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COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

Rare Blue Octopus Returns to Galápagos as a Newly Identified Species

AFP -
The rare blue octopus that surprised scientists has returned to the Galápagos Islands. The specimen, about the size of a golf ball, will be preserved at the Charles Darwin...

What a Costa Rican migratory alert actually does

Guest Author -
A judicial notice served on live television this week put an obscure piece of legal machinery in front of all of Costa Rica. Most of what was said about...

Watch Spider Monkeys Return to Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula

Vincent Losasso -
A camera trap project on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula produced an unexpected discovery: Central American spider monkeys living wild in an area where the species had once disappeared.

Costa Rica Renews Push to Make Chirripó Its First UNESCO Global Geopark

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica and the State Distance University are renewing an effort to have Chirripó recognized as Costa Rica's first UNESCO Global Geopark, a designation intended to protect its geological...

Costa Rica Renters Face Major Barriers to Buying a Home

The Tico Times -
More than eight out of every 10 Costa Rican households that rent would face serious income barriers if they tried to finance even a relatively modest home, according to...

Why is Daniel Ortega Shutting Nicaragua’s Opposition Out of Elections?

AFP -
Nicaragua approved a constitutional reform that bars the opposition from participating in elections and extends Daniel Ortega’s term in office, a measure aimed at securing a presidential succession within...

How El Nino is choking the Panama Canal

AFP -
The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for the second time ever due to drought caused by the El Nino climate...

Costa Rica’s Whale and Dolphin Festival Returns This Weekend

The Tico Times -
If you have been waiting for the right weekend to see humpback whales in Costa Rica, this is it. The 16th Whale and Dolphin Festival takes place this weekend,...

A Night With Costa Rica Soccer Fans in Perez Zeledon

Don Mateo -
Perez Zeledon is home to a team in the first division of Costa Rica soccer. Known as Los Guerreros del Sur, the club has been in existence since 1991....

Guanacaste Bakes While the Caribbean Floods in Costa Rica’s Split August

The Tico Times -
August gave us two very different versions of Costa Rica’s rainy season, with unusually little rain falling around Liberia while parts of the Caribbean recorded some of their wettest...

Costa Rica Police Officer Jailed for Allegedly Helping Diablo Drug Network

Tico Times -
The Fuerza Pública officer, identified as Ureña, was detained this week during raids in Sarapiquí and Pococí. Prosecutors are investigating his suspected relationship with the organization formerly headed by...

Costa Rica Opens Legal Status Path for Thousands of Foreigners

The Tico Times -
Nearly 100 foreigners applied on the first day of a new Costa Rican immigration program designed to give legal status and work rights to thousands of people whose refugee...

Costa Rica Court Orders Protection Plan for Playa Blanca After 32-Year Delay

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court has ordered environmental authorities to create a long-delayed management plan for the protected marine wetland at Playa Blanca, adding a new chapter to the controversy...

Costa Rica Issues Green Alert as Rincón de la Vieja Activity Increases

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica has placed five areas near Rincón de la Vieja Volcano under a preventive green alert after more than 100 eruptions were recorded during July and August, including...

US Calls on Allies to Cut Off Nicaragua After Ortega Bars Opposition Parties

The Tico Times -
The United States asked its international partners to immediately end normal dealings with Nicaragua's government, hours after the Ortega-Murillo administration formalized a constitutional rewrite that bars opposition figures from...

Dollar Drops Again as Costa Rica Gets More Expensive for Expats and Tourists

The Tico Times -
The U.S. dollar has slipped below ₡450 again in Costa Rica, continuing a trend that has steadily reduced the spending power of foreign residents who earn their income in...

Costa Rica Fines Contractor Over Long-Delayed Cartago Road

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica has started fining the company building the long-delayed Taras-La Lima highway project $20,000 for every additional day the work remains unfinished. The latest deadline for completing the...

Costa Rica Limits Car Imports to One Per Year and Taxes Them at Market Value

The Tico Times -
If you are planning to ship a vehicle into Costa Rica, two things have changed and both affect what you will pay. Under and Executive import taxes on a...

Costa Rica University Students Protest Proposed Funding Freeze

The Tico Times -
Students from Costa Rica’s public universities marched through San José yesterday protesting a government proposal that would keep university funding essentially flat in 2027 and warning that scholarships, research...

Costa Rica Targets Wildlife Trafficking With New Tourist Campaign

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica has started a new campaign warning travelers not to remove wildlife, plants or other natural specimens after officials confiscated 4,366 animal and plant specimens at airports and...

Court Frees Wife of Pecho de Rata as Prosecutors Appeal

The Tico Times -
A Limon judge rejected a request to jail the wife of extradited trafficking suspect Edwin Lopez Vega for a year, imposing a travel ban instead. Prosecutors have appealed.

