Author: Laura Alvarado



Poas Volcano National PArk Eruption Causes Preventive Closure of Poas Volcano National Park for 24 Hours

Monday, February 11, at 1:51 a.m. the Poas Volcano in Alajuela, Costa Rica, registered an eruption with a column that reached 200 meters above the crater and 2,908 meters above sea level (9,538.24 ft.) this was a passive eruption that continued on through the early morning hours. The eruption also showed the presence of incandescent material. The direction of the winds is causing the gases and ...

Former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Political Scientist at the University of Nevada Also Suffered Sexual Misconduct by Former President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias

Another woman accuses former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace award winner, Oscar Arias, of sexual misconduct. Carina A. Black, gave her statement to the New York Times. Black is a political scientist at the University of Nevada, Reno and she met Arias back in 1998 when he visited the university as a speaker, and she had had to accompany him to several meetings and events. Black told ...

Costa Rica McDonald's Fast Food Restaurants Arrive to Limon, Costa Rica

McDonald’s was the first fast food restaurant to arrive to the province of Limon at the beginning of this 2019, and now it is KFC that plans to open a restaurant in the Caribbean in the upcoming months. McDonalds opened doors December 31st and generated close to 50 direct jobs, “This is the first opportunity of employment for many young people in the area, we are happy to contribute with the e...

Costa Rica English Theater The Little Theater Group Presents the February 2019 Costa Rica National Tour

If you enjoy the theater, The Little Theater Group has several presentations this month as part of the February 2019 Costa Ria National Tour. The theatrical group will have several presentations in different parts of the country, including, this Sunday, February 10 in Playa Hermosa; February 16 in Atenas; February 17 in Puriscal, February 23 in Santa Ana and a final show on February 24 in San ...

Oscar Arias Costa Rica More Women Speak Up on Sexual Misconduct of Former President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias

After the first criminal complaint for sexual assault was filed against former two-time president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace award winner, Oscar Arias Sánchez, last February 5 by a physician and antinuclear activist, several women have raised their voice to report they too were once victims of the sexual misconduct of Arias. Two journalists, Nona Antillón, who worked with Arias during his fi...

Cota Rica Marine Ecosystems New Deep Sea Animal Discoveries Warrant Expanded Protections in Costa Rican Waters

A three week expedition off the coast of Costa Rica has just expanded our knowledge of deep sea ecosystems in the region. Led by Dr. Erik Cordes, Temple University, the scientists aboard research vessel Falkor surveyed the continental margin for seamounts and natural gas seeps, where specialized biological communities are found. The seamounts extending from the mainland to the Cocos Islands Nation...

Wind Costa Rica Strong Wind: Green Alert Declared for Costa Rica’s Central Valley

A high pressure system over the Caribbean ocean causes the acceleration of wind in the region. Due to the moderate intensity of this windy pattern, the National Emergency Committee (CNE) declared green alert for the Central Valley and the North Pacific. Strong wind gusts are expected in Guanacaste that could reach 80-100 km/h (50 – 62.2 mph) in the mountain range and 50-80 km/h (31-50 mph) in...

Costa Rica Air Fest Aerospace Festival This Weekend in Jaco

Jaco Air Fest is an aerospace event that will take place this weekend in Jaco, Costa Rica in the are close to the Jaco Walk Shopping Center. The event will gather some of the best acrobatic paragliding pilots of the world, the exhibit will include paragliding, paramotors, paratrikes, aeromodelling, skydiving, drones and a hot air balloon. The exhibit is completely free, and those that attend...

Costa Rica Hotels Costa Rican Hotel in Manuel Antonio Rated #1 in the World by TripAdvisor

Tulemar Bungalows & Villas, located in the Tulemar Resort in Manuel Antonio, Quepos, took the top spot as the #1 Hotel in the World in the 2019 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. Recognized last year as #2 in the World by TripAdvisor, this prestigious award continues to further distinguish Tulemar as a world-class vacation destination. President of the Hotel, Tom Paul, responded to the a...

Costa Rica Retirement Costa Rica Among the 5 Easiest, Most Welcoming Retirement Havens in the World

Costa Rica was included among the 5 Easiest, Most Welcoming Retirement Havens in the World by International Living Magazine. "A new report from International Living points to the top 5 retirement destinations across the globe where it’s easiest to fit in. The Fitting-in category of the 2019 Annual Global Retirement Index studies the character of the expat community, how easy it is for a single...

