Source: RSN On Monday, October 13th after 9:30 pm, the Observatory of Seismology and Volcanology in Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) of the National University and the National Seismology Network (Spanish initials: RSN) 0f the University of Costa Rica reported three seismic disturbances. The first one occurred at 9:31 pm, the second at 9:42 pm and the third at 9:51 pm. The latter quake w...

Although ecotourism and surfing are the top tourism activities in Costa Rica, SCUBA divers in the know have been gradually discovering our numerous underwater havens. In the Pacific Coast we find Isla Murcielago (Bat Islands), part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area. The Bat Islands are located in the midst of the Costa Rica Thermal Convection Dome, the richest concentration of phytoplankton in t...

Vacations in Costa Rica can be as varied as our country's incredible biodiversity. Although mostly know for ecotourism, Costa Rica is now offering adventure, culinary, cultural, educational, scientific, business, and even hedonistic tourism. This means that you can combine more than one activity at once with the right tourism operator. If you would like your vacation to be both relaxing and exciti...

Upon the arrival of the off-season (or "low season" as it's known here in Costa Rica) most small businesses downshift by reducing prices, scope of services, hours of operation, and staff. Some folks just close their doors and go on vacation. Many also slow down or completely stop their marketing efforts, citing reduced resources and capital intake.   Editor's Note: We have updated this ...

Source: Ministry of Public Security Officers assigned to the Canas cantonal detachment of Fuerza Publica, the national police force of Costa Rica, rushed to the scene of a reported aircraft that crashed in Guanacaste on Sunday afternoon. Initial reports and pictures of the aviation accident were posted by Minister of Public Safety Celso Gamboa Sanchez on his Twitter feed. Further reporting by ...

Part of the San Juan River Strong warnings by scientists, a sobering maritime navigation analysis and the sudden death of a Chinese engineer are among the latest news coming from the controversial and quixotic Nicaragua Canal project, which appears to moving away from the San Juan River and Costa Rica's northern border. However, some analysts believe that the move may be temporary. The Nica...

  The crackdown on drug-related offenses in Costa Rica intensified in Guanacaste from January to August of 2014. According to official statistics published by the Ministry of Public Security (Spanish initials: MSP), 233 foreigners have been arrested thus far this year for violations of the Law on Controlled Substances. The majority of those arrested are Nicaraguan and Colombian immigrants,...

  Source: Wikimedia Commons Independence may have been averted in Scotland, but the polling results of the historic referendum to separate the country from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are inspiring and motivating secession movements around the world. From Flanders to Texas and from Okinawa to the Basque Country, people who support their region's independenc...

Source: Flickr Life's a beach in Costa Rica; unfortunately, so is death sometimes. The number of tourists who come to enjoy Costa Rica continues to grow each year; alas, the number of those whose beach vacations turn fatal is also on the rise. Since 2009, researchers from the National University of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: UNA) have been working on a comprehensive risk assessment study to...

  Source: Wikimedia Commons Specialized housekeeping and nanny services, on-call chefs who cook on demand at the residences of their clients, limousine transport, and personalized security are some of the luxury services that are going through a burgeoning phase and could see a brighter future in Costa Rica. To a certain extent, these services could be offered by expats who have not on...

Source: Wikimedia Commons For many people in Costa Rica, celebrating Independence Day means enjoying parades, picnics and a few ice-cold bottles of Imperial with neighbors at the local bar. Notwithstanding, not all municipalities share the same patriotic standpoint, and some municipalities believe that there is no place for booze during Independence Day celebrations. As a result, some towns in...

Source: MSP Facebook The illegal importation of goods into Costa Rica has been keeping law enforcement agencies on their toes over the last few years. Drug trafficking is but a tiny portion of the vast and flourishing smuggling realm in Costa Rica, which has grown to include over-the-counter and prescription medications, designer clothing, premium liquor, handcrafts, herbal remedies, cows, and...

Source: Fuerza Publica A citizen from the United States was arrested on September 1st, 2014 by police officers assigned to the canton of Carrillo, in the province of Guanacaste. According to press release CP-1171-2014 issued by Fuerza Publica (Costa Rica's national police force) the North American man, whose last name was reported as Riley, was approached and searched by officers patrolling Pl...

