Travel
According to the Missing Americans Project, a nonprofit organization helping to track Americans and other nationals who vanish in Costa Rica and elsewhere, disappearances of foreigners are under-reported and not closely monitored by any organization. “Families of people who go missing outside their country’s borders frequently find themselves alone and struggling”, according to the organization’s ...
By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica There is a significant and welcome change to the entry requirements to Costa Rica. Good news for the vaccinated amongst you. The change is effective August 1, 2021. Those of you who can provide proof of complete vaccination with either the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will no longer be required ...
By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica As mentioned again in my February 24 article here, throughout 2020, the Costa Rica government repeatedly extended visa expiry dates. That last extension, up until last night, was until today: March 2, 2021. They had announced that there would be no further extensions. The previously announced land border openings to tourists were also push...
By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica Happy New Years Everyone Costa Rica Entry Requirements… For entry requirements and recently announced new restrictions within Costa Rica, please click on the links below and also read part one "How COVID-19 Changed Costa Rica Immigration in the Eyes of Residency Expert Laura Gutierrez" a recently published article on December 29th. You ...
As of November 1st, residents of all American states will be permitted to enter Costa Rica if they have the appropriate paperwork and proof of a negative COVID-19 test; Canadians are already welcome with correct paperwork. The United States Embassy posted on Monday that those wanting to visit Costa Rica should reconsider given the strikes and traffic blockades, as well as the increase in COVID cas...
By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica As of Oct. 15: Residents of Florida, Georgia and Texas will be allowed into Costa Rica. As of Nov. 1: All U.S. citizens and residents will be allowed into Costa Rica. Please click here for Laura's personal travel experience from Costa Rica to the USA and back during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For a comprehensive list of all originating coun...
Muffadal Saylawa, Founder and CEO of Oro Chocolate, was en route to Chocoa, Europe’s largest sustainable chocolate convention, when disaster struck. He was traveling well-prepared, having bought plane tickets to Amsterdam, booked an airb&b, rented a booth at the convention, and recruited his sister to help with sales – Muffadal was filled with hope for taking his gourmet chocolate company to t...
By Laura Gutierrez of Immigration Help Costa Rica On September 3, United Airlines flight 1080 non-stop to Newark was the first commercial passenger flight out of Costa Rica in six months. I was on it to visit family in New Jersey. In reviewing those trips to Newark and back to Costa Rica seven days later on September 10, I hope to answer persistent questions still coming to me from stress...
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) confirmed that as of September 13 the country will increase gradually, but significantly, the number of authorized flights from the United States. As of that date, United Airlines will fly daily from Houston, Texas to the Juan Santamaría Airport and three times a week to the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste. It is possible that the number of fligh...
Costa Rica has added another six states of the United States to the list of territories whose residents can enter the country by air for a total of 12. The first six states were announced over a week ago: New York, New Jersey, New Hempshire, Vermont, Main and Connecticut, now the list also includes: Maryland, Virgina and DC that will have authorized access as of September 1st and two weeks lat...
AERIS Holdings, administrator of the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica released the following updated information regarding the operation of the different airlines in the country under the current pandemic Covid-19: AEROMEXICO: operations suspended until further notice. AIR CANADA: will resume operations in July. AIR FRANCE: operations suspended until further notice. AIR PA...
During almost a year, Diverse Weddings, an LGBTQ+ destination wedding business, has waited for May 26th 2020, the day that same sex couples will be able to celebrate love and a historic moment for Costa Rica! Nowadays, we´re facing an unprecedented global health emergency due to Coronavirus Covid-19, with borders closed and an unforeseen impact in Costa Rica´s tourism industry. Diverse Weddings ...
The General Directorate of Migration (Immigration) established through Executive Decree 42256-MGP-S the temporary measures that are in place through April 30th to prevent the effects and spread of Covid-19 pandemic. According to Laura Gutierrez of Immigration help Costa Rica measures listed in the Executive Decree apply to foreigners who have: Permanent Residency; Special Categories; Non-Residents...
On Sunday, November 17th, Fox TV aired episode #669 of the famous cartoon family The Simpsons, in “Livin’ La Pura Vida”, in which the entire Simpson family and members of their Springfield community visit Costa Rica on vacation. Amazing. La Nacion newspaper commented about the episode, saying that it “without a doubt, positions tourist information (about Costa Rica) before the eyes of the world.” ...
