Where was Jurassic Park filmed? Filming locations for original movie and film franchise - can you visit island

Jurassic Park was the highest grossing film of all time following its release in 1993, taking in just over $1 billion (£825 million).

In the nearly three decades since its release the film has fallen to 42nd position, and two of its own sequels have overtaken it - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is in 12th place having banked $1.3 billion, and Jurassic World is in 7th place after making $1.6 billion.

Part of what made these films so appealing to audiences - aside from the groundbreaking use of CGI, was the awesome filming locations which gave the films a sense of fantastic reality.

But where were the Jurassic Park films shot, is the island a real place, and can you visit it? This is everything you need to know:

Where was Jurassic Park filmed?

Jurassic Park was mostly filmed on Kauai, the smallest of the four major islands of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

Whilst the film was pioneering in its use of CGI, most of the outdoor scenes were actually shot on the island rather than a soundstage.

It was only for nighttime scenes and interiors that a soundstage in north Hollywood was used.

In the film, the island location where John Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough, wants to build his theme park is called Isla Nublar, and is supposedly 120 miles west of Costa Rica.

And when ‘Isla Nublar’ is seen by the gang on their helicopter tour, it is again the coast of Kauai that stands in for the fictional island.

Additionally, Kualoa Ranch on O’ahu, another Hawaiian island and home to the state’s capital Honolulu was also used for filming.

Where were the Jurassic Park sequels filmed?

The first two Jurassic Park sequels, The Lost World, and Jurassic Park III, were set on a second island, Isla Sorna, the plan B site for a dinosaur park.

However, once again the majority of the outdoor scenes were shot at Kauai. In The Lost World, other filming also took place in Queensland, Australia, Toronto, Canada, and Los Angeles, on the US mainland.

The Jurassic World films were also shot on Kauai and O’ahu.

Jurassic World came out and was set 22 years after Jurassic World and is also set on Isla Nublar - plenty of easter eggs including disused vehicles from the original film can be spotted in the movie.

The film sees new scientists make the same mistakes as they attempt to open another, grander theme park on the same site as the failed Jurassic Park.

Jurassic World was filmed at several locations on Kauai and O’ahu (part of the Hawaiian island chain and home to the state’s capital, Honolulu).

The two Jurassic World sequels, Fallen Kingdom and Dominion were also predominantly filmed on these two islands.

Can you visit the Jurassic Park islands?

Yes, you can visit the islands where Jurassic Park was filmed. There are several tours available of major Kauai filming locations including the amber mine, the ranch where the Brachiosaurus are first spotted, and the coast of Isla Sorna.

Guided tours of Kualoa in O’ahu are also available - they include a Jurassic Adventure Tour, Raptor Tour, and a Hollywood Movie Sites Tour.