These past few weeks Ostional in Guanacaste has been as it is several times a year the nesting site of thousands of sea turtles, an impressive event that attracts national and international tourists to this beach that receives four different species of sea turtles. In this occasion, however, the number of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) arriving at the National Wildlife Refuge ...

The 10th edition of the popular “Perro Cross” event will take place on November 12 at the Oikoumene Camp in Cartago. Perro Cross is a cross-country competition with dogs, which seeks to offer dog owners an open-air activity that they can enjoy with their dogs in a safe area and share with other dog lovers. The event offers three categories, Experts (8 km / 5 miles), Amateur (4 km / 2.5 miles),...

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation a global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring, today announced it is investing $100 million for its expansion plans in Costa Rica. The company, headquartered in California, United States, develops and manufactures heart valves that are utilized in the treatment of patients with heart diseases all over th...

Four foreigners had the scare of their lives when they crashed into a bus and overturned this Wednesday evening near the Backyard in Hermosa Beach, Puntarenas. Firefighters had to use special equipment to free two of the expats who were trapped inside the car. Fortunately, only one of them, a woman, had to be transferred to the local clinic for further medical evaluation. The causes of the a...

Changes to the migratory process when entering or leaving Costa Rica aim to increase the security controls and speed up the transit of travelers through the terminal, according to the Costa Rican General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners, the new system and process have been in place for a month. The director of Migration affirmed that since the new system was implemented they have regist...

The fourth edition of the Mercedes-Benz fashion week Guanacaste will take place Thursday, December 28 at Hacienda Pinilla and is already organizing the castings to choose this year’s models. For this year the event will have several variations, some of which will be kept as a surprise, the event will also double the number of models and designers, bringing the number of models up to 50. “The...

The first mistake we all make when we think about drug and alcohol abuse is to see it as a “problem” that only affects “other people”, we erroneously think only those of low socioeconomic status or dysfunctional families could fall victim of this epidemic. The scary reality may be too much for some to accept, the fact that as with cancer or diabetes, drug and alcohol abuse could affect anyone reg...

The mission is clear, the National Olympic Committee wants the Costa Rica Surf team to win as many gold medals as possible in the upcoming Central American Sports Games, this is the first time this discipline is included in the event, which is part of the qualifying events towards the Tokyo Olympics 2020. For this reason, trainer Jim Hogan has chosen the best surfers to represent the country in t...

Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs is a World Bank Group report which measures the regulations that enhance business activity and those that constrain it. “Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 190 economies—from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe—and over time. Doing Business measures regulation...

Taking adequate care of our teeth is important to our overall health, but not only is it important to make sure we have no cavities, gum disease or any other conditions, it is also necessary that we care for the appearance of our smile, since this plays an important role in our self-confidence. Years back, going to the dentist was not considered of importance, some would only go when a toothach...

Costa Rica traffic police, firefighters and paramedics are currently in Santo Domingo de Heredia, where two trains crashed for reasons still unknown. At this point authorities report a total of close to 60 people injured, 4 of them in delicate condition and fortunately no fatalities. Hector Chávez director of the Costa Rica Firefighters explained that one train was heading south while the o...

Photo Credit: Fotos Aereas Costa Rica For all those that are constantly seeking new adventures and enjoy discovering places in Costa Rica which tourists hardly ever hear of and locals many times don’t take their time to visit, a trip to the “Laguna de Hule” (Rubber Lake) is obligatory. The Laguna de Hule is part of the Bosque Alegre Wildlife Refuge, created in 1994 with the objective of prot...

The Romelia Wildlife Refuge is located near Montezuma, on the Nicoya Península, Puntarenas, and it was created on November 24th, 1998 as a result of the initiative of Albert Ingalls and Gitza Gatti, and is part of the biological corridor of the Tempisque Conservation Area, (Cabo Blanco Absolute Reserve, Curu Mixed Wildlife Reserve, Karen Morgensen Reserve, Nicholas Wessberg Reserve and the Romelia...

Readers of the prestigious tourism magazine Condé Nast, placed 9 Costa Rican hotels in the list of 15 Top Resorts in Central America: Readers' Choice Awards 2017. “More than 300,000 travelers took part in our 30th annual Readers' Choice Awards survey—setting yet another new record—submitting millions of ratings and more than 100,000 comments to help us create a list of winning favorites”, state...