Art City Tour Costa Rica Don’t Miss the First Art City Tour of 2019 in Costa Rica

The already traditional Art City Tour, returns this 2019 with the first event of the year “Por amor a Chepe”, “For the Love of Chepe” (chepe being the way Costa Ricans' refer to the capital city of San Jose), scheduled on February 14, the ideal option for a fun and different Valentine’s Day. Art City Tours are cultural events that take the public in night tours through different emblematic plac...

Importance Tourism Costa Rica Costa Rican Tourism Board Will Use New Indicator for Tourism Data

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) is in the process of designing a new indicator to measure the arrival of tourists to the country. For this, ICT signed a cooperation agreement with the General Directorate of Migration (DGME) that will allow them to receive every month a higher level of detail of the international migratory flow of people in Costa Rica. Since 1958 and to date, ICT has estimat...

San Jose Costa Rica Garbage San Jose Municipality Will Close Down Businesses that Do Not Follow Garbage Collection Schedule

The Municipality of San José has decided to apply stronger action against businesses that do not respect the schedule established for garbage recollection. This Tuesday, February 5, the Municipality informed that members from the Environmental Services division closed  the restaurant Carl’s Jr. located near the Central Park for 24 hours, because they did not respect the scheduled established to...

Tourism in Costa Rica Costa Rica Will Host the 2019 Social Tourism Encounter of the Americas June 12-15

For the first time, Costa Rica will host the 2019 Social Tourism Encounter of the Americas from June 12-15. The official announcement was made at Fitur, an international trade fair being held in Madrid, Spain. Costa Rican Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo made the announcement alongside officials from the International Social Tourism Organization (ISTO), represented by Inés Ayala Sender, IST...

Oscar Arias Costa Rica Two More Women Accuse, Former President of Costa Rica Oscar Arias, of Sexual Misconduct

Two women, both journalists, alleged to having been the victims of sexual assault by former two-time president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace prize winner, Oscar Arias Sánchez; the women decided to speak up after a physician and antinuclear activist filed a criminal complaint against Arias for events that occurred back in 2014. Nono Antillón, a television figure back in the 80’s and who worked ...

Oscar Arias Costa Rica Former President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Award Winner, Oscar Arias, Accused of Sexual Assault

Former two-time president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Award winner, Oscar Arias Sánchez, was formally accused by a physician and antinuclear activist of last names Arce von Herold, of sexual assault. The criminal complaint was filed on Monday, February 4, and it was national daily Semanario Universidad that released the information. The attack reported is said to have taken place on December...

Costa Rica LEED certification Manufacturing Plant in Costa Rica Earns Prestigious LEED® Silver Certification

The CooperVision contact lens manufacturing facility in Alajuela, Costa Rica has been awarded prestigious LEED® Silver certification for its environmentally-conscious design and operation. The 100,000-square-foot site, opened in 2016, produces the company’s popular clariti® 1-day silicone hydrogel contact lenses. It is believed to be the only LEED Silver-certified contact lens manufacturing site i...

Costa Rica Unemployment Unemployment in Costa Rica Spiked in Last Months of 2018

According to the Continues Employment Survey recently published by the National Institute of Census and Statistics (Spanish acronym: INEC), the unemployed population was estimated in 294 thousand people in the last trimester of 2018, an increase of 89 thousand people in comparison to the same period of 2017. The unemployment rate increased in 2.7 points and reached 12% with respect to the fou...

Costa Rica Crime, Murders, 2019,2020 Costa Rica Begins 2019 With Less Homicides Than 2018

The month of January registered 20 homicides less than the same period of 2018, according to information provided by the Ministry of Public Security. In the first 31 days of 2019 authorities handled a total of 39 homicides, while during this same time period in 2018 the number of homicides was of 59. This number has not had such a significant decrease since November 2015. The number of homic...

Costa Rica CINDE Works With 20 Communities on Strategy to Promote Local Competitiveness

The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) and representatives from 20 communities outside the Metro area got together to share their 2019 annual plans. This is part of CINDE’s strategy to promote local competitiveness and new investment opportunities in these areas. These communities are: Buenos Aires, Corredores, Osa, Coto Brus, Golfito, Pérez Zeledón, Siquirres, Pococí, Limón, Turri...

Hernan Jimenez Costa Rica “Elsewhere” First English Movie by Costa Rican Filmmaker Hernan Jimenez Premiers in April

Costa Rican stand-up comedian, actor, writer, director and producer, Hernán Jiménez will have the premier of his first English-language film “Elsewhere” this April in Costa Rica. With a cast including Ken Jeong (The Hangover 1,2) Parker Posey (Café Society, The House of Yes, Superman Returns), Beau Bridges (The Millers, Desperate Housewives, Code Black), Aden Young (Rectify), Jacki Weaver (Silv...

