The First Encounter of World Marine Heritage Sites of the East Pacific took place from Wednesday to Friday this week in the Guanacaste Conservation Area in Costa Rica. Representatives from the different Marine World Heritage Sites gathered in the country in the event organized by the Pacifico Foundation, the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the UNESCO field office in Costa Rica in respons...

The Poás Volcano National Park, one of the most visited parks in Costa Rica, has been closed for almost four months, due to the explosive activity it started presenting since April, this has caused big economic loses to local commerce that depend on tourism; it has also affected the National System of Area of Conservation (SINAC) that is not receiving the park entry fee. Considering that the Vo...

The Chapel in the Clouds in Olan, Buenos Aires, Puntarenas, Costa Rica; is not considered a tourism destination, this because getting here is complicated, there are no lodging options or fancy restaurants; however, it is a magical place, almost out of a fairy-tale or children’s movie, a hidden paradise that will fill you with positive energy. If you like trail walking and hiking and are constantly...

The Association of Tour Operators (ASOTU) welcomes visitors to the Marino Ballena National Park all year, but especially in September for the height of whale watching season on Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast. Humpback whales can be seen along many parts of Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast from July - October each year when they give birth to their calves in the area's warm waters. Th...

Nat Geo announced the second season of its digital series Untamed with Filipe DeAndrade; the filmmaker and his colleagues and friends McKenzie Barney and Brian Moghari explore the wildlife of Costa Rica and will bring the audience closer to the many wonders the country has to offer. The filming of Untamed in Costa Rica began the first week of July and will extend for six months, the second seas...

In just the first half of 2017, Costa Rica has reached a new record in clean energy production and received their latest Biosphere Reserve declaration by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)—solidifying their unshakable commitment to sustainability. During the first six months of the year, 99 percent of Costa Rica's electricity came from renewable sources, a...

Banana Azul  located at Puerto Viejo's Playa Negra on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast is a top-ten pick of CNN's travel section. Ranked the top budget resort, the hotel was selected due to its generous amenities at a reasonable cost and luxurious tropical surroundings. Founded in January 2005 by a Canadian couple who quit the fast lane and jumped into this tropical adventure with no prior hotel...

What could be more paradoxical than kids in the newly proclaimed wellness tourism capital lacking outdoor areas to get exercise and have fun? Well, strangely enough, many rural areas in Costa Rica - whether due to hilly terrain, very wet climates, and other environmental and political factors present in this tropical country - do not have safe or apt areas for kids, especially young ones, to ru...

-- Gulf Coast and Central American Yacht Facilities to Collaborate on Service, Training, Activities Coastal Alabama’s Saunders Yachtworks and Costa Rica- based Marina Pez Vela have formed a strategic partnership that will allow the two full-service yacht yards to capitalize on their overlapping customer bases, announced the Gulf Coast shipyard earlier this month. For Saunders, the af...

With an extension of 1,518 hectares, La Marta Wildlife Refuge is in Cartago, part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve La Amistad, 60% of its territory corresponds to primary forest while the remaining 40% is secondary forest in different stages of natural regeneration. Located just two and a half hours away from San José this is a great location for a one day tour in Costa Rica. The way to La Ma...

Rainforests, known as the "jewels of the planet" because of their extensive biodiversity, are the most important ecosystems in Costa Rica, providing a home for a wide variety of plants and wildlife. Jaguars, pumas, woodpeckers, toucans and poisonous snakes are among the wildlife that visitors can encounter in the Central American country's rainforests. Rainforest Adventures has been operatin...

Costa Rican scientists documented for the first time the nest of a yellow-eared toucanet (Selenidera spectabilis), the species of toucan that is hardest to see in the country because of its shyness and of which little is known in terms of reproduction biology. Tourism guides from the company Rainforest Adventures whose property is in close proximity to the Braulio Carrillo National Park, found ...

A private lawsuit has been brought against the Municipality of Garabito, in Costa Rica's Central Pacific region, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) and the Directorate General of Transit (DGT) for a perceived dangerous situation along the southern Pacific coastal highway. Walter Brenes, a lawyer with the Energy Law Firm (ELF), filed the injunction against the entities requesting ...