The National Coast Guard Service of Costa Rica has been proudly protecting life, property and coastal ecosystems for nearly 15 years. The Costa Rica Star often publishes news reports about how the men and women of the Coast Guard in Costa Rica rescue marine species from poachers, capture drug smugglers, save people in the ocean, and prevent illegal fishing. This time, however, we bring you a repor...

Drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation can be rewarding in Guanacaste The Pura Vida philosophy and the proclivity of Ticos to enjoy their lives by letting others enjoy theirs is often misconstrued as a hedonistic pursuit. Many tourists arrive in Costa Rica in search of what they define as a good time, which is often a euphemism for getting lost in the throes of liquor and controlled substances ...

Source: Flickr Of the three coastal provinces of Costa Rica, Guanacaste has the highest number of beaches that proudly display the Blue Ecological Flag. According to online news site Primero en Noticias, 51 beaches in Guanacaste meet the strict environmental conditions needed to receive the blue flags awarded by the Ministry of the Environment and the National Board of Tourism (Spanish initial...

Some of the best things to do in Guanacaste, Costa Rica are found at Hotel Hacienda Guachipelin. The dilemma actually is trying to decide what to do, since there is so much from which to choose. That’s why the One Day Adventure Pass or the One Day Nature Pass really is your best bet. If you stay at this Rincon de la Vieja hotel for several days, you can go for both! You don’t necessarily have t...

As the summer season in Costa Rica winds down and the green season draws near, it is time for great Costa Rica travel deals. One such bargain is a hot Costa Rica vacation package of a romantic getaway for two to Cala Luna boutique hotel at Tamarindo Beach. The Cala Luna Romantic Beach Package includes: three nights’ accommodation in a deluxe room with a romantic welcome of sparkling wine and...

Nosara, Costa Rica is renowned for some of the best surfing in Costa Rica, and for being a yoga paradise. But there are plenty of other exciting adventure and nature tours to do as well on this string of beautiful beaches along the Nicoya Peninsula. Here are five fun tours to try during your visit to Nosara and Playa Guiones: 1. Miss Sky Canopy Tour Tours: 8:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily. Wh...

Source: Wikimedia Commons In Santa Cruz, province of Guanacaste, residents of the small town of Ortega will spend a significant portion of Good Friday pursuing a member of the Alligatoridae family of species. To this end, members of the community got together on Palm Sunday to start construction of a large artificial pond where they will keep the cayman for several hours before taking it back ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons Swimmers and surfers beware: Several whitetip reef sharks, Triaenodon obesus, have been sighted, photographed and filmed over the last few days in both Playa Langosta and Playa Avellanas, both part of Costa Rica's Gold Coast in the province of Guanacaste. Although sharks are known to swim in the “Barco Hundido” (Shipwreck Alley) underwater spot between Langosta and Av...

Source: Pinterest Since 2003, the International Institute of Wildlife Management and Conservation (Spanish acronym: ICOMVIS) has been installing infrared cameras in various national parks in Costa Rica for the purpose of monitoring the nocturnal behavior of species. It all started at the Corcovado National Park, and the project has recently extended to Barbilla, Santa Rosa and Tortuguero. The ...

It was a hoax. A scary Internet hoax fueled by the flames of social media in Costa Rica prompted neighbors of Playas del Coco and other communities in Guanacaste to hide their children and ask a television network to investigate the ghastly rumors. What started as a warning to locals and expats to look out for kidnappers targeting children in order to harvest kidneys and other vital organs ...

Coming soon to Costa Rica Добро пожаловать! The preceding Russian expression, which is often pseudo-phonetically written as dobro pozhalovat, means “Welcome!” When properly spoken, it sounds warm and inviting, and it is an expression that the tourism industry of Costa Rica should be practicing now. According to Marvin Barquero of national newspaper La Nacion, Russian passport holders will soon...

Source: FreePlay A few days ago, the Costa Rica Star published an article about the CAT B15, an ultra-rugged smartphone made by Caterpillar that seems to have been custom-made for the active lifestyle of many expats and tourists in Guanacaste. Although the CAT B15's battery offers an astonishing 16 hours of talk time; this feature can be extended with the Freecharge 12-volt mobile device charg...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The Co-Op for Rural Electrification in Guanacaste, known as CoopeGuanacaste, recently signed an agreement with the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (Spanish initials: ICE) that guarantees investment in, and development of, clean energy projects such as wind farms and hydroelectric plants. The agreement also calls for research into other renewable energy sources in...

