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COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

El Salvador Tourism Growth Continues With Record April Visitor Numbers

El Salvador received 473,000 international visitors in April, a 36 percent increase from the same month in 2025, according to figures from the country’s Ministry of Tourism. The April...

Costa Rica Conservation Farms Open Window Into Nicoya Peninsula Wildlife

Over the years of offering wildlife monitoring services using camera traps, I’ve had many projects come and go. Some last a few months, others last several years. No matter...

Costa Rica Cinema Returns to Cannes Film Festival

Costa Rican cinema has another rare place on the Cannes stage this week, as director Valentina Maurel competes in Un Certain Regard at the 79th Cannes Film Festival with...

Guatemalans Celebrate End of Consuelo Porras’ Term as Attorney General

Hundreds of Guatemalans celebrated Saturday with music, firecrackers and parody performances marking the end of eight years in office for Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by...

Seventy Years of Stories: The Tico Times Turns 70

Today, May 18, 2026, Costa Rica's most enduring English-language voice quietly marks a milestone that few news organizations anywhere in the world ever reach: its 70th birthday. The Tico...

Costa Rican Woman Dies on Iberia Flight from Madrid to San José

Costa Rica saw a second airport emergency on Saturday after authorities responded to the death of a passenger aboard an Iberia flight arriving from Madrid, the same day another...

Costa Rica Airport Emergency After Southwest Flight Diverts to Liberia

A Southwest Airlines flight that departed Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport made an emergency landing Sunday at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia after the crew reported...

Panama Costa Rica Rail Corridor Could Transform Central America Travel

A railway that would stitch together two of Central America's most dynamic economies is quietly moving from vision to blueprint. Panama and Costa Rica are jointly advancing plans for...

TikTok Overtakes Instagram as Costa Rica’s Second Most Used App

TikTok has passed Instagram to become Costa Rica’s second most used social network, marking a major shift in how people in the country consume digital content and how businesses...

Best Time and Place to Go Tarpon Fishing in Costa Rica

Barra del Colorado has long been one of Costa Rica’s great fishing destinations, especially for anglers chasing Atlantic tarpon along the country’s remote northern Caribbean coast. It's near the...

Costa Rica Hotel Faces Backlash After Refusing Entry to Guide Dog

Barceló Hotel Group issued a public apology after a couple with visual disabilities denounced that the Occidental Papagayo hotel in Guanacaste refused entry to a guide dog, leaving one...

Costa Rica’s New Caño Negro Bridge Cuts Travel Time to Monteverde

The new Caño Negro bridge is reshaping travel between La Fortuna, El Castillo and Monteverde, creating a faster inland tourist route across one of Costa Rica’s best-known tourist areas....

Costa Rica Receives Fourth U.S. Deportation Flight Under Migration Deal

Costa Rica received a fourth flight of migrants deported from the United States on Friday, as our country continues carrying out a bilateral migration agreement signed with Washington in...

Panama Hosts Largest Multinational Canal Protection Exercise

Twelve nations will send more than 1,500 security personnel to Panama for Panamax 2026, the largest multinational training exercise of the year focused on defending the Panama Canal. Panama’s Ministry...

Amazon Carries Out New Round of Layoffs in Costa Rica

Amazon has carried out a new round of layoffs in Costa Rica, affecting employees in several departments as the company continues a broader global restructuring. Workers reported the new cuts...

Herediano Wins Costa Rica Soccer Title No. 32 After Beating Saprissa

Club Sport Herediano closed the Clausura 2026 tournament in championship style Saturday night, defeating Deportivo Saprissa 2-0 in the second leg of the final and taking the series 3-2...

Costa Rica Birdwatching Fair 2026 to Spotlight Sarapiquí Wildlife

Costa Rica will host the North American Bird Fair Costa Rica 2026 from June 4 to 7 in Sarapiquí, bringing together birdwatchers, nature photographers, tourism operators, educators, naturalists and...

New Costa Rica Land-Use Bill Could Reshape Tourism Zones

The proposal would create a legal path for some rural properties accessed by agricultural easements to be used for tourism, residential, or recreational projects. A bill before Costa Rica’s...

Panama Canal Rules Out 2026 Transit Restrictions Despite El Niño

The Panama Canal Authority ruled out ship transit restrictions for the rest of 2026 even as El Niño conditions take hold in Panama. The authority made the announcement Friday...

Costa Rica Welcomes Over One Million Tourists in First Quarter

Costa Rica’s tourism industry opened the year with strong momentum, passing one million international visitors in the first quarter and posting growth compared with the same period last year....