Last week, Costa Rica hosted a meeting of the Central American Council of Tourism at which ideas were discussed to promote tourism investment in the region, said the Costa Rican tourism Institute (ICT). Central America's Tourism Ministers, businessmen and representatives of the region's tourism chambers participated in this first "Forum of Exchange of Experiences for the Promotion of Tourism In...

Carara National Park is located part in San José (Turrubares) and part in Puntarenas (Garabito); it is just 90 kilometers from San José which makes it a very convenient option for a one day tour, the drive from San José takes just about 2 hours, it is also very close to Jacó which makes it also a great alternative for those vacationing in the area. The word “Carara” means “crocodile river” in ...

Photo Credit: Tundi Agardy. Association Costa Rica por Siempre The Association Costa Rica por Siempre, a private non-profit association created in 2009 with the objective of contributing with the conservation of nature in Costa Rica, announced its partnership with Leonardo DiCaprio foundation to join efforts for the protection of the oceans. “The Leonardo DiCaprio foundation (LDF) is dedicat...

Businesses in the former agricultural towns near the frequently touristed volcano by the same name in Poás, Alajuela are reporting up to 70 percent decreases in sales over recent weeks since the volcano entered a new, eruptive phase. Tourism has become a mainstay of this national park and surrounding area due to its proximity to the main international airport and to San José - making it a popul...

The Costa Rican Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR, its initials in Spanish) sent out a notice to canopy tour operators in the country this week regarding an apparent expiration of the canopy patent, but the relief appears to be short-lived. For weeks, uncertainty has reigned among the industry since Canadian national, Darren Hreniuk, began attempting to charge canopy tours royalties based on a recent...

Sport fishermen in Costa Rica are even happier than usual these days with regular sightings of larger schools of fish and dolphins, said the Costa Rican Fishing Federation, FECOP. They are chalking the increasing up to tough restrictions signed into law by Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís in 2014 prohibiting tuna purse-seine operations within 45 miles of the coast. "This effectivel...

Jorge Mario Marín, legal representative of the inventor of the canopy and its patent holder in Costa Rica, responded to a recent announcement by the Costa Rican Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) in which they said they would follow on the recent court ruling that returned the patent to its inventor. "We find it very unfortunate that the authorities of the National Chamber of Tourism (CANATUR) have i...

If you are looking for options to spend a fun day in Costa Rica enjoying the outdoors TuruBaRi adventure park in Turrubares, Alajuela offers different activities for both kids and adults oriented towards adventure and ecotourism. TuruBaRi used to be land dedicated to farming and agricultural activities, the same was reforested in 1996, and over 80,000 trees have been planted. 236 hectares out o...

A group of three American tourist and their Costa Rican guide were able to capture today a video of a young tapir (Tapirus bairdii) bathing in a sector of the Celeste River in the Tenorio Volcano National Park in Guanacaste (video included at the end of the article). The tourism guide in an interview with local journalist Allan Jara, explains that the video was taken when it had just began to r...

The President of the Republic, Luis Guillermo Solis, and now-resigned Minister of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), Carlos Villalta, together with the Executive Director of the National Roadways Council (CONAVI), German Valverde, last week carried out an inspection of National Route N606, the road linking the Inter-American Highway with Monteverde. The windy, bumpy 17.5 kilometer stretch is at...

The Santa Cruz, Guanacaste municipal government swore in a new set of leaders for its environmental commission this week. Representative from 24 local organizations, autonomous institutions, ministries and private sector companies will be coordinating the area's environmental agenda that includes recycling, reforestation, solid waste treatment, and water resource management, among other aspects. ...

Photo Credit: Rio Savegre Costa Rica Christian Lee / Fotografia Back in April costa Rica Costa Rica nominated Savegre River to be recognized as its fourth biosphere reserve, and this Wednesday afternoon the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Program that was meeting in Paris, France, recognize...

This documentary by writer and traveler Gaia Vince takes viewers to explore this wonderful country. Vince and her family settled in the Pacific of Costa Rica for three months to find out why it is considered one of the happiest and most sustainable countries. The show consists of three episodes each close to 46 minutes; the show is available in Channel 4 in the UK and available online. ...

