Is Isla Nublar A Real Island? Where Jurassic Park Was Filmed (2024)

After Steven Spielberg did a fantastic job in adapting Jurassic Park and bringing to life Isla Nubar, it isn't surprising that some fans wanted to know more about the fictional island and filming locations. First appearing in Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel of the same name, Isla Nublar is the island where entrepreneur John Hammond established the first dinosaur theme park that ultimately failed and unleashed a new generation of prehistoric creatures into the wild.

While several directors were in contention to helm Jurassic Park, the job eventually went to Spielberg, who seemed to be drawn to the script since it allowed him to play with "a different set of physical realities" (via BBC). The moment he accepted the job, it also seemed like he had a clear vision in mind for what he wanted as one of his first priorities was finding the right locations that brought about a similar atmosphere to the book. Although he did travel to several different real-world locations, he did end up finding the perfect one. However, unlike the novel, it wasn't anywhere near Costa Rica.

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Oahu, Hawaii Served As Isla Nublar In Jurassic Park

Throughout the Jurassic Park franchise, the majority of the locations used to bring these islands to life were spread across Hawaii. Their tropical climates and sparse landscapes were exactly as Crichton described in his novel, but the most important factor of these islands was how empty and desolate they are. There’s a very small population, with many open areas that could’ve feasibly been home to hundreds of large dinosaurs. According to Jurassic Park's director of photography, Dean Cundy, another reason why Spielberg also chose Oahu over Costa Rica was because he was concerned about the latter's road infrastructure and accessibility (via Tico Times).

Jurassic Park’s Theme Park Scenes Were Filmed At The Kualoa Ranch

The Kualoa Ranch is a specific area of Oahu that was used for the scenes taking place within the gates of Hammond’s park. Those iconic Jurassic Park gates, the group’s first tour through the park, their first sighting of the dinosaurs, and the memorable T-Rex escape scene were all filmed at the ranch (which has actually been a staple of several Hollywood movies throughout the decade). The owners claim to have offered their property’s beautiful sights for more than 50 box office hits and classic TV shows over the years, with Jurassic Park being the most recognizable (via Tour Box)

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Just like the characters from the movie, visitors to the Kualoa Ranch can take guided tours of the landscapes with a focus on their history in Hollywood. The property is approximately 16 square kilometers in size, with plenty of tropical rainforests and coastal shores included within those borders. That made it a perfect choice for Jurassic Park, as the crew only needed access to one place for all those different landscapes that are included in the story.

Jurassic Park’s Desert Scenes Were Filmed In The Mojave Desert

At the beginning of Jurassic Park, Dr. Alan Grant is seen working alongside his paleontology team in a desert in America. This scene is one of the few others in the movie that was actually filmed on-location, with the crew evidently feeling that the natural valleys and rock formations were necessary to capture that prehistoric feel. The sequences were filmed in the Mojave Desert, which is situated in Southeast California - just a little below Las Vegas. The area is known for its expansive canyons and countless Joshua trees, all of which can be seen in Jurassic Park’s early scenes.

The Mojave Desert was the only outdoor location included in Jurassic Park that’s on the mainland United States. By filming the rest of the exterior shots in Hawaii, the film clearly draws a distinction between these two locations and emphasizes just how far away from home the characters are when they’re lost on Isla Nublar.

Jurassic Park’s Laboratory Scenes Were Filmed In The Dominican Republic

One of the most iconic scenes in Jurassic Park is right at the beginning when it’s explained how Hammond was able to bring dinosaurs back from extinction. He clarifies that their DNA was extracted from fossilized tree sap and reconstructed in the lab, which allowed them to manipulate the creatures’ genetics. These scenes, including the shots of the real-life amber containing prehistoric insects, were filmed in a local museum in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (via Lopesan Costa Bavaro). The exhibits are still open today, and visitors can see the natural artifacts that inspired the story.

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Jurassic Park’s Interiors Were Filmed In-Studio

While several exotic locations were used throughout Jurassic Park, it was sadly necessary to return to Warner Brothers’ studios for the simpler interior shots. Most of the scenes that take place indoors, from the raptor chase in the kitchen to the crew’s attempts to bring power back to the park, were all shot in various sound stages of the Warner Brothers studios (it was much simpler and cheaper than shooting on location, and Jurassic Park’s production designers did a great job of creating these timeless sets).

Warner Bros. allowed Spielberg to use numerous stages (including the infamous Stage 16) to film the T-Rex scenes, simply because none of the other sound stages were large enough to house the animatronic structure in its entirety. Several powerful dinosaurs appear in Jurassic Park, but the T-Rex is undoubtedly the most iconic - so it was important that Spielberg had a reliable location to film these scenes and even do repeat takes if necessary, which might not have been possible during an on-location shoot.

Jurassic Park’s T-Rex Chase Was Filmed In The Warner Brothers' Backlot

In one of Jurassic Park’s most unbelievable filming stories, the crew were forced to leave their original location behind after an enormous hurricane devastated the landscape. They wanted to use the island of Kauai in Hawaii for certain rainforest scenes, including the unforgettable T-Rex chase, but the hurricane ruined conditions and the crew ultimately decided to use an existing jungle set from the Warner Brothers backlot in Burbank.

Spielberg had also intended to film several of Jurassic Park's best action sequences in Kauai before the hurricane hit, but most of these were replaced with Oahu and the Kualoa Ranch (via Rob On Location). Thankfully, the backlot set was almost indistinguishable from reality.