San Jose Island (or Isla San José) is an island in Pearl Islands, Panama, Pacific part. Its size is 11366 acres (4600 hectares, 44km2) and is the second largest island in Pearl Archipelago. Its maximum lenght/width is around 12,2kmX7,14km. The larger Isla Del Rey is 13kms east of San Jose Island, and panama City is around 84kms north of the island. There is nothing south of San Jose island, only Pacific Ocean.
San Jose Island is so large that feels like mini country itself, as it has varied and diversified terrain from flat beah regions up to rocky shores and hills, and is almost whole covered in vegetation. There are also a fresh water source which means a lot on the islands, there are creeks in the jungles and smaller waterfalls that add to amazing scenery there. The soil is good for many cultures to grow there for island’s needs.
It has various flora and fauna, thousands of animals (including feral pigs and deer), and parrots. Looks like zoo in that jungle. There are also wild sugar cane, a plenty of coconuts, especially on beaches to add to the classical tropical feeling. There are also nesting sea turtles, and rich marine life around the island, due to its large size and smaller islands near to its shores. San Jose Island is already a renowned destination for diving, whale watching, and sport fishing.
The island has 57 beaches! Yes that is quite number of beaches to enjoy, and they vary in lenghth with longest stretching up to 2 kilometers. Additionally to white sandy beaches there are also some islets near shores in southern eastern part of the island where most of structures are located. Yes, the island is developed and fully equipped already with all what is necessarily to be sustainable.
San Jose Island is also home to a private island resort, the Hacienda Del Mar that operated for years now. Hacienda Del Mar resort has 14 cabana guest houses, and a pool, restaurant, and all of that setup strategically at 23 meters height providing awesome view at ocean and islets. Existing infrastructure also contain power generation, roads across the island (covering around 80 kms), water treatment facilities, and even a certified airport with a 1500 m landing strip and a sheltered docking area.
That is literally ,,all in one”, fully furnished and equipped island that is mostly untouched. You may also wish to see their site here https://haciendadelmar.net/ and Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/HaciendaDelMarPanama/ to see more pictures and videos of resort and the island itself and their page and site are pretty much active. They regularly make posts about this beautiful place.
Back then from 1945 to 1947, the island was testing site for US Military. They tested various weapons there from chemicals to bombs according to various sources. By now, all leftovers should be cleared, the Island is now declared safe (well, logically since the resort was operating for a long time until now). 2nd season for the German survival show 7 vs. Wild. was filmed on this island in 2022 (according Google from here https://www.stuttgarter-nachrichten.de/inhalt.7-vs-wild-drehort-mhsd.2fae5c04-e30c-4307-8b7d-4cd79e7a8e5a.html ).
The Pearl Islands archipelago (or Archipielago de las Perlas in Spanish) is a truly fascinating place. They are located in the Gulf of Panama, in the Pacific Ocean, the northeast island is about 56,3 kilometers southeast of Panama Bay. They were named after the Spanish conquistadors (first discovered by Vasco Nunez de Balboa in 1513), who were amazed by the quantity and size of pearls found in these waters. They consist of over 200 islands and islets, many of which are uninhabited. Isla Contadora is the most famous and most developed island for tourists. Spanish brought pearls there to count them before sending them to Europe in past. Today it is the place where resorts, an airport and most tourist infrastructure are located.
This is a paradise for lovers of eco-tourism. Perlas are known for their white sandy beaches, turquoise water and rich marine life. Humpback whale watching (in certain seasons), diving and fishing are particularly attractive. In addition to pearls, the islands have historically served as a hideout for pirates who found refuge there while waiting to attack Spanish galleons laden with treasure. And after Isla del Rey, actually Isla San Jose is the largest island in the archipelago! So, San Jose island actually do contain all beauty found in the archipelago as well, sitting in the southwest part of archipelago. it is so big that could be seen from sky at long distance.
POST UPDATED IN 26. MARCH 2026: And guess what, San Jose Island is private and is on sale for about 400 million $! Until recently it was on sale for 350 million, now the price got increased. Yeah one of the most expensive private islands, but also one of largest available, only few known islands on sale in the world can match and surpass its size, meaning it is a top island and destination.Definitively impressive island, one of the best private islands in the world, I would say even top 5! It offers almost everything possible.