Costa Rica (Rich Coast), has become a favorite playground for rich and famous Americans, i.e. Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Gisele Bundchen, Mel Gibson, Usher, Leonardo DiCaprio, and many other celebrity Americans who visit Costa Rica to unwind, relax and have quality time with their families. Recently Kim Kardashian’s oldest daughter, North West, daughter of Kanye West, and barely 6-years old, has f...
Early Saturday morning, three American tourists and their Costa Rican van driver were killed in a head- on vehicular crash near La Cruz, Guanacaste. They were traveling in a minivan, when they were hit by a truck driven by a Salvadoran citizen, who remains unidentified. The three who were killed were a 46-year old couple by the last name of Niemiec, and their 50-year old fellow passenger whose las...
On June 22, the SSCA HF Radio Service confirmed having received an SOS from a ship’s Personal Locator Beacon (PLB1). Then there was silence. The Radio Service confirmed that the message came from the TRANAVIS, a trimaran sailing between St. Martin, French Antilles, to Barranquilla, Colombia. Aboard the TRANAVIS was Rocco Acocella Roverndom, a well known Eco-Friendly Tour Guide, on his way to Ecuad...
US Embassy in Costa RIca Alerts: On Monday, July 1, 2019, the U.S. Embassy received credible open source information that student protestors and trade unions will continue to protest against government politics with a new focus on the resignation of Finance Minister Rocio Aguilar. In addition to these demonstrations, protestors continue to block main roadways throughout the country, reportedly to ...
Starting December 18 and through April 25, 2020, an Air Transat Airbus A321LR will connect Vancouver, Canada to San José and Liberia in Costa Rica. Tickets went on sale starting June 6 and will be offered twice a week, Wednesdays and Saturdays, leaving Vancouver at 6:30 a.m. and arriving to Liberia, Guanacaste at 5:25 p.m. making an 80 minute stop at the Juan Santamaría Airport in San José. The...
According to the Latinobarómetro Corporation, a non-profit public survey company located in Providencia, Chile, Costa Rica has the highest percentage of Facebook and WhatsApp users in Latin America. The study found that 77% of the population uses Facebook, while 83% uses WhatsApp. This percentage was much higher than in countries with larger populations. Costa Rica’s population is roughly 5 millio...
The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) and the Canadian airline Air Transat confirmed an increase in the number of seats the company would offer to Costa Rica’s two international airports. Two flights originating in Toronto were added this winter, one to the Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport and another to Juan Santamaría International Airport. “Attracting airlines and a greater number of...
The Juan Santamaria Airport inaugurated this Friday the area known as Block Victor (Block V) which includes four new boarding rooms, contact bridges, basement to handle luggage, VIP room and pet area, among others. The block includes 6000 square meters ( 64,583.5 square ft.) in four levels and its another of the parts of the expansion plan of Aeris Holding Costa Rica, which has been executed b...
Costa Rica is the perfect place to escape from the cold Canadian winter, if you have not booked your flight yet and were waiting for a good price to do so, this is the right time, you can find deals for as little as $239.99 USD ($318.80 CAD). The flights, leaving from Toronto and arriving at Liberia, Guanacaste are operated by United Airlines with a short stop in Houston and there are also some...
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...
One year ago Nature Air was the second biggest operator of domestic flights in Costa Rica, but the tragic accident that took place December 31st, 2017 where 10 American tourists and the Costa Rican pilot and copilot died, caused the suspension of the airline and later it's closure. According to data by the General Direction of Civil Aviation, as a result of the accident, the number of tourists ...
Canadian airline Sunwing, began operations between the Vancounver International Airport and the Daniel Oduber Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, this is the third new flight of the high season that arrives to the city of Liberia, with a weekly frequency. Sunwing Airlines plans to continue offering these direct flights every Sunday through March 31, 2019, all throughout the high season in Costa Ric...
Civil Aviation in Costa Rica announced today the official reopening of the Quepos airstrip, which was supposed to be finished earlier this year. According to Captain Guillermo Hoppe, General Director of Civil Aviation, Quepos is the third airdrome in importance in terms of connectivity in the national network of airdromes. The plan to remodel this airstrip involves an investment of close to...