Two Pococí Judges and a Judicial Agent Detained in Diablo Probe

Tico Times -
Prosecutors say two judges and a judicial agent from the Pococí courts are suspected of bribery and procuring impunity for a drug trafficking group between 2023 and 2026.

Forbes Puts Costa Rican Coffee Farmers at the Center of the $60 Cup

Tico Times -
A Forbes travel feature on $60 coffee centers on a small producers association in Turrubares. Its president says the Starbucks price reported in the article likely reflects an intermediary rather than a direct sale.

Can Tourism Really Push Out Drug Trafficking in Costa Rica’s South Pacific?

The Tico Times -
Local officials and business leaders in Costa Rica's South Pacific are betting on tourism to change the image and economic trajectory of communities long associated with drug trafficking, illegal...

US Demands Nicaragua Release Brooklyn Rivera’s Relatives

AFP -
The United States on Monday demanded that Nicaragua’s government release relatives of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera, who died in prison three months ago. Rivera, a longtime leader of the...

Costa Rica’s Medical Tourists Are Trading Dental Chairs for Operating Room

Guest Author -
The foreign patient arriving in Costa Rica for a dental implant or a cosmetic procedure is no longer the whole picture. Hospitals here are reporting a rising share of...

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano Erupts Again in Costa Rica

The Tico Times -
The Rincón de la Vieja Volcano gave us yet another eruption yesterday afternoon, sending a column of steam approximately 1,000 meters, or 3,280 feet, above its crater. The eruption...

Route 32 Closures Will Keep Coming and Here Is What Drivers Should Do

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica said today it will spend $100 million to take the roundabouts out of Route 32, the highway that connects San José to the Caribbean coast. President Laura...

National Geographic Names Costa Rica a Forest Bathing Paradise

The Tico Times -
National Geographic has named Costa Rica one of five places in the world to experience forest bathing, the practice of walking slowly through a natural setting and paying deliberate...

Costa Rica Expansion and Rebuild of the Limón Airport

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica plans to invest about $40 million to rebuild and expand Limón Airport, with the long-term goal of bringing international flights directly to the Caribbean. The Ministry of...
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Popular Articles

Costa Rica’s Medical Tourists Are Trading Dental Chairs for Operating Room

Guest Author -
The foreign patient arriving in Costa Rica for a dental implant or a cosmetic procedure is no longer the...

Wife of Extradited Trafficker Detained at Costa Rica Airport

The Tico Times -
Costa Rican authorities detained a woman sought in the largest organized-crime investigation this afternoon, moments after she stepped off...

U.S. President Trump Announces Major Venezuela Oil Deal

AFP -
President Donald Trump announced a sweeping oil agreement with Venezuela that he says will expand U.S. reserves, attract billions in private investment and eventually lower gasoline prices.

Flash Flood Sweeps Away Guide and Hiker in Pérez Zeledón

The Tico Times -
Update, August 31: The excursion guide swept away in this incident was found dead Sunday evening. The Red Cross...

Route 32 Closures Will Keep Coming and Here Is What Drivers Should Do

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica said today it will spend $100 million to take the roundabouts out of Route 32, the highway...
Load more

Travel and Tourism

Guanacaste Bakes While the Caribbean Floods in Costa Rica’s Split August

The Tico Times -
August gave us two very different versions of Costa Rica’s rainy season, with unusually little rain falling around Liberia...

Costa Rica Issues Green Alert as Rincón de la Vieja Activity Increases

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica has placed five areas near Rincón de la Vieja Volcano under a preventive green alert after more...

Dollar Drops Again as Costa Rica Gets More Expensive for Expats and Tourists

The Tico Times -
The U.S. dollar has slipped below ₡450 again in Costa Rica, continuing a trend that has steadily reduced the...

Costa Rica Fines Contractor Over Long-Delayed Cartago Road

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica has started fining the company building the long-delayed Taras-La Lima highway project $20,000 for every additional day...

Route 32 Closures Will Keep Coming and Here Is What Drivers Should Do

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica said today it will spend $100 million to take the roundabouts out of Route 32, the highway...
Load more

Expat Living

Costa Rica Opens Legal Status Path for Thousands of Foreigners

The Tico Times -
Nearly 100 foreigners applied on the first day of a new Costa Rican immigration program designed to give legal...

Costa Rica Limits Car Imports to One Per Year and Taxes Them at Market Value

The Tico Times -
If you are planning to ship a vehicle into Costa Rica, two things have changed and both affect what...

Costa Rica Scrapped the Three Month Driving Limit for Foreign Licenses

Tico Times -
If you are driving in Costa Rica on a license from home, the rule you have probably read online...