Costa Rica Kenneth Tencio BMX Costa Rican Kenneth Tencio Places Third at BMX Freestyle “Simple Session Tallinn” in Estonia

Once again, Costa Rican biker Kenneth Tencio, made Costa Rica proud as he took the third place in the BMX Freestyle “Simple Session Tallinn” in Estonia this Sunday, February 3. “It is huge to get a place on the podium, it’s a feeling of satisfaction after all the hours of training, of success and failure, this tells me it was all worth the effort. One year ago was also third in this tournament ...

Costa Rica Plastic Contamination Government of Costa Rica Promotes Law to Battle Contamination Caused by Plastic

Due to the severe environmental damage caused by the use of plastics in Costa Rica, the Executive Branch is promoting bill 21,159 “Law to resolve the contamination by plastic residues”, currently in the Legislative Assembly. The initiative, presented by deputy Paola Vega, hopes to decrease the pollution problem caused by plastics in the country, where almost 90% of the 600 million disposable p...

Costa Rica Rafting Accident Parents of Rafting Accident Victims Protest Against Tourism in Costa Rica

Wearing T-shirts that read: “Costa Rica Tourism = Death” -Irresponsible Government -Doesn’t Apply the Law -No Licenses -No security measures -No rescue measures The parents of three of the foreign victims of a rafting accident that occurred last October in Costa Rica, protested during a tourism fair in New York City and another one in Spain. The tragic accident occurred when a gro...

Costa Rica Hanna Gabriels Costa Rican World Champion Hanna Gabriel Signs with US Promoting Company DiBella Entertainment

Costa Rican World Champion Boxer Hanna Gabriels announced she has signed a three year contract with US promotion company DiBella Entertainment. Gabriels, who just a few days ago successfully defended her WBA World Female Super Welterweight title (154 lbs) against Aussie fighter Sarah Dwyer, currently holds a record of 19 wins 2 losses and 1 draw. “When you have the opportunity to sign a fighte...

Costa Rica Airport Expansion Juan Santamaria Airport in Costa Rica Inaugurates Expansion of Four Level Building

The Juan Santamaria Airport inaugurated this Friday the area known as Block Victor (Block V) which includes four new boarding rooms, contact bridges, basement to handle luggage, VIP room and pet area, among others. The block includes 6000 square meters ( 64,583.5 square ft.) in four levels and its another of the parts of the expansion plan of Aeris Holding Costa Rica, which has been executed b...

Costa Rica ABBA Oxigeno Human Playground Will Host a Tribute to Abba February 22 and 23

The newly inaugurated Oxigeno Human Playground in Heredia, Costa Rica, will host its first musical show February 22 and 23 with the live performance of Arrival, a Swedish ABBA tribute band. The event will take place in the “Vivir” world (O1)of the Oxigeno complex at 8 p.m. both dates. Arrival was founded in 1995 and soon became one of the most popular and most selling ABBA Show bands. Since ...

Costa Rica Marijuana Boat Carrying Almost a Ton of Marijuana Intercepted in Costa Rican Caribbean

Officers of the National Coast Guard Service and the Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security intercepted a boat in the Caribbean carrying 946 kilograms, 477 grams of marijuana, 385 grams of marijuana cocoons as well as several containers filled with fuel. Four people were arrested, three of them with prior criminal records, a 40 year old man of last name Hartley Cristopher;...

Cinde Job Fair CINDE Job Fair in Costa Rica has 3,800 Positions to Fill

The 14th edition of the CINDE Job Fair is scheduled to take place February 22 to February 24  at the new Costa Rica Convention Center in Cariari. This year the fair aims to fill 3800 positions available in more than 40 participating companies, the majority of which are foreign investment companies that require bilingual personnel in areas such as project management, accounting, customer service...

US Embassy in Costa Rica Update: Embassy Resumes Operations / US Embassy in Costa Rica Alerts of Evolving Security Situation in its Vicinity

The United States Embassy in San José, Costa Rica, sent the following alert at 10:30 a.m. this Wednesday, January 30, regarding a security alert received and that will affect the appointments scheduled for today: Embassy San Jose has received credible information regarding an evolving security situation in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy in Pavas, specifically at the Plaza del Oeste shoppin...

