Ecotourism

Costa Rica Zoo Ponderosa Environmental Authorities Order Ponderosa Park to put a Stop to Interaction with Animals and Their Reproduction

The Ministry of Environment of Costa Rica has ordered Ponderosa Adventure Park in Liberia to forbid visitors to take selfies with the wild animals they have and feed them, they have also ordered the Park to stop the reproduction of the animals they have. These are part of the changes that Ponderosa Park must put in place in order to comply with the Law of Conservation of Wildlife which was pub...

Bizarre Animal Killing Expat Couple Hiding out in Costa Rica

On the weekend of September 20th, photos of the Spanish couple Pedro and Silvia Sierra went viral. They depicted the couple in Costa Rica, Pedro in camouflage jungle gear, and Silvia in a bra and pants. They appeared to be deep in the jungle in the photos, and seemed to be hunting domestic cats. There were photos of cats impaled on trees, being eaten by snakes, hanging upside down from Pedro’s han...

National Park Costa RIca National Parks Contribute Almost 2 Billion USD to Costa Rican Economy

An investigation carried out by the International Center of Economic Politics for Sustainable Development of the National University, that used data from 2016 to calculate the contribution of the country’s National Parks to Costa Rica’s finances put in evidence not only the ecologic importance but also the economic importance, social and institutional which is reflected in activities such as touri...

Costa Rica Stop Animal Selfies Costa Rica Launches”Stop Animal Selfies” Campaign

Costa Rica wants to become the first country to regulate the incidence of cruel or inadequate selfies involving wild animals, this through the initiative #stopanimalselfies. A study carried out by World Animal Protection (WAP) in 2017, placed Costa Rica in the seventh place of the world in the number of inadequate photographs and selfies involving wild animals. In response to this and committed...

Isla del Coco Costa Rica Costa Rica’s Cocos Island Recognized as Blue Park

This is a big year for Costa Rica’s one and only Isla del Coco, Cocos Island National Park, as it received this week the “Blue Park” award for its condition as Global Ocean Refuge in the Gold category of the Marine Conservation Institute which promotes Marine Protected Areas that comply with certain standards of management and effectiveness. Cocos Island was nominated as a candidate back in Jul...

famous Costa Rican sloths Cancer Fighting Costa Rican Sloths Featured in The New York Times

Sloths. We love them in Costa Rica. They are the spokes-animals for many tourist campaigns, and their adorable faces adorn t-shirts, mugs, change purses, and other souvenir/tourist objects visitors to Costa Rica take home with them after their vacations. Now, they have been made famous by two biologists from University of Wisconsin: Jonathan N. Pauli and M. Zachariah Peery, whose study of sloths h...

Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica American Expat Mike Hughes: Turtle Rescuer of Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica

What would possess an American war veteran to spend all night alone on a Costa Rican beach, looking for turtle nests? Turtle Rescue! And it’s urgent. Mike Hughes seems to be an unlikely volunteer conservationist. But that’s exactly who he is, and he has probably saved thousands and thousands of turtle eggs from illegal turtle egg poachers who have now become well organized, and in many cases af...

Costa Rica National PArks Costa Rica Celebrates National Parks Day With Free Entrance to All National Parks

This Saturday, August 24 we celebrate National Parks Day and Costa Rica offers free entrance to any of its 29 National Parks. Beach or mountain destinations, Costa Rica has a variety of options to offer, some just an hour away from the capital city. Costa Rica has 169 protected areas that represent 26% of the country’s total area; these protected areas include national parks, national monum...

Ocean Research Costa Rica, Environment Good and bad News Found off the Costa Rican Coast

Scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor spent three weeks in February, 2019, exploring the depths of the ocean surrounding Isla del Coco National Park. They found good news and bad news. They discovered at least four new species of deep-sea coral – one probably 1,000 years old – and six yet undiscovered ocean animals. They also found on one of their deepest of dives,...

Costa Rica History, stone spheres Stone Sphere Museum Reopens This Friday in Palmar Sur Costa Rica

Have you seen a stone sphere since you’ve been in Costa Rica? They can be seen used as lawn ornaments in the yards of important people, or in front of some government office buildings, or at the National Museum in San Jose -- but in 2014 UNESCO declared the “Pre-Columbian Chiefdom Settlements with stone spheres of the Diquis” a World Heritage Site – and that’s a huge deal. A museum was established...