The Lifeguards Who Transformed Playa Dominical in Costa Rica

Don Mateo -
Playa Dominical has a well earned reputation as one of Costa Rica’s premier surfing spots. Its powerful and consistent...

Costa Rica Delays Yellow Fever Vaccine Rules Until October

The Tico Times -
Costa Rica has delayed new yellow fever vaccination rules for travelers to eight countries, giving you another month to...
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Latin America News

Why is Daniel Ortega Shutting Nicaragua’s Opposition Out of Elections?

Nicaragua approved a constitutional reform that bars the opposition from participating in elections and extends Daniel Ortega’s term in office, a measure aimed at...

How El Nino is choking the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal will restrict the number of vessels transiting the crucial waterway from Friday for the second time ever due to drought caused...

US Calls on Allies to Cut Off Nicaragua After Ortega Bars Opposition Parties

The United States asked its international partners to immediately end normal dealings with Nicaragua's government, hours after the Ortega-Murillo administration formalized a constitutional rewrite...

US Demands Nicaragua Release Brooklyn Rivera’s Relatives

The United States on Monday demanded that Nicaragua’s government release relatives of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera, who died in prison three months ago. Rivera,...

Ship Pays Record Amount to Cross Panama Canal Amid Drought Restrictions

A ship paid a record $5.3 million to cross the Panama Canal sooner, just days before a reduction in vessel traffic takes effect due...

U.S. President Trump Announces Major Venezuela Oil Deal

President Donald Trump announced a sweeping oil agreement with Venezuela that he says will expand U.S. reserves, attract billions in private investment and eventually lower gasoline prices.

El Salvador’s Fireball Festival Lights Up Nejapa

If you are in El Salvador this weekend and want to see something you will not find anywhere else, head north from San Salvador...
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Arts and Culture

Parque La Libertad Layoffs Prompt Community Protest in Costa Rica

Communities surrounding Parque La Libertad are preparing a peaceful musical protest on Sunday after government budget cuts led to 15 layoffs and temporary salary...

Costa Rica’s Caribbean Comes Alive for Puerto Viejo’s Wolaba Parade

One of the South Caribbean’s biggest cultural celebrations returns Saturday as the Wolaba Parade fills the main street of Puerto Viejo with music, dancing,...

Costa Rica’s August 31 Holiday Falls on a Workday for the First Time

Monday, August 31 is a national holiday in Costa Rica. Plan for a three-day weekend, closed government offices, and a payroll question if you...

Is Costa Rica’s 98% Literacy Rate Really Accurate?

Costa Rica has long promoted itself as the most literate country in Central America, and by the numbers it is. Government statistics put the...

Public Institutions Pull Out of Costa Rica’s Festival de la Luz

Several major public institutions will not bring their traditional illuminated floats to San José’s Festival de la Luz this year, forcing organizers to rethink...

Costa Rica’s Maleku Chocolate Wins International Bronze Medal

A 70% dark chocolate grown, fermented and finished entirely in Costa Rica has earned international recognition for its Guanacaste-based producer.

What happened to Galeria Namu?

Founded in 1998, Galeria Namu had become a must-visit attraction for tourists visiting San Jose, as well as for many nationals, interested in seeing...
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Environment and Wildlife

Rare Blue Octopus Returns to Galápagos as a Newly Identified Species

The rare blue octopus that surprised scientists has returned to the Galápagos Islands. The specimen, about the size of a golf ball, will be...

Watch Spider Monkeys Return to Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula

A camera trap project on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula produced an unexpected discovery: Central American spider monkeys living wild in an area where the species had once disappeared.

Costa Rica Renews Push to Make Chirripó Its First UNESCO Global Geopark

Costa Rica and the State Distance University are renewing an effort to have Chirripó recognized as Costa Rica's first UNESCO Global Geopark, a designation...

Costa Rica Court Orders Protection Plan for Playa Blanca After 32-Year Delay

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Court has ordered environmental authorities to create a long-delayed management plan for the protected marine wetland at Playa Blanca, adding a...

Costa Rica Targets Wildlife Trafficking With New Tourist Campaign

Costa Rica has started a new campaign warning travelers not to remove wildlife, plants or other natural specimens after officials confiscated 4,366 animal and...

Forbes Puts Costa Rican Coffee Farmers at the Center of the $60 Cup

A Forbes travel feature on $60 coffee centers on a small producers association in Turrubares. Its president says the Starbucks price reported in the article likely reflects an intermediary rather than a direct sale.

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano Erupts Again in Costa Rica

The Rincón de la Vieja Volcano gave us yet another eruption yesterday afternoon, sending a column of steam approximately 1,000 meters, or 3,280 feet,...
Load more
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