A car accident registered at 4:18 a.m. this Sunday in the area of Las Juntas in Abangares, Guanacaste, claimed the lives of six people. According to preliminary information there were 7 passengers in a pick-up car with capacity for 5 people. The car crashed into a tree for reasons currently under investigation. Five of the victims died at the scene as a result of the crash, a sixth one died ...

17 of Costa Rica’s best chefs will be preparing delicious dishes during the gastronomy fair Juntos por Costa Rica (Together for Costa Rica) on Friday, November 10 at the Campo Lago Club in Lindora, Santa Ana; all proceeds to benefit those affected by tropical storm Nate. The attending public will be able to visit the stands with different options of food, from vegetarian dishes to deliciously p...

Costa Rica’s tropical climate makes it a great place to spot whales and dolphins; these marine mammals enjoy the warm waters of specific areas of the country and visit during certain months a year, according to the Keto Foundation close to 34% of the world’s cetacean species can be found in Costa Rica. Dolphin and whale watching tours continue to grow in popularity, and although with some luck ...

Considered the first and original multi-stage Mountain Bike Competitions in the World, La Ruta de los Conquistadores (Conquerors Route) in Costa Rica celebrates 25 years. This sporting event was created in 1993 by Román Urbina and a group of athletes that wanted to travel the path of the Spanish conquerors and crossing Costa Rica from coast to coast. Three days, 225 kilometers, across 5 moun...

It’s that time of the year again when the Costa Rican government starts charging for the 2018 marchamo for the more than 1.4 million cars registered in the country; the collection of this tax begins November 1st. The marchamo is basically the vehicle’s circulation permit, similar to the registration payment in the United States; this tax must be paid by December 31st for the 2018 period, otherw...

Halloween is a very popular day in the United States, in Costa Rica many years back it was actually common for children to go trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods, but the concern for their safety and the fact that this not a traditional Costa Rican festivity has limited the number of activities organized around this date. There are still, however,  activities that are organized for childre...

Back in August Yoka's plans were revealed, her next goal was to go after another world title in a different weight division, however, for different reasons the fight that was expected to take place in September was postponed,  the contract is now signed and the fight is set for December 1st in Japan. Costa Rican Yokasta Valle is the current Light-Mini Flyweight Female World Champion (102 lbs) o...

In Costa Rica, the Foundation Pro Palliative Care Unit looks after an average of 1,600 children both in and outpatients and has expenses that add up to close to 42 million colones (Approximately $74,000) a month that includes attention to at least 48 inpatients every month, payroll, medicine, food, conferences to provide support for the families, funeral expenses, among others. This Foundation...

According to the last National Homes Survey carried out by the Statistics and Census Institute, there’s been a reduction in the number of homes in extreme poverty and rural, urban and multidimensional poverty in comparison to the years 2015 and 2016. The survey was carried out with a sample of 10,712 homes in different areas of the country. The study shows that 8,341 Costa Rican homes are n...

Santa Ana, San José, Costa Rica, was, less than 20 years ago, very different from the Santa Ana we know now; back then, it was known for the many onion plantations, big portions of land dedicated to agriculture or cattle, some didn’t think this area had a big potential, they talked about water supply problems and the clay like soils that presented drainage challenges. Today, Santa Ana is known ...

Once again Costa Rica is featured in National Geographic Magazine as one of the happiest countries in the world. The article, by Dan Buettner, is featured in the November 2017 issue of the famous magazine, is titled “These are the World’s Happiest Places”, and continues: What do Denmark, Costa Rica, and Singapore have in common? Their people feel secure, have a sense of purpose, and enjoy lives t...

Dennis Janik, a native of Canada that has lived for many years in Costa Rica is the recipient of the Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence, which is given annually by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). The Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence is given annually to a sanctuary or individual who embodies and puts into practice the GFAS philosophy of vision, dedication ...

The Magaly Movie Theater in Costa Rica is now operating both its screening rooms with clean energy, thanks to the installation of solar panels that will eventually allow it run completely with solar energy and stop using electricity. This makes Costa Rica the third country in Latin America - after Brazil and Argentina - to adopt clean energy use in the movie theaters. The official announce...

