Lifeguards will be looking out for tourists in the different beaches of Parrita, Puntarenas. A group of locals and a few US expats working as volunteers have been certified by the Coast Guard Academy and are hoping to get sponsorship from local businesses and authorities to be able to work full time as lifeguards. One of the promoters of this initiative is community leader Rosemary Chamber...

Mission Shark is a non-profit Costa Rican organization that promotes the investigation and conservation of sharks and other marine species. For the sixth consecutive year, Mission Shark is calling those scuba divers that want to participate in the annual count of sharks and rays with the intention of extending their data base. The event will be held two different dates, this Saturday, December...

After a US tourist was attacked by a shark while scuba diving in Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, many people are wondering whether or not they should be worried about shark attacks in Costa Rican waters, especially since the summer just started and the number of people visiting the beaches will have a considerable increase. First, it is important to keep in mind that Isla del Coco, where the tiger s...

The Playa Hermosa – Punta Mala National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Central Pacific Conservation Area, located in the county of Garabito in Puntarenas 5km from Jaco beach town. The local park rangers have reported an increase in the number of cases of sea turtles and crocodiles found trapped, the majority dead, in fishing nets in the waters or shore of the protected area. “I have found 3...

Access to Playa Naranjo in the Santa Rosa National Park is closed for indefinite time due to the damages caused to the road by tropical storm Nate. The access road to Playa Naranjo, a preferred spot for the practice of surf, is damaged in several points, in the area of Ojochal, where several fallen trees are blocking the road, and the Poza Salada River has large amounts of sand deposited in i...

The eagle logo on Costa Rica's national beer, Imperial, is now taking on new meaning, as the company sends out volunteers, called "Aguilas al Rescate" or "Eagles to the Rescue," on different community improvement projects. The company's first initiative is being carried out in conjunction with the Costas Verdes foundation, and involves planting native trees along the central Pacific coast of Co...

Whether you like it or not Jacó Beach, on Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast, is destined to become much bigger. More condos, more homes, more Croc’s casinos, more restaurants, more churches, more shopping, more night clubs and more people spending money: In Jacó the next 10 years will see more development than in the past 37 years combined. There’s much unoccupied, flat, development-prime l...

Up-to-date information on tides and ocean conditions for surfers and beachgoers is available at the Costa Rica Surf website. The top surf beaches in Costa Rica include Pavones, Dominical and Manuel Antonio in the southern Pacific region, Mal Pais, Nosara-Guiones, Playa Hermosa and Tamarindo in the northern Guanacaste Pacific region, and Puerto Viejo on the Costa Rican Caribbean coast. Driving di...

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...

According to data by the World Health Organization, accidental drownings are the third cause of accidental death in the world, statistics show that over 370 thousand worldwide die by drowning every year and more than half of these victims are under 25 years of age. When it comes to Costa Rica, between 2001 and 2012 there were a total of 1,391 deaths by accidental drowning, averaging 120 deaths ...

Costa Rica's Ministry of Transportation and Public Works announced that repairs have been made to the damaged ferry dock in Paquera on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, thus allowing service to resume between Puntarenas and Paquera on Tuesday, September 5. The service, which is used by locals and tourists alike to connect to Puntarenas and points beyond, was suspended August 15 when par...

Paquera, Puntarenas suffered damage to its dock last week when a ferry apparently crashed into it due to rough seas. The Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT) said they are giving priority attention to the dock's repairs given its importance for transportation of people and goods between Puntarenas and the Paquera/Tambor region. The ferry company, Naviera Tambor, is providing ma...

The ferry connecting Puntarenas with Paquera on the southern Nicoya Peninsula is out of service for an indefinite amount of time, said the Ministry of Transportation and Public Works (MOPT) this week after a ferry caused damage to the Paquera dock. Paquera is adjacent to the beaches of Tambor, the Curu Wildlife Refuge, and other areas. Those wishing to cross the Gulf of Nicoya from Puntarena...

One of the best things about Costa Rica is that there are still so many remote locations where national and foreign tourists can find peace and relaxation, Recreo Hotel in La Cruz de Guanacaste is one of these places. This resort remains one of the country’s secrets, not many know about it and because of its remote location it is not a popular destination. Recreo is a villa community just a sho...

