Tour to San Lucas Island

General information

Destination	Category
San José, Costa Rica	Sightseeing Tours

Program details

Steel your nerve and set foot on San Lucas, the toughest prison island in Costa Rica with this intriguing day tour. For 117 years, this beautiful island was the last place in the world you would want to be sent to. Famous for its brutality, the San Lucas prison was often compared to Devil's Island where the worst prisoners would be sent. Of course the only inmates on the island now are tropical birds and the occasional human visitor, as the prison was closed in 1992, giving the island the chance to return to its tranquil former self before welcoming new visitors, who head here voluntarily!

Leave San José in the morning, and head out to Puntarenas, passing through a variety of interesting landscapes. Enjoy a typical Costa Rican breakfast and journey to San Lucas aboard the Paradise, a luxurious motor yacht. Experience a guided tour of the old prison buildings, where your bilingual guide will explain some of the island’s infamous past, and show you some of the graffiti in the cells that sheds light on life in a penal colony.

After enjoying a freshly prepared lunch, walk to Playa el Coco to spend a few hours enjoying this beautiful natural beach, with swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing a far cry from harsh prison life. On the way home, sail to the south of the island for a gentle cruise with views of the many other islands as the sun slowly sets behind the hills to the west. Enjoy a day of exploring the forest, touring the abandoned prison, and swimming on one of Costa Rica's most picturesque and peaceful beaches with this day trip to legendary San Lucas.

Meeting/pick-up point: Hotel collection in San José.
Duration: Fourteen hours.
Start/opening time: Sunday at 6am.
End/closing time: 8pm.
Languages: English and Spanish.