Costa Rica’s Central Pacific region is one of the most complete and accessible areas for audiovisual production. It connects stunning natural landscapes, unique historical heritage, and well-established tourism and logistical infrastructure. From the evocative settings of San Lucas Island to the vibrant biodiversity and coastal life of Manuel Antonio, this Film Friendly Zone offers versatile locations for a wide range of genres including documentaries, thrillers, historical dramas, adventure films, romantic comedies, or luxury lifestyle content. Thanks to its geographic and visual features, it also serves as an excellent visual double for locations such as Hawaii or Southeast Asia, with dense vegetation, tropical beaches, rocky formations, and rich marine biodiversity.

San Lucas Island, located in the Gulf of Nicoya, is a site of historical memory and raw beauty. Its haunting prison ruins, surrounded by tropical forest and open sea, offer a powerful setting for stories of isolation, transformation, or mystery—all just minutes by boat from Puntarenas. Meanwhile, Manuel Antonio—about three hours by road from San José—combines white-sand beaches, rainforest, iconic wildlife, and a tourism-savvy local community. Together, these destinations form a compact, flexible natural set, ideal for productions seeking scenic richness, logistical ease, and deep narrative potential.