Travel & Leisure Magazine posted their list of 50 Best Places to Travel to in 2019 and included in the list is the province of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. ¨With its beach-meets-jungle coastline, splendid array of biodiversity, and climate as warm as the locals, it's no wonder Costa Rica's northwestern corner became an early paragon of ecotourism. That's a lot of paradise to protect. Now, Guanac...
This December, the Juan Santamaria Airport will inaugurate a new four level building of six thousand square meters that will add four new boarding gates, a VIP room and an area for pets. With this new addition, Costa Rica’s main airport will be able to handle 600 more passengers per hour. This new building is part of the works of project La Candela which will be completed by mid-2019 and whic...
Skyway Costa Rica began its operations in the country today, offering domestic flights for locals and visitors as well as flights to Bocas del Toro in Panama. "Costa Rica has much to offer and the tourism industry is growing very rapidly bringing more and more people to this beautiful and diverse country. In order to experience all there is to do, flying from San Jose to various destinations i...
Southwest Airlines inaugurated this Friday, October 5th its ticket office in Costa Rica, located 250 meters west of the National Stadium, Rohrmoser Boulevard , Grandville Plaza. This is a historical event for Southwest since it’s the first and only ticket office they have in the worl. The event had the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Amalia Revelo and the U.S. Ambassador to Costa Ria, Shar...
Spirit Airlines inaugurated today the new flight connecting Orlando, Florida, US to San Jose, Costa Rica, this flight duplicates the number of seats available in this route. In the last three months of the year Spirit will handle this route with commercial planes Airbus A320 with 182 seats and A319 with 145 seats. This means that in the last trimester of the year the new flight will add an app...
Costa Rica Green Airways will begin operating domestic flights in the country in November 2018, joining the current market operators, Sansa and Aerobell. Green Airways, is being backed by CarmonAir Charter (operating in the Costa Rica since 2009) and will be offering flights to Tambor (Puntarenas), Nosara (Guanacaste) and Quepos (Puntarenas), leaving from the Juan Santamaria Airport. Initially...
Like it or not, Costa Rica is experiencing a mini crime wave, and it will surely affect the tourist trade, including hotels, restaurants, tours, taxis, B & B’s, etc. Even Bloomberg Business News took note of the crime uptick, publishing an article this week on the upward trending Costa Rican crime statistics. This is worrisome to both Ticos and expats, and here’s why. Tourism is Costa Rica’s m...
This is the perfect time to book your flight from Toronto to Costa Rica for the months of September, October or November 2018, Avianca Airlines has rates starting as cheap as $379.00 CAD ($290 USD) round trip. The flights only have one short stop in El Salvador, each way. If you search in Google Flights it will give you the compared prices for a round trip from Toronto to San Jose by just se...
Aerobell Airlines announced its domestic flights to seven destinations in Costa Rica as of this Tuesday, July 24; the company that has 30 years operating in the country under the modality of charter had announced its interest in entering the market of domestic flights after suspension of the operations of Nature Air. “We have identified a lack of options in the offering of domestic itinerary f...
After an extension of almost 300% in area this Monday, July 16 the duty-free store administered by the Joint Institute for Social Aid (IMAS, its Spanish acronym) reopened to receive travelers entering Costa Rica. The duty-free store was closed for close to four months for the remodeling works and it went from 100 square meters to 475 square meters. The total investment was of over $1.4 million....
Photo Credit: La Nacion/ Alejandro Gamboa Madrigal. Canadian company Worldwide Charter Group (WWCG) rejected the fraud accusation made by Costa Rican travel agency DestinosTV. Jose Cortes, General Manager of Destinos TV publicly accused Worldwide Charter Group of fraud in a press conference held on June 19, in reference to over 300 Costa Rican travelers that were stranded in the county after...
Air Canada announced the increase in the frequency of flights connecting Montreal, Canada to Liberia, Guanacaste, going from one to three flights a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) starting December 18, 2018; while flights from Toronto to Liberia will go from four a week to daily as of December 15, 2018, the increase in flights will maintain through April 2019, covering the high season. ...
The low-cost airline Spirit, announced today the expansion of its operations in the Orlando International Airport, included in the new routes announced is a direct flight connecting Orlando, Florida with San Jose, Costa Rica. The route will be inaugurated October 5th and it will have a frequency of four times a week during the first month, increasing to daily services by November 8. Spirit h...