On Friday, the Costa Rican tourist board (Canatur, its initials in Spanish) published a statement aimed at unifying canopy business owners and informing them of the legal ambiguities surrounding a recent court decision upholding a Canadian man who has operated the system since the 1990s in Costa Rica patent rights to the canopy technology. Canatur said that a June 15 deadline announced by the l...

Photo: Alvaro Cubero / Tiny Snowcap hummingbird If admiring the different species of birds is what you enjoy and whenever you travel you are hoping to capture with your camera lens the perfect photo of a colorful and unique bird, Costa Rica is certainly the place to visit with close to 10% of the species of birds in the planet. In the right places in Costa Rica a bird watcher can see up to ...

The Braulio Carrillo National Park is one of Costa Rica’s most vibrant rainforests, it is full of interesting wildlife living in the dense forest. Part of the Braulio Carrillo National Park is located in Heredia and part in San José, so as you might have guessed getting there doesn’t take too long, and it makes for a great one-day tour in Costa Rica. Most visitors access this park, named af...

The Costa Rican National Tourism Board, Canatur, met with canopy tour operators from throughout the country this week to discuss a recent court ruling on the patent rights over use of the canopy invention in Costa Rica. Monday, Canadian national Darren Hreniuk, who developed the canopy tour mechanics and invention in the first such tour developed in the country in Monteverde in the 1990s, recei...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) through an alliance with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and CNN International along with CNN Tourism Advertising Solutions and Knowledge (CNN TASK) have developed the new image that Costa Rica will use to promote itself as a tourism destination: “Costa Rica: My Choice, Naturally”. ¨Costa Rica: My Choice, Naturally is a campaign that appeals to the sens...

- Inventor of the Canopy Tour® recovers invention patent in Costa Rica after lengthy legal battle, meaning local tour operators must receive authorization to continue to offer such tours in Costa Rica. After almost 20 years of wrangling through the administrative and judicial channels in Costa Rica, a legal resolution ended the conflict that arose after the canopy patent held by Canadian national...

Captain Paul Watson and his not for profit Sea Shepherd crews work around the clock to protect marine life when no one else will. Sea Shepherds involvement and aide in the protection of Costa Rican marine life over the years has been absolute regardless of the very questionable political issues and agenda which surrounds Captain Paul Watson and the country. If you care about protecting ou...

Sustainable Costa Rican tourist enterprises will now be eligible for a European certification, issued by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, reported the agency last week. The international certification, called TourCert, was developed in Germany, and is based on international standards of quality and environmental management including EMAS and ISO, specifically the ISO 26000 guide for soci...

The tourism industry is many times criticized for the negative impact it can bring to a country, in the case of Costa Rica, it is often that you hear people complaining about the many developments in Guanacaste for example, many of which benefit huge international companies like hotel chains. The effect on the environment is another concern. These feelings were recently expressed by many when t...

The southernmost end of Tortuguero beach, in the sector known as Jalova, is closed as of this week, by orders of Tortuguero Conservation Area officials due to the presence of a jaguar, something which has happened in the past. The Tortuguero Conservation Area provides habitat for jaguars (Panthera onca). Officials said they see no threat to tourists by the presence of the feline, but want to do...

If the purpose of life is "to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences," (Eleanor Roosevelt), then choosing the Pura Vida in Costa Rica is the way to get there. Pura Vida is a Costa Rican colloquial phrase that translates to "pure life," but means so much more. It's a lifestyle in which you choose to live to the fullest, ...

The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) is hustling to invest around 600 million colones (about US$1,000,000) to make improvements to the Manuel Antonio National Park before the end of the year. The Ministry of Health ordered some big changes to be made by year's end including creating new access and exit routes in and out of the park. The park, located about an hour-and-a-half south ...

The World Economic Forum’s 2017 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked 136 countries according to the natural resources they possess, the number of World Heritage natural sites, protected areas and species as well as the natural tourism digital demand and the role the country’s natural resources had in attracting tourists to it. Costa Rica is listed among the top ranked countries fo...

Costa Rica has no shortage of hotels and lodging options, from luxury eco-lodges to beautiful boutique hotels and low-budget comfortable options; there are also several very “different” and unique hotels and hostels in the country and we have listed below a few of them: The Pipe House: The Pipe House is a small beach house with a unique concept located in Playa Grande, Guanacaste. This vacation...