited locations.”
“Costa Rica has what I call the ‘tangible intangibles’—the spirit of Pura Vida. You can be trekking through rain and mud, only to emerge onto a breathtaking beach where a lone surfer rides the waves as the sun breaks through. That optimism, combined with a deep commitment to protecting their environment and prioritizing education bodes well for them as they grow their production community,” says COlabs’ Downing.