US Plans to Indict Former Cuban President Raúl Castro

The US Justice Department is preparing to seek a federal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter. The potential charges center...

Costa Rica Escalates Trade Dispute With Panama

Costa Rican President Laura Fernández has raised the stakes in a long-running trade dispute with Panama, ordering her foreign minister to pursue international action over restrictions that continue to...

Costa Rica Bird Count Highlights Biodiversity in Wildlife Corridor

Costa Rica’s Cubujuquí Interurban Biological Corridor recorded 2,366 birds from 183 species during its first bird census of 2026, confirming the area as one of the richest urban conservation...

FIFA Accepts Steep Discount in Deal for World Cup Coverage in China

FIFA has finalized a broadcast rights agreement with China Media Group for the next four World Cup tournaments at a reported price tag of just $60 million for the...

Central America’s Largest Rodeo Coming to Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s National Stadium will trade soccer chants for bull riding, barrel racing and cowboy culture on Sunday, June 7, when the Extreme American Rodeo 2026 takes over La...

Panama President Rules Out Negotiating With Gangs Amid Violence Surge

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday his government will not negotiate with gang leaders and will keep a reinforced police presence on the streets in response to a...

Costa Rica May Move Public Holidays to Mondays Again

Costa Rica’s National Chamber of Tourism is backing a new legislative proposal that would bring back long weekends by moving five public holidays to the following Monday, a measure...

Costa Rica Moves to Jail Illegal Miners for a Decade as Gold Crisis Deepens

Costa Rica’s incoming National Assembly faces an urgent piece of legislation this week that reflects just how badly illegal gold mining has spiraled out of control: a bill that...

How Expats Survive Costa Rica Heat Without Air Conditioning

Summer won’t go away. The afternoon clouds and cooling rains have been few. We are a third of the way through May, and Green Season has yet to step...

Costa Rica Film Highlights Osa Community Protecting Pumas and Tapirs

A new documentary is drawing attention to a rare conservation story on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, where a rural community near Corcovado National Park has gone from hunting wildlife...
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Popular Articles

Costa Rica Bird Count Highlights Biodiversity in Wildlife Corridor

Costa Rica’s Cubujuquí Interurban Biological Corridor recorded 2,366 birds from 183 species during its first bird census of 2026,...

Madonna, Shakira and BTS to Headline First World Cup Final Halftime Show

Madonna, Shakira and BTS will headline the first halftime show ever staged during a FIFA World Cup final, bringing...

Costa Rica and Uruguay Honor Rural Traditions With Special Postage Stamp

Costa Rica and Uruguay marked 96 years of diplomatic relations with the launch of a commemorative postal issue honoring...

Italy’s Sinner Sets Tennis Record, Closes In on Historic Rome Title

Italian Jannik Sinner, the world's top-ranked men's tennis player, made history on Thursday at the Italian Open in Rome,...

Before You Buy That New Car in Costa Rica, Read This

The sticker shock is real, but so is something else hiding in the dashboard. Anyone who has looked at...

Costa Rica Airport Emergency After Southwest Flight Diverts to Liberia

A Southwest Airlines flight that departed Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport made an emergency landing Sunday at Daniel...

Panama Costa Rica Rail Corridor Could Transform Central America Travel

A railway that would stitch together two of Central America's most dynamic economies is quietly moving from vision to...

Best Time and Place to Go Tarpon Fishing in Costa Rica

Barra del Colorado has long been one of Costa Rica’s great fishing destinations, especially for anglers chasing Atlantic tarpon...

Costa Rica Hotel Faces Backlash After Refusing Entry to Guide Dog

Barceló Hotel Group issued a public apology after a couple with visual disabilities denounced that the Occidental Papagayo hotel...

Costa Rica’s New Caño Negro Bridge Cuts Travel Time to Monteverde

The new Caño Negro bridge is reshaping travel between La Fortuna, El Castillo and Monteverde, creating a faster inland...

Before You Buy That New Car in Costa Rica, Read This

The sticker shock is real, but so is something else hiding in the dashboard. Anyone who has looked at...

Costa Rica Enters Fernandez Era With Chaves Still in the Room

As I write this, Costa Rica is celebrating the changing of the guard. Laura Fernandez has been sworn in...

A Costa Rica Expat’s Funny List of Everyday Pet Peeves

Is it just me, or does it seem like too many people are looking too hard for something– anything–...