In February, the community of Ostional, Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula in the northern Guanacaste province carried out a tsunami evacuation drill. This was the first time such a drill has been carried out in Costa Rica. Ostional is home to the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, which the World Wildlife Fund considers “one of the two most important nesting areas in the world for Olive Ridley turtl...

On the southern Pacific beaches in and around Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, there are four types of sea turtles that nest at different times of the year: Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Green (Chelonia mydas), Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata). All of these are in danger of extinction, mainly due to human pollution and other human intrus...

In July, a suit was filed with the Costa Rican Administrative Litigation Tribunal requesting the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC, its initials in Spanish) and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy (MINAE) undertake a scientific study to determine whether or not there is an over-population of crocodiles in the country. Each year there are at least a few human encounters with cr...

Photo: Playa Penca Carrillo, Guanacaste Carlos Alpízar and José Pablo Alfaro decided to create a tool to help tourists that wish to explore the many Costa Rican beaches. “It all started as a personal project, we both always liked visiting the different beaches. At one point in our life we thought we had run out of beaches, and ended up going to the same places because we didn’t have informa...

With the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Central Pacific county of Garabito is the first in Costa Rica to implement a public policy on controlling and monitoring plastics on its beaches, said the international agency yesterday. The beaches of Jacó, Hermosa, Herradura, Tárcoles and Guacalillo will be jointly monitored by surfers and the municipal government to fight...

As is typical around the new moon, tides will be higher than usual starting tomorrow and lasting until around Wednesday of next week on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica, detailed a report by Omar G. Lizano Rodríguez, coordinator of the Oceanographic Information Module (MIO, its initials in Spanish) at the University of  Costa Rica's Center for Research in Marine Sciences and Lim...

Roca Bruja or Witch Rock in Playa Naranjo, Guanacaste is one of the best surfing spots in Costa Rica, very well-known among local surfers but not as promoted for tourists who many times come and go without ever hearing about his fantastic spot. Roca Bruja originally Peña Bruja, Playa Naranjo is part of the Santa Rosa National Park, there are no constructions here or infrastructure of any sort e...

The Santa Cruz, Guanacaste municipal government swore in a new set of leaders for its environmental commission this week. Representative from 24 local organizations, autonomous institutions, ministries and private sector companies will be coordinating the area's environmental agenda that includes recycling, reforestation, solid waste treatment, and water resource management, among other aspects. ...

Last week, as part of a series of actions announced on World Oceans Day, Costa Rica unveiled a new marine protected area on the country’s Pacific coast, contributing to the global goal of protecting at least 10 percent of marine zones before the year 2020, said the United Nations Environment Program. The new protected marine area at Cabo Blanco, with an extension of more than 800 square kilomet...

Saturday, June 3 around 2:30 p.m., at the beach Organos, Paquera in Puntarenas, authorities were alerted to the presence of a more than 8-foot long crocodile. Though part of the animal's usual habits, to come out of nearby rivers and roam beaches, the animals do pose an increasing risk to growing numbers of tourists to some beaches. According to the communications department of the fire depa...

Costa Rica is taking a leading role in motivating the international community to take action towards the decontamination of the oceans. As part of the celebration of World Oceans Day this June 8, Costa Rica will host the Global Dialogue about Oceans June 8th and 9th in the Villa Caletas Hotel in the Central Pacific of Costa Rica. Over 100 high level representatives from different countries ...

Santa Teresa in Cóbano, Puntarenas, has quickly gained a reputation among foreigners for its laid-back environment, amazing beaches (which have excellent conditions for surfing), and its surrounding nature. This has, of course, attracted the attention of many that choose Santa Teresa as a vacation destination, but other many looking to make real estate investments in the area; after all, this i...

Meet the changemakers promoting sustainable living in one of the world's greenest, and happiest, countries, Costa Rica:    ...