Costa Rica National Parks Internet 11 National Parks in Costa Rica Will have Free Internet Service

As part of the project “Connected Public Spaces” the Ministry of Science and Technology (MICITT), the Ministry of Environment(MINAE) and the Telecommunication Superintendence (SUTEL) signed an agreement to offer free internet connection in Costa Rican National Parks. “Considering that Wildlife Protected Areas in the country are visited daily by hundreds of national and foreign tourists and ar...

Poas Volcano Costa Rica Poas Volcano National Park is Open to the Public But Technical Closures Sometimes Occure

After the preventive closure of Poas Volcano National Park this past Monday, visitation to the park has resumed with normality despite the sporadic passive eruptions that it continues to report. The eruptions have been of variable intensity and after the analysis by experts the park remains open to the public with certain restrictions and security measures. “When there is a change in the dir...

Costa Rica Insects Foreigners Detained at Costa Rica International Airport Carrying Spiders, Ants and a Scorpion

Foreigners Detained at Costa Rica International Airport Carrying Spiders, Ants and a Scorpion Two foreigners were detained at the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica, when they attempted to leave the country with 181 containers containing live ants, spiders and a scorpion. The men of German nationality and last names Goldnik and Ollesch were arrested by Airport Police of the...

Poas Volcano Costa Rica Poas Volcano Continues Hydro-thermal Activity

The hydro-thermal activity at the Poas Volcano has maintained throughout the last month, and it presented an important eruption the afternoon of this Monday, January 7. These eruptions are considered as normal for this volcano, they occur as the lake dries out leaving behind mud and sediments which cause impulsive expulsions of gas. Poas Volcano National Park reopened its doors to the public...

American Tourist and Eco-Warrior Drowns at Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

Harper College Associate Biology Professor Craig Stettner died on Christmas day while on a family vacation in Costa Rica. Stettner had arrived in Costa Rica a few days before he was to lead a Study-Abroad Course for Harper students from January 3-13, doing field research in the Costa Rican Rainforest. Stettner had conducted this very popular course for Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, for the...

Costa Rica Volcanoes Volcanic Activity in Costa Rica: 2018 Year in Review

Volcanoes in Costa Rica have certainly made headlines this year, the National University's Volcanology and Seismology Research Institute (OVSICORI) offered its annual report on the country’s volcanic activity. “Turrialba Volcano has maintained an open system activity, generating passive emissions of ash as a result of the slow but almost constant raise of a small volume of magma. Out of the 336...

Costa Rica Turrialba Volcano Turrialba Volcano Spits ash Over the Great Metropolitan Area in Costa Rica

The constant eruptions of the Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica that have been registered since yesterday and throughout the day today have caused ash fall to different parts of the Great Metropolitan Area. The activity this Sunday, December 9, began since the early morning hours (1:15 a.m.) and again (6:52 a.m.) with a column of ash that reached over 800 meters above the crater, 4.140 meters abo...

Costa Rica Turrialba Volcano VIDEO: Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica Continues to Erupt

The morning of this Wednesday, December 28, at 7 a.m. local time the Turrialba Volcano registered another eruption with a column of ash that reached close to 500 meters above the cater, 3,840 meters above sea level (12595.2 ft). The eruption carried on for a couple of hours, with ash reaching several areas of the Central Valley, including Santa Ana and Tibás in San José and San Rafael in Heredi...

Costa Rica Corcovado Park 12 People Arrested at Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica

A special operation carried out by personnel of the Ministry of Environment (MINAE) through the Units of Control of the Corcovado National Park, the Environmental Operation Group of the National System of Areas of Conservation (GOA) and the Frontier Police, concluded with the arrest of 12 people who were carrying out illegal activities in the Park such as extraction of gold, illegal hunting and in...

Costa Rica Thermal Waterfall Discover the Highest Documented Thermal Waterfall Near Irazu Volcano in Costa Rica

Photo Credit: The Waterfall Trail. A thermal waterfall to the north of the Irazu Volcano in Costa Rica could be the highest of its kind in the country. With a fall of approximately 130 meters (426 ft) its hot water is the product of the action from the volcano.The Caliente River which is formed by thermal waters is found a few kilometers north of the volcano crater. The exact location is well k...