Costa Rica Fuel Prices Rise as ARESEP Approves Major Increase

Costa Rica drivers will soon face a major increase at the pump after the Public Services Regulatory Authority, ARESEP,...

Costa Rica Property Owners with Inactive Corporations Face Filing Deadline

Expats and property owners here in Costa Rica who hold a home, vehicle, land or other assets through a...

Latin America News

El Salvador Tourism Growth Continues With Record April Visitor Numbers

El Salvador received 473,000 international visitors in April, a 36 percent increase from the same month in 2025, according to figures from the country’s...

Panama Hosts Largest Multinational Canal Protection Exercise

Twelve nations will send more than 1,500 security personnel to Panama for Panamax 2026, the largest multinational training exercise of the year focused on...

Panama Canal Rules Out 2026 Transit Restrictions Despite El Niño

The Panama Canal Authority ruled out ship transit restrictions for the rest of 2026 even as El Niño conditions take hold in Panama. The...

US Plans to Indict Former Cuban President Raúl Castro

The US Justice Department is preparing to seek a federal indictment against Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president, according to multiple officials familiar with the...

Panama President Rules Out Negotiating With Gangs Amid Violence Surge

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said Thursday his government will not negotiate with gang leaders and will keep a reinforced police presence on the...

Panama Open to Talks With Costa Rica on Meat and Dairy Ban

Panama’s government has signaled willingness to discuss its long-running restrictions on Costa Rican beef, dairy, poultry, fruits and vegetables, but cattle producers immediately drew...

U.S. Deportations of Salvadorans Nearly Double in First Quarter of 2026

U.S. authorities deported 5,033 Salvadorans between January and March 2026. That total represents a nearly 98 percent jump from the 2,547 recorded in the...

Arts and Culture

Costa Rica Cinema Returns to Cannes Film Festival

Costa Rican cinema has another rare place on the Cannes stage this week, as director Valentina Maurel competes in Un Certain Regard at the...

TikTok Overtakes Instagram as Costa Rica’s Second Most Used App

TikTok has passed Instagram to become Costa Rica’s second most used social network, marking a major shift in how people in the country consume...

Central America’s Largest Rodeo Coming to Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s National Stadium will trade soccer chants for bull riding, barrel racing and cowboy culture on Sunday, June 7, when the Extreme American...

Costa Rica Food Earns Spot Among World’s Top 100 Cuisines

Costa Rican cuisine has earned a place on TasteAtlas’ list of the 100 best cuisines, giving the country a modest but welcome boost in...

Costa Rica and Uruguay Honor Rural Traditions With Special Postage Stamp

Costa Rica and Uruguay marked 96 years of diplomatic relations with the launch of a commemorative postal issue honoring two figures closely tied to...

Karol G Adds Second Costa Rica Concert After High Demand

Colombian star Karol G has added a second concert in Costa Rica after tickets for her first National Stadium show sold out within hours....

Costa Rica to Host 2026 Latin American Karting Championship

Costa Rica will host the 2026 Latin American Karting Championship this weekend, bringing one of the region’s largest karting events to the P1 Speedway...

Environment and Wildlife

Costa Rica Conservation Farms Open Window Into Nicoya Peninsula Wildlife

Over the years of offering wildlife monitoring services using camera traps, I’ve had many projects come and go. Some last a few months, others...

Costa Rica Birdwatching Fair 2026 to Spotlight Sarapiquí Wildlife

Costa Rica will host the North American Bird Fair Costa Rica 2026 from June 4 to 7 in Sarapiquí, bringing together birdwatchers, nature photographers,...

Costa Rica Bird Count Highlights Biodiversity in Wildlife Corridor

Costa Rica’s Cubujuquí Interurban Biological Corridor recorded 2,366 birds from 183 species during its first bird census of 2026, confirming the area as one...

Costa Rica Film Highlights Osa Community Protecting Pumas and Tapirs

A new documentary is drawing attention to a rare conservation story on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, where a rural community near Corcovado National Park...

Costa Rica Sloth Groups Expose Florida Animal Death Scandal

It was marketed as a place where sloths would live their “slowest, happiest lives.” In reality, Sloth World Orlando became something closer to a...

Guanacaste Forest Fires Break Costa Rica’s 2024 Record

Guanacaste is facing one of the most severe forest fire seasons Costa Rica has ever recorded, with the province alone now reporting more fires...

Coral Conservation Effort Begins on Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast

Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coast is moving into the center of a new community-led coral conservation effort, with a workshop aimed at training local...