Costa Rica’s film commission highlights six promising filming locations, led by San Lucas Island Prison, a former penitentiary now preserved within a national park.

– San Lucas, known as Costa Rica’s Alcatraz, operated as the country’s main prison from 1873 to 1991.
– Its preserved infirmary, church, cells and former torture chamber offer distinctive historical settings for film productions.
– The island lies in the Gulf of Nicoya, around 30–40 minutes from Puntarenas, which provides infrastructure.
– Other featured settings include Caribbean waters, unexplored islands, volcanoes, fishing islands and colonial-style towns.
– Despite its dramatic history and visual appeal, no major fictional production has yet filmed on San Lucas.