Situated in the southeast of the Nicoya Península, just 45 minutes from Montezuma, is the Curú Wildlife Refuge, famous for its pristine white sand beaches and abundant wildlife. This area, sometimes overlooked, is an obligatory stop for Eco-tourists. To get here you must take Route 27 to Puntarenas and head to the Pacquera ferry which will take you across the Nicoya Gulf in just about one and a...

In July 1999, 21-year-old Claire McFarlanel was brutally raped and left almost dead in the streets of Paris, France when she was about to take a cab home after leaving work. Her attacker was captured 10 years later by means of DNA tests; since her attack, she has been fighting for her cause in the French courts. Last year, McFarlanel, now 38, started what she says is the "biggest journey of her...

Playas del Coco, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: Guanacaste tourism operators and artisanal fishermen and women sent a letter today to the Legislative Assembly's environmental commission, calling on its members to vote against bill N° 19,838, known as the Sustainable Shrimp Trawling Bill, saying it will jeopardize the socio-economic livelihoods of thousands of Guanacaste families. The letter was signe...

Hospira Costa Rica Ltd., a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., announced last week they are shifting their production in the Dominican Republic to Costa Rica this year. The multinational, which manufactures medical infusion and transfusion equipment, said it will gradually close its manufacturing plant in the Dominican Republic over the course of this year, and transfer most of those operations to its B...

The beaches at the Osa Península in the province of Puntarenas Costa Rica are not as popular among vacationists as the beaches in Guanacaste, part of this has to do with the distance, the Osa Península is a long drive from San José, and these region is usually promoted more as an ecotourism destination since the Corovado National Park is located here. If you haven’t visited the Osa Penísula you...

Costa Rica as a country has certain characteristics that make it a magnet for real estate investment, in general, investors have turned their eye to this Central American country for quite some time now, and it has to do mainly with the country’s political and financial stability, which translates into a low-risk investment. In addition to the above, Costa Rica’s geographical position, fantasti...

Max Machum started learning Spanish when, at age 7, he and his parents relocated to Guanacaste, in northern Costa Rica, from Alberta Canada's Rocky Mountains. By the time he was 12, the Canmore native had pioneered a local effort to eliminate plastic straws from restaurants and hotels to protect Guanacaste's Pacific beaches and wildlife from the often deadly effects of human pollution. After...

With hundreds of vacationers hitting the beaches during the weeklong Easter break in Costa Rica, many got a jolt this morning just after 6 a.m. when a 4.2 magnitude quake struck near Playa Hermosa in northern Guanacaste on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, said the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (Ovsicori) at the Costa Rican National University. The 6:08 a.m. tremor was registered at a ...

Manuel Antonio National Park receives many visitors during the high season, attracted by the amazing flora and fauna found here and of course by the white sand beaches beaches which offer a piece of paradise on earth. There are five beaches in the Manuel Antonio area: Playa Espadilla: This is the public beach in Manuel Antonio, most tourists stay here since you don’t need to access the park ...

Holy Week is here and every day more and more people choose to enjoy the holidays at the beach, the Guanacaste beaches always attract a large audience this time of the year, so we have a recommendation of two small secret and secluded beaches in Guanacaste that maybe you haven’t heard off (one ideal for the whole family and another one for the adventurous travelers) which might be a good option to...

From movie stars and musicians to regarded athletes and beautiful supermodels, this small Central American country has become a hot spot for celebrities, whether they just stop by for a few days in vacation mode like the Kardashian-Jenner clan or as a more permanent home away from home as is the case for NFL quarterback Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen. What is it about Costa Rica that attrac...

Yesterday, in the county of Nandayure, district of Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rican Coast Guard and Police officials intervened when a 25-year-old Swedish man named Andersson wielded a machete and seemed poised for an attack. Police believe he may have been under the effect of drugs, as neighbors recounted that the Swede, machete in hand, had been shouting that he was trying to kill some pigs he...

Finding the perfect wave has been called a mystic experience by surfers, many of whom comb the world’s beaches in search of unbeatable breaks. A recent study by Sydney University economist Sam Wills and Thomas McGregor of Oxford University, good waves are a valuable commodity. “We find that surfing waves contribute approximately US$50 billion to global economic activity each year,” said the res...