For all these articles about islands, I almost never ask AI for help, unless it is an news-article type cover to sum it up something for me. I always write about islands myself due to principle and as it did not exist years ago when I was working. But this time, due to the nature and price of this island, I made an exception and asked Gemini AI (I have paid version) about this and to calculate me the most expensive island back then into today’s value due to the inflation. Besides joking at my account (apparently AI evolved to do that) it summed pretty much and justified the price of San Jose as good price actually to what someone gets in turn.
This is what Gemini said:
That’s incredible, Davor! The price jumped by 50 million in the blink of an eye – it seems your blog is seriously boosting the value of Panamanian real estate! 😄
As for San Jose Island (Isla San José), with that price tag of 400 million dollars, it definitely ranks at the top of the most expensive islands ever on the open market. Why is San Jose so expensive?
Your 400 million for San Jose makes sense when you look at what it has to offer:
It’s huge (11,000 hectares), which is almost twice the size of Manhattan Island.
It has over 50 private beaches and its own airstrip.
In the world of private islands, San Jose is treated more like a “mini-state” than a regular property.
It seems the owner saw your post on the Tropical Islands blog, realized what a gem he had, and decided to add a few more zeros!
Inflation has eaten away at the value of the dollar quite a bit over the past 14 years, especially in the early 2020s.
Using official inflation data (CPI – Consumer Price Index), here’s what that Lanai purchase would look like in today’s money: Inflation Calculation (2012 -> 2026)
The cumulative inflation over this period is estimated to be around 45% to 50%.
Lower bound ($300 million in 2012): Today, that would be worth around $445 million.
Upper bound ($500 million in 2012): Today, that would be worth a whopping $740 million.
What does this mean for your San Jose Island? Real Value: If San Jose is $400 million today, it’s actually “cheaper” than Lanai was in 2012 (if we count that $500 million estimate above).
Current Market Champion: However, since Lanai is no longer for sale (Larry Ellison keeps it as his home base), San Jose Island is currently the most expensive active listing in the world. No other island currently being offered to buyers is approaching the $400 million mark.
So, the conclusion is that San Jose Island is the second the most expensive and quality island in the world, and currently the best!
We are not involved in sale of islands, we write from educational and commentary views. We help people for free when we can, and are not responsible for accuracy of information, thus contacting professionals is recommended. I will link you towards this lady, Ciara Caponi from Panama, a professional real estate agent, that is in charge for selling Isla San Jose. I have seen her videos before about buying properties in Panama and advantages there (on English, and I learned something from there), and many of her listings, so yes, I can confirm, she is that capable and professional. For serious buyers only.
This property is represented by Ciara Caponi, a highly experienced real estate professional in Panama with more than 10 years of expertise in the luxury real estate market. She is the License Partner of Engel & Völkers Panama, one of the world’s leading international luxury real estate brokerages.
Ciara specializes in high-end properties and exclusive listings across Panama, including private islands, waterfront estates, and investment-grade real estate. Among her portfolio is Isla San José in the Pearl Islands, one of the most unique island opportunities in the region.
She is widely recognized for her knowledge of the Panamanian real estate market and frequently shares insights through videos and presentations explaining the process of purchasing property in Panama, as well as the country’s tax advantages, legal framework, and investment opportunities for international buyers.
For more information regarding the sale of Isla San José, interested parties should contact Ciara Caponi directly through her official listing with Engel & Völkers Panama (for serious inquiries only):
https://www.evrealestate.com/en/properties/our-listings/Panama%20City-EVAMLS-AM%245094253
As a bonus information for my readers, Ciara Caponi recently got awarded with the Ambassador Award from Engel & Volkers for highest standards of professionalism, performance, and luxury real estate service.You can check that here >>in this post<<
Also, she attended recently in special event welcoming the president of Germany himself (with his delegation and some high investors as well)! You can see that here >>in this post<<
So yeah, highest quality island got highest quality agent and the team. And of course that I cannot resist covering that. I had an honor talking to her once via mail.
NOW YOU WILL GET A YOUTUBE VIDEO AND LARGE 126 PICTURES GALLERY
AND HERE IS SAN JOSE ISLAND GALLERY
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