Isla Nublar, the setting for much of the “Jurassic Park” series, is unfortunately not a real Costa Rican island.
Cocos Island, though, is very much real. Located some 350 miles from Costa Rica’s mainland, it’s widely believed to be the inspiration for Isla Nublar.
Costa Rica’s has a love-hate relationship with “Jurassic Park.” While you won’t see dinosaurs at Cocos Island, you can come face-to-face with killer whales and tiger sharks there. A lesser version of the adventure tourism advertised in “Jurassic Park” is what brings many tourists to Costa Rica.
But “Jurassic Park” wasn’t filmed in Costa Rica. And who can forget the iconic scene claiming to show San José, but depicting it as a small town by the beach?
Read more on Costa Rica’s love-hate relationship with Jurassic Park.