Semanario Universidad, the weekly news publication produced by the University of Costa Rica, saw its website brought down by distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks in late January. Hackers overwhelmed the online magazine's web servers with up to four million requests and server calls per minute. The attacks, which ostensibly originated from Russia, followed the publication of a political sur...

Pulmitan of Liberia Marcopolo Paradiso 1800DD passenger bus between San Jose and Playas del Coco, Guanacaste One of the most advanced, luxurious and comfortable coach buses in Latin America is operated by Pulmitan of Liberia, a respected transportation provider from the province of Guanacaste. The Marcopolo Paradiso 1800DD is an elegant double-decker bus that steals a lot of looks wherever it ...

Agents from the Organization of Judicial Investigations of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: OIJ) have taken two persons into custody for their alleged participation in a narcotics distribution and retail scheme that catered to foreign visitors and expatriate residents in Guanacaste and Puntarenas. When the suspects were arrested in Liberia, they were found in possession of cocaine byproducts as well ...

Many people who suffer from inflammatory diseases of their connective tissues tend to develop an uncanny ability to predict bad weather. Osteoarthritis and its many related conditions are often cited as the reasons some expats move to Costa Rica, specifically to places such as Atenas and Guanacaste. The relation between joint pain and climate has always been questioned, but a recent study by medic...

A few beach communities are named Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica, and two of them often get mixed up by tourists and expats. There's Playa Hermosa near Jaco Beach -this one is in the province of Puntarenas, and there's also the Playa Hermosa of Costa Rica's Gold Coast in Guanacaste. These two tourist and expat havens have one thing in common: They are gorgeous beach towns besieged by crime that often...

Artwork for Hembolia CerebralIn the style of musical groups such as Minor Threat, The Clash and the Dead Kennedys, three young men from Guanacaste punish their instruments and scream lyrics of discontent about how they see Costa Rica in the post-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) era: A socioeconomic model gone wrong. This is Hembolia Cerebral (Brain Aneurysm), a hardcore punk trio from Costa Rica's Gold ...

Updated January 2017 Costa Rica is a top world travel destination because it has something for everyone: tropical rainforest, green mountains, spectacular beaches, active volcanoes, wild rivers and lakes, and charming towns. The dry tropical forest and wide savannas of the north Pacific are as varied as the dense, steamy jungle of the south Pacific, the misty cool cloud forest high in the centr...

If you are a single woman traveling to Costa Rica read this previous article about exciting things to do on the Caribbean side of the country. In my travels, I have come across single women around the world who say, “I’d like to travel, but I don’t have anyone to go with.” Having traveled alone, I asked what was stopping them. What I found was a mixture of fears and concerns: Blending In ...

The waves were big, and so were the national surfers who came to Playa Guiones at Nosara, Costa Rica last weekend for the third competition in the 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit. Costa Rican pros like Gilberth Brown, Jair Perez, Jason Torres, Carlos Munoz, Lisbeth Vindas and Nataly Bernold descended on the top Costa Rica surfing beach for the tournament, held Feb. 8-9. Munoz was just ret...

Bilingual and friendly doctors and dentists await you in Costa Rica. The global health tourism industry has grown significantly despite a lack of substantial publicity or marketing. To this effect, Costa Rica is the leading destination in the Americas for medical tourists and visitors seeking quality and affordable treatment options; there are several reasons why this country enjoys this statu...

Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations meet protests in Salt Lake CityThe acceptance of Costa Rica into the Pacific Alliance, a new Latin American trade bloc, has been reported with a certain level of interest and excitement around the world. Israel is one of the various observer nations in this new bloc, and Arutz Sheva (Channel 7) recently remarked on the trade and economic opportunities...

Puma hunting howler monkey in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Photo by Professor Rob Pringle of Princeton University.A recent series of amazing photographs by Professor Rob Pringle of Princeton University show a tenacious Puma concolor (a cougar or puma) climbing the tall branches of a torchwood tree looking to make a meal out of an Alouatta palliata (howler monkey) at the Santa Rosa National Park, provin...

A state-controlled news media organization from Venezuela recently apologized for reporting that the United States military industrial complex that the late President Eisenhower warned the world about had reached Costa Rica. The report specifically mentioned a U.S. base in sunny Guanacaste, with 46 warships, an aircraft carrier, 200 gunships, 6 fighter jets, and 13,000 combat troops. While it is a...