KidZania is one of the fastest growing kids’ entertainment franchises with 24 locations in 20 countries and 11 new locations under development; it consists on an interactive kids’ city which combines fun and learning and has different options for young children and teens up to 14 years of age. KidZania was created in Mexico and the franchise is being brought to Costa Rica by Cuestamoras Urbanis...

The artisan or craft beer business continues to grow and strengthen in Costa Rica; recently, several artisan breweries participated in the international competition “Copa Cervezas de America” (America Beers Cup) that took place in Santiago de Chile and had the participation of many Latin American brewers. Copa Cervezas de América was born in 2011 and is now one of the most important beer compe...

The Consular Section at U.S. Embassy San Jose announced a Consular Outreach event in Tamarindo that will take place next Thursday, November 2. The notice sent today states: "Embassy staff will be available to accept adult passport renewals, perform notarial services, and take your inquiries on federal benefits and voting. ACS Chief Ben Peracchio and representatives of the Consulate staff will...

As company retreats and team building activities continue to grow in popularity, one destination rises to the top as distinctive for its range of offerings and advanced tourism infrastructure: Costa Rica. The invaluable benefits of more engaged employees--to a company's bottom line, means that taking time away from the office to re-energize and refocus your employees is the new "smart investment....

According to a study titled “GENTICO” carried out by UNIMER (a market research company) and kölbi, and which specifically analyzed the population between the ages of 12 and 35 years which represent more than half of the population, a 17% of these group of people in the country currently don’t work or study. This analysis is part of a bigger report which was done in 2016, titled “GENTICO: The ...

The Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos, Costa Rica will remain closed today and until further notice according to the decision by the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and as a preventive measure due to the heavy rainfall expected in the area. The decision to close the park was not well received by the park rangers and business owners in the area who consider that the decision m...

The heavy rains that the country has experienced this year have brought back the lake of the Irazú Volcano which had dried out several years back. The lake brings back one of the main attractions of this National Park, it is formed in the interior of the active crater and its emerald green color has in the past been featured in many postcards and photographs. The small lake at the Diego de l...

The Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste Costa Rica presented new activity this Sunday at 6:40 a.m. with an eruption column that reached 1000 meters over the crater, 2,916 meters above sea level (9,564.48 ft.) as informed by the National University’s Volcanology and Seismology Research Institute (OVSICORI). This activity at the Rincón de la Vieja is normal, the last one of importance was re...

The Titanic in Costa Rica was the name of a very popular bar back in the 60’s-70’s shaped like a boat and located close to what is now the Children’s Museum, eventually it shut down and earlier this year it was acquired by the Foundation Ayúdenos para Ayudar (Helps us Help) with the objective of transforming it into a new cultural space. The newly acquired area was entirely remodeled, the inves...

The San José Half Marathon that took place this Sunday morning was struck by tragedy as one of the participants was ran over and killed by a reckless driver that disregarded the safety measures. The 35-year-old runner identified as David Yañez Pacheco from Venezuela, was ran over near the Zapote church close to 6:15 a.m., the organization of the event posted the information on their Facebook pa...

The Costa Rican Meteorological Institute (IMN) is constantly monitoring a possible low pressure system that is forming in Panama and that could affect Costa Rica. “The most recent meteorological analysis show that this upcoming week there is a strong possibility of a low pressure system forming in the southwest of the Caribbean Sea (North of Panama), that would increase considerably the amount...

Roca Bruja or Witch Rock, the giant rock in Playa Naranjo within the Santa Rosa National Park in Guanacaste also suffered the effects of Tropical Storm Nate. The famous rock now has a crack on its northern side, but in the south side some of the rock broke off and fell to the ocean, photos captured by surfers in the area show parts of broken rock. “We don’t know which day exactly it happened...

Once again officers of the National Coast Guard Service in Costa Rica found cocaine packets floating in the ocean. The Ministry of Public Security explained that a total of 24 packages were found this Friday, October 20, about 200 kilometers southwest of Golfito in the South Pacific when the officers were patrolling the area. Just this past October 6th the Coast Guard came across 44 cocaine p...