An educational cultural activity for Retired Expats

In Costa Rica you will never be bored unless you want to. Despite being a pint-size country, Costa Rica offers 100s of activities and interesting things to see and experience.  For example, it is now possible for expats to visit Isla San Lucas (San Lucas Island) on a tour one of the most horrifying chapters in Costa Rica’s history.

San Lucas is a small island in the Gulf of Nicoya.  It is mix of beautiful natural surroundings with a former prison that was the toughest jail in the country. Although Costa Rica didn’t have the death penalty, being sent to San Lucas Island was in some cases a virtual death sentence. Living conditions were deplorable and inhumane with cells often being packed to three times their capacity. Prisoners were beaten, summarily tortured, malnourished, subject to all types of infections from the squalor and received poor medical care. 

The prison was open from1873 to 1991. It was reminiscent of the famous ‘Devils Island’ and made Alcatraz look like Club Med as one writer wrote.

To make matters worse it was virtually impossible to escape since the surrounding waters were infested with sharks much like Alcatraz.

Probably the most famous inmate was José León Sánchez who authored “La Isla de los hombres solos” which recounts his experiences while being imprisoned for 20 years on the penal colony. 

Now tourists can visit the island prison. The Costa Rican government has spent around $300,000 sprucing up the island for tourism: There are new trails, bathrooms, and some of the old buildings have been restored.

Here is a brief introduction to San Lucas Island on