Photo of Christine Laemer at Tropical Garden Cooking Classes, by Arianna McKinney for Voice of GuanacasteA year ago, in August of 2012, Christine Laemer went for a mammogram and found out she had breast cancer. This news changed her lifestyle and diet completely, and now she is sharing some of what she has learned about health and nutrition through Tropical Garden Cooking Classes. Originally f...

For a couple of years now, the sport of tennis has been making inroads in the Nosara community, and now a couple of developers are stepping it up a notch, although not everyone is happy to see courts being built in the heart of Playa Guiones. In Esperanza, in Villas Esperanza, known as the 506 tennis center, Sam Carver is developing a tennis community with 12 homes planned. He believes that suc...

Maikol Torres ripping the waves in Guanacaste Once again, perseverance paid off for up-and-coming surfer Maikol Torres from Costa Rica, who recently won the Reserva Conchal Tiki Hut Cup. The cup was disputed as the third event of the brand-new Guanacaste Pro Surfing Circuit. Conditions were excellent at the gorgeous Playa Marbella thanks to an inland breeze that shaped the swell into glassy 1....

Parks and protected areas are on alert nationwide for forest fires. The alert went into effect on January 15th, but even before then one major fire had already broken out in the Nicoya area. On Saturday, December 28th, 9 hectares (22 acres) were burned in Corral de Piedra, according to Gabino Carrillo Arias, MINAE park ranger in charge of control. It is believed that the fire was caused by ...

In December 2013, La Creperie opened its doors in Playa Guiones, offering original French crepes to Nosara. The project was the idea of Franck Geers and is located 400 meters north of Delicias del Mundo supermarket, next to Hostal 4You. Geers says that the plates have a wide range of prices so that the food is accessible for all. Crepes start at 1,200 colones ($2.40) and the most expensive ones co...

Playa Potrero in Guanacaste is a quiet beach community that many real estate analysts believe could turn into the one of the most lucrative luxury resort and housing markets in Costa Rica. It was in this community where members of Fuerza Publica, Costa Rica's national police force, stormed the offices of the local water utility and environmental development office (Spanish acronym: ASADA) on Frida...

Tempisque River Inspectors from the Ministry of the Environment (Spanish acronym: MINAE) recently inspected an improvised dam erected by a sugar cane processor in Guanacaste. Municipal council members from Carrillo accompanied the MINAE inspectors in the latest dispute over water in the driest, yet most lucrative, region of Costa Rica. Complaints about the dam and its alleged impact on the ...

Tamarindo Beach in Guanacaste Costa RicaAn oft-discussed topic among tourists and expats visiting Costa Rica is how little they can get for their hard-earned dollars here. This is a sentiment shared by the local population as well, who somehow make do with a lot less than their fellow North American and European complainants. An incredibly detailed report by blogger Tricia Lyman reveals that a co...

The shores of Costa Rica's Gold Coast are home to the occasional stranding of marine mammals, but these sporadic situations could result in massive beaching events unless human oceanic activity is conducted in a way that minimizes underwater noise pollution. Such was the message delivered by oceanographer and cross-discipline scientist Melania Guerra Carrillo at a recent presentation on bioacousti...

Tourists in Playa Guiones during the month of JanuaryRecently the Costa Rica Star published about the tourism, wealth, and high unemployment in Guanacaste that comes as a result of foreign investment in the region. If you have been to Playa Guiones recently, in the district of Nosara, you probably noticed the incredible amount of commercial and residential construction underway as well as seve...

“Eat my dust” is no joke hereabouts. The solution, we are told, is asphalt or concrete paving. For what it is worth, paving is my least favorite solution to finding health and happiness on our roadways. So, let’s look at the problems with paving and examine alternatives. The problems with paving are legion. Paving increases both traffic and traffic speed considerably. Without signals and posted...

He takes me by the hand, guiding me gently through the water so I feel safe and I’m breathing fairly calmly. He points out a puffer fish, trying to catch it’s tail as it speeds away. Then he reaches down to pick up a bright blue starfish and hands it to me. Later he hands me a conch shell and a red sea snail peaks out timidly. I don’t feel like the Little Mermaid exactly; after all, I’ve got a tan...

The 21st century has proven difficult for professional football development in Guanacaste, but things seem to be improving for the northern province. Two local teams from the province are among the best performers in the development football league of Costa Rica, previously known as the Second Division. Should the Guanacaste Sporting Association or the Liberia Municipal Team continue playing a...

