San Lucas Island and Costa Rica Rental Cars
San Lucas Island is an island located off the Pacific shore of Costa Rica. It is part of the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. Formerly serving as an island prison, it is now a National Park and fast becoming a popular tourist destination. See what everyone is talking about by visiting the San Lucas Island with your Costa Rica rental cars today!
A little history
Indigenous groups lived on San Lucas and the surrounding islands. There are eight known archeological sites on the island, including apparent houses where stone tools and a metal object were found in the late 1970s. The excavation sites date to between 1,000 and 1,500 AD. From 1873 to 1991, San Lucas Island was a penal island for some of the worst criminals in Costa Rica. It is often erroneously cited as the largest prison in Costa Rican history. It was founded by the dictator Tomás Miguel Guardia Gutiérrez. Being sent to San Lucas Island was a terrible prospect as prisoners lives were short and often spent in torture.
Isla San Lucas Wildlife Refuge
The Isla San Lucas Wildlife Refuge protects an island in the Gulf of Nicoya, just offshore from Puntarenas, on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The prison's buildings are considered to be National Heritage Sites (Patrimonio de Cultura) and the island is a national wildlife reserve. To allow for the project's development, the government changed the wildlife refuge status of 25 of the island's 540 hectares. The tourism development plan includes an investment of nearly $3 million (1,500 million colones) to restore the prison's cells, chapel and administrative buildings, among others. The establishment of restaurants and a pier are also planned to serve the needs of visitors within the next 5 years. The idea is that once the infrastructure is improved and basic services are made available, tourists will be able to start taking day trips to this new beach side historical site.
From prison to paradise
Before 1992, San Lucas was a prison with a reputation for being the roughest jail in the country and its 117 year history is rich with tales of violence. A network of underground prison cells hosted society's undesirables who ran the community, fished, farmed and did domestic chores. Today the prison walls are crumbling in ruins but the overgrown remains of the prison cells (some over 100 years old) can be still toured today with your Costa Rica rental cars.
San Lucas Island nature
San Lucas Island has five beaches and is home to a dry forest and a diverse ecosystem. There are two mangrove forests in which 6 species of mollusks are found. There are 17 species of reptiles, among them are boa constrictors, guardacaminos (Conophis lineatus) and the Mexican Python (Loxocemus bicolor).There are 40 bird species, 9 of which are migratory. Resident bird species include the Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), Pelican (Pelecanus occidentales), Inca Dove (Columbina inca), and the American Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus). The San Lucas Island National Wildlife Reserve is also home to 8 species of medium and large mammals. The most common of these are the squirrel, armadillo, white tailed deer and the howler monkey. Less common mammals include the raccoon, anteater, feral pig and the skunk. With such a large population of wildlife it won`t be difficult to spot something when you travel with your Costa Rica rental cars to San Lucas Island. Costa Rica rental cars travelers will find the greatest concentration of species located near the prison infrastructure as there they can easily find a variety of resources they require (i.e. food, water, and shelter).