Costa Rica vs USA Soccer Costa Rica National Soccer Team Will Meet USMNT in Friendly Match Saturday

The Costa Rica National Soccer Team will face the United States Male National Team on a friendly match scheduled for this Saturday, February 2, 2019 in California. This will be the first match for La Sele under the direction of new head coach Gustavo Matosas, who called on several new faces for the upcoming friendly games, Matosas affirmed he saw “speed and slyness” in the young players, chara...

Costa Rica Wine World Festival Third Edition of the Wine World Festival in Costa Rica Takes Place March 2nd & 3rd

For third consecutive year, the Wine World Festival will offer wine lovers a great opportunity to enjoy premium wines at discounted price. This year the event will take place at La Caraña Equine Club in Santa Ana, and will include as usual live music, wine tastings, gastronomy, workshops, activities and kids area. The activity begins at 12 noon and will run through midnight on Saturday and t...

Costa Rica Drug Traffic Costa Rican Authorities Take Apart Drug Trafficking Organization Operating in Limon

Costa Rican Drug Control Police carried out 9 searches this Tuesday, January 20 in Limón (Los Cocos, Cahuita and Hone Creek) and in San José (Aserrí and Desamparados) during which they arrested 9 suspects of drug trafficking. The investigation began in 2016 with information gathered by the police and through confidential sources, the National Security and Intelligence Agency (DIS) also assiste...

Costa Rica Jobs Standard Fruit Company Closes Work Center in Limon Affecting 240 Employees

The company Standard Fruit Company in Costa Rica, a subsidiary of Dole, closed their work-center in the province of Limon, which included an operations department, terminal and workshop, affecting a total of 240 employees. The reason of the closure is due to the fact that the operations handled by this division are now offered by APM Terminals with a rate that is more convenient for the company...

Riteve's Costa Rican Contract renewed for 10 more years Transit Police in Costa Rica Will Use Mobile Units to Carry Out Car Technical Inspections on the Road

The Transit Police in Costa Rica is now operating equipment acquired and provided by the Technical Vehicle Inspection company (RITEVE) with the purpose of improving road safety. The mobile units will be used on the streets with the purpose of checking gas emissions, and the general conditions of the vehicles, tires, lights, breaks, just as it is done on vehicles every year. It is mandator...

Costa Rica Measles Vaccination Washington Declares Sanitary Emergency for Measles, in Costa Rica Vaccination Campaign Continues

The governor of Washington, Jay Inslee, declared sanitary emergency state due to a measles outbreak that has affected some 30 people since the beginning of the year. Costa Rican health authorities insist on vaccination campaign for children under 10 years of age. Inslee, explained through a press release that Washington has a very low vaccination rates and therefore there is an “extreme risk t...

Costa Rica Sun Temperatures in the Central Valley of Costa Rica Could Reach 86 Degrees Fahrenheit This Week

The Costa Rican Meteorological Institute (IMN) expects high temperatures in the Central Valley and Guanacaste. The weather conditions for this Monday, January 28 and the rest of the week will be similar to those experienced Sunday, with temperatures that could reach 86°F in different areas of the Central Valley. As the week progresses the wind will be stronger in particular during the evenin...

Hanna Gabriels Costa Rican Hanna Gabriels Defeats Sarah Dwyer and Retains World Title

Costa Rican world champion, Hanna Gabriels faced Australian Sarah Dwyer on Saturday night in Managua, Nicaragua. Gabriels managed to obtain a unanimous decision win and therefore retained her WBA World Female Super Welterweight Title (154 lbs.) With this win the Costa Rican brings her record up to 19 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, while the Australian, a former MMA fighter, adds another loss fo...

Costa Rica Philharmonic Orchestra Costa Rican Philharmonic Orchestra 2019 Concert Schedule

Many anxiously await the announcement of the concert season of the Costa Rican Philharmonic Orchestra, popular music interpreted in an innovative format by a large group of talented musicians. The proposal of Director Marvin Araya has paid off, each of the shows sells out, the public knows they are guaranteed a high quality show. This year’s season includes several English music concerts, amon...

Costa Rica Blues Festival February 16th Enjoy the 8th Annual Blues Festival in Costa Rica

The 8th edition of the Costa Rica Blues Festival is scheduled to take place February 16 at the Costa Rica Sailing Center in Playa Potrero, Guanacaste. This year the headliner is blues rock guitar legend Walter Trout, and some of the guest bands and artists include The Craig Thatcher Band from Philadelphia, The Sparky Parker Band from Houston, Texas; Grey Gregson from Austin, Texas; The Honky To...