Costa RIca Frog Photography Photo Taken At Veragua Rainforest in Costa Rica Finalist at Prestigious Smithsonian Competition

Photo: Javier Lobon-Rovira A photograph taken at Veragua Rainforest in Limon, Costa Rica has been named a Highly Honored Finalist in the prestigious 2018 Windland Smith Rice Awards for Nature's Best Photography. The photograph will be featured in the 23rd Annual Windland Smith Rice International Awards Smithsonian Exhibition at the famed Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washi...

Costa Rica Ponderosa Adventure Park A New Oryx Was Born at the Ponderosa Adventure Park in Guanacaste Costa Rica

La Ponderosa Adventure Park is celebrating the birth of the latest member of its family, an oryx by the name of Dan. East African Oryxes are antelope’s native of Africa, they have a brownish-gray coat and their face and legs have white and black markings, their long horns are almost straight. These animals are endangered species, listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conserva...

Costa Rica Volcanoes Turrialba and Rincon de la Vieja Volcanoes in Costa Rica Are Very Active

This Sunday, November 4th two of Costa Rica’s volcanoes registered important activity; the Turrialba Volcano in Cartago presented an eruption with an ash column that reached 500 meters above the crater or 3,484 meters above sea level (12595.2 ft). In Guanacaste, the Rincon de la Vieja volcano began its activity at 7:45 p.m., the weather conditions at the time of the eruption didn’t allow to con...

Costa RIca Giraffes Another Giraffe Was Born in Costa Rica and Her Name is Sofia

Sofia is the name of the new baby giraffe that was born at the Ponderosa Adventure Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, the 13th giraffe born in the country and the fourth so this year, the others that were welcomed this year in the park are Maira, David and Lydia. In total, the tower of giraffes at the park is composed by 14 giraffes, “this means that the country already has a genetic reserve of th...

Turrialba Volcano Costa Rica Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica Continues Its Sporadic Eruptions

Photo: Archive The Turrialba Volcano continues showing signs of important activity; this Tuesday, October 30 it registered an eruption with a column that reached close to 500 meters above the crated, 3,840 meters above sea level (12,595.2 ft). Even though the activity is sporadic and of short span (minutes generally), it is a good reminder of the fact that this Volcano could at any given poi...

Costa Rica Jaguars Tortguero Conservation Efforts Increase Population of Jaguars and Turtles in Tortuguero Costa Rica

After years of conservation efforts and coordinated work between the Ministry of Environment (MINAE), the park rangers of the National System of Areas of Conservation (SINAC) and the neighbors of Tortuguero, the results are not visible, the population of sea turtles and jaguars in the area has increased. Tortuguero National Park was created in 1970 and it was one of the first areas of conservat...

Costa Rica Rabies Biologist in Costa Rica Battles Rabies Virus After Being Bitten by a Bat

Four years had gone by with no registered cases of rabies affecting humans in Costa Rica. Unfortunately today the Ministry of Health confirmed the case of a 43-year-old biologist who became infected by the virus and is in very delicate condition at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in San Jose. Apparently, the man was bit by a bat on his left arm when he visited a cave during a family trip in the a...

Costa Rica Birdwatching Bird Challenge Positions Costa Rica as a Preferred Bird Watching Destination

Costa Rica was the site of the Bird Challenge 2018, and activity that took place between October 4 and October 12 as part of the “Ruta de Aves” (Bird Route) organized by the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT). “Costa Rica stands out in the world being the home of over 900 species of birds in a territory of just 51,100 square kilometers, the country has more species of birds than the United Stat...

Costa Rica Rincon de la Vieja Rincon de la Vieja Volcano Registered 2 Minute Eruption in Costa Rica

Today, the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste registered an eruption after several months of relative calm. The column reached close to 1000 meters above the crater, some 2916 meters above sea level (9564.48 ft), it was a short eruption that lasted close to 2 minutes. According to OVSICORI, no reports have been received of ash fall in the nearby communities, however, they recommend pre...

Turrialba Volcano Costa Rica Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano Registers Intense Explosions

The Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica has been presenting a more constant and intense activity since the beginning of October. The activity began today at 6:30 a.m. and its still ongoing. The ash column reached close to 500 meters above the crater of the volcano, 3,840 meters above sea level, (approx. 12,595 ft. above sea level). The National Seismology Network reported that the volcano mainta...