Luis Guillermo Solis, presidential candidate in Costa Rica. As the runoff presidential election nears in Costa Rica, candidates Johnny Araya of the National Liberation Party (Spanish initials: PLN) and Luis Guillermo Solis of the Citizens' Action Party (Spanish initials: PAC) are formulating their strategies to capture the vote that will determine the successor to President Laura Chinchilla. A...

Electronic Dance Music events in Costa Rica are full scale experiencesOn the heels of the extravagant Life in Color electronic dance music (EDM) festival, scenesters are paying close attention to related events in Costa Rica. From the upcoming German DJ Paul Van Dyk's set at Vertigo to the Envision Festival in the Osa Peninsula and from the psychedelic dance rock party at Best Fest to the prolife...

Roadways of Rural Costa RicaThe roads in Costa Rica are one of the most important public services that the government provides us. We all use them, daily. They connect us to the municipality, to the commercial central, to the beaches, to the schools and the hospitals, and to each other. So what kind of public service is the local and national government entities providing us in this regard? I...

Nosara Yoga Institute adds new facilities for guests and teachersThe Nosara Yoga Institute (NYI), founded by Don and Amba Stapleton, brought yoga classes and training to the Nosara area since 1994, but teacher training and program participants had to look for accommodations elsewhere. Now the Institute has expanded its facilities to eight acres to include a hotel, restaurant, juice bar, a 25-mete...

Playa Barrigona, Costa RicaThe Municipality of Nicoya is currently conducting studies to open a roadway to connect the beaches of Barrigona and Barco Quebrado, as well as a road to connect the smaller beaches of Pavones and Bajo Escondido, between Barco Quebrado and Garza, according to Mayor Marco Antonio Jimenez Muñoz. Citing article 23 of Law 6043 regarding the Maritime Land Zone, the mayor ...

A large car hit this dog on February 2nd. His left front leg had to be amputated and his head injury treatedDog owners in the Nosara area are keeping a closer eye and hold on their pets these days. On January 29th yet another dog was run over and killed by a car in Playa Pelada. Amid high season volume, the roads are at their busiest with speeding cars, trucks, quads and motos. Without sidewalk...

Holistic tourism has grown considerably in Costa Rica during the 21st century, and yoga is at the center of this trend. Holistic travelers seek places where they can relax, detoxify and get away from the stressors of modern life. Yoga retreats in Costa Rica are often sought for this purpose, and not just by foreign visitors: Many residents of San Jose are known to travel to Guanacaste in search of...

An OVOP conference at the Dominican Republic. Strengthening a community's brand, adding value to existing products and conducting frequent market research are business principles that some small towns in Guanacaste are experimenting with. They are part of the “One Village, One Product” (OVOP) movement promoted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The OVOP movement has been ...

Main street through Samara GuanacasteOn Sunday, January 12th, the Samara Development Association held their General Assembly meeting in San Fernando, during which they defined the boundaries for the new development association that will be created for central Samara. At the same time, Chinampas requested an extension to form their own development association. The meeting was called to order at...

Bicycle sports lovers will have the chance to see high-level athletes competing in the BMX War Jam 2014, the sixth annual event, which will take place in Nicoya’s multisport complex on Sunday, February 9 beginning at 9 a.m. Luis Elias Benavides, the event’s organizer, said that this year the competition will be very good, as there will be at least 50 participants from Canada, Chile, the United ...

In the shadows behind the bullring in Samara on January 1st 2014, the guys gather around, dressed in blue jeans and the blue and white plaid shirts that distinguish them as members of the professional bull riders known as Los Nicoyanos. Some stand, others kneel on the ground for a group prayer. A couple of them hold a child in their arms. After the prayer, one by one, they draw a name out of a hat...

Guanacaste is the province with the highest rate of domestic violence in Costa Rica. According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Public Health (Spanish initials: MSP), the northern province registered 346.6 cases of domestic violence per 100,000 residents. This figure, which is from 2012, is part of an ongoing qualitative analysis that the MSP is conducting so that proper action can be tak...

Legislator Marta Arauz. Source: Facebook. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Costa Rica has tallied and certified the votes that determined the legislators who will represent the province of Guanacaste at the Legislative Assembly during the next administration. The constituency will have to wait until April 6th to elect the new President of Costa Rica in a runoff election, but the legislators b...

Source: MichaelBaker.com Michael Baker has been creating sculptures for more than two decades. His artwork has been exhibited all over the United States, and in 2012 he made his international debut in Costa Rica. If you are a fan of the Iron Man film series, there is a good chance that you are already familiar with Mr. Baker's work, and now you can see more of it in Guanacaste. According to...