Costa Rica Volcanoes Become a Vulcanologist for a Day Wednesday Oct 10 at Irazu Volcano in Costa Rica

In the frame of the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, the non-governmental organization, Volcanoes Without Boarders in coordination with the Irazu Volcano National Park and the Earth Sciences Section of UNESCO is organizing several free guided visits to the Irazu Volcano this Wednesday, October 10. “The educational guided visits will be carried out under the concept “Volcanologi...

Poas Volcano Park Costa Rica Poas National Park in Costa Rica is the 8th Volcano in the World to Have Bunker Shelters

With the installation of “bunker style” shelters, the Poas Volcano National Park became the 8th active volcano in the world to have these types of structures in place for the protection of visitors, affirmed Guillermo Alvarado Induni, specialist at the Technical Assessment Committee of Volcanology and Seismology of the National Emergency Commission (CNE). The other volcanoes in the world that h...

Costa Rica Whale Fest Whale & Dolphin Festival Kicks Off This Friday at Marino Ballena Costa Rica

The whale and dolphin watching season began in Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago, but it is this Friday, September 7 that the annual whale and dolphin festival kicks off at the Marino Ballena National Park in the South Pacific. This beautiful National Park known for its rock and sand formation in the shape of a whale’s tail, is organizing the tenth edition of the Festival that will extend from ...

Costa Rica Environmental Crimes 10 People Arrested in National Parks in Costa Rica For Environmental Crimes

The Protection and Control authorities of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE) in a joint operation with the Border Police, Public Security and Coast Guard Service in the Corcovado National Park and the Manuel Antonio National Park, detained 10 men this week in relation to environmental crimes. According to Enrique Obando from MINAE, three men were detained in the sector of Playa Rey...

Costa Rica Sea Turtles Over One Million Sea Turtles Arrived at Ostional, Guanacaste This Weekend

The first massive “arribada” (arrival) of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) of the season started this past weekend and will extend through September 4th.According to the Ostional Development Association the number of sea turtles that arrived during this past weekend exceeded one million. The months of September, October and November are the months when higher number of sea turtl...

Costa Rica Felines Costa Rica is Home to 6 Species of Felines, Do You Know Which Ones?

Costa Rica is home to a great variety of animal species, among them 6 felines, do you know which ones? There are no lions or tigers in Costa Rica, in fact the two largest felines to be found in the country are the jaguar and the puma, which are also the biggest felines found in the American continent, the other four wild felines found in the country are the ocelot, the margay, oncilla and jagua...

Humpback Whales Costa rica Video: Tourists Caught The Exact Moment a Humpback Whale Jumps Out of the Water in Quepos Costa Rica

A group of tourists taking part of a tour by the company Iguana Tours Costa Rica in Marina Pez Vela, Quepos, caught the exact moment that a humpback whale jumped out of the water near another tour boat impressing and scaring everyone. The season to enjoy sightings of humpback whales began in the South Pacific a few weeks ago and will extend through September. Whale and dolphin watching tours ar...

Costa Rica Poas Volcano Poas Volcano National Park in Costa Rica Will Open Doors to Visitors Again This Friday, Aug.31

After more than 16 months there is finally a date for the reopening of the Poas Volcano National Park in Costa Rica, President Carlos Alvarado will be at the park this Wednesday, August 29 in an official ceremony and on Friday, August 31st the park will open doors to national and foreign tourists. The Technical Assessment Committee (CAT) of Volcanology and Seismology of the National Emergency C...

Lionfish fishing Costa Rica Lionfish Capture Tournament in Manzanillo, Limon September 29-30

The seventh edition of the Lionfish Capture Tournament in Gandoca, Manzanillo, Limon, will take place September 29 and 30th and registrations are now open. This event is organized by the Association of Artisanal Fishermen of the South Caribbean through the Area of Conservation Amistad Caribe (ACLAC) and other institutions. The purpose of the activity is to help control the invasive species, a ...

Poas Volcano Costa Rica Poas Volcano National Park in Costa Rica Will Reopen to the Public this Upcoming Week

The Ministry of Environment and Energy announced that everything is now ready for the reopening of the Poas Volcano National Park to the public. There is still not a set date for the reopening since they are coordinating with the agenda of President Carlos Alvarado; however, it should be sometime this upcoming week and the doors will open to the public the day after the official act. The 5 s...