Source: Wikia Fans of the Jurassic Park universe -created by the late Michael Chrichton- were ecstatic to learn that the production team of the upcoming sequel Jurassic World recently placed a casting call for extras in New Orleans. Many people know that the original Jurassic Park is located in the fictional Isla Nublar of Costa Rica, and some footage of the original 2001 movie was filmed here...

Source: Vimeo Mountains, active volcanoes, beaches, lagoons, indigenous people, tourists, locals, Guanacaste... In less than four minutes, filmmaker Patrick Pearson shows viewers the many facets of Costa Rica in a video that has achieved massive viral status across several online social networks. The short film, hosted on Vimeo, has garnered thousands of views and positive comments in just one...

Source: Amazon As NASA Hall of Fame astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz was recently being honored with the Buzz Aldrin Quadrennial Space Award in New York City, an author in the United States was accumulating accolades for his science fiction novel about a botanist stranded in Mars. The engine, so to speak, that propels Andy Weir's novel The Martian is VASIMR, the revolutionary space propulsion sys...

Source: Roberto Carlos Miranda of Buses GB The bus line once known as Transportes La Pampa, which has been serving passengers in Costa Rica since the 1950s, is facing serious accusations by investigative journalists and government agencies. The allegations are strong: Unpaid salaries, delinquent obligations with La Caja dating back to the 20th century, antitrust violations, inciting bribes, fa...

The communities of Nuevo Arenal as well as Quebrada Grande, San Ramon, and Solania of Tilaran are among the Guanacaste communities that will be affected by suspension of Kolbi wireless services provided by ICE, the former communications monopoly of Costa Rica, during the nights of March 25th and 26th. Nationwide outages are planned during the 26th and 27th of March from about 10:00 pm to 10:00 am....

One of the most well-known landmarks at Nosara, Costa Rica is the Nosara Yoga Institute (NYI). People come from all over the world for the yoga teacher training and yoga classes at the internationally-renowned center. Opened in 1994 by founders Don and Amba Stapleton, NYI is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Starting in the 1970s, pioneering expats from the U.S. began trickling into t...

When Fernando Madrigal was a young boy growing up in Costa Rica, the place that gave him the most happiness was his grandparents’ farm – called Finca La Troya in the Orosi Valley of Cartago. “I spent practically all of my childhood and youth on this farm until my grandparents sold it,” reflected Madrigal. “I remember that La Troya was a magical place. There was a place at the top of the farm wh...

Source: Starbucks The next time you are in Southern California and in urgent need of a shot of Costa Rica, you may want to head to Anaheim -specifically Downtown Disneyland. Once you are properly on Mickey Mouse property, look for the brand-new Starbucks Coffee location on the east side, go inside, find the Clover bar and look above: A giant electronic display will show you a digital photo mon...

Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica: APEGUA (the Alliance for Progress of Education in Guanacaste) will be hosting a 5k/10k race on Saturday, May 3rd along the beautiful Guanacaste coastline. This popular annual event will see some changes in its fourth edition, including a new location (the race route will now span from Flamingo to Playa Potrero) and a new date. This year’s race, which is being orga...

Front view of Paradizio Condos in Playas del Coco GuanacastePlayas del Coco, Costa Rica. March 17, 2014 – The Paradizio condominium developers are excited to announce the debut of their new website and virtual sales office for prospective buyers looking for stylish residential properties in Costa Rica's Gold Coast. Prospective buyers are invited to review the website and become familiar with ever...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL With international matches played in Guanacaste, San Jose and Alajuela on Saturday and Sunday, Costa Rica has thus far proven to be a worthy and gracious host of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. Football fans around the world are enjoying the exciting matches and locals are finding out that great football is not limited to First Division and Men's National Team play. “These...

Source: RainSaucer As the high tourist season approaches its apex in Costa Rica, water shortages in Guanacaste are becoming more frequent. Waking up to hear the dismal gurgling sound of a faucet running dry is something that many residents of Guanacaste are currently dealing with. The situation should improve once the green (rainy) season begins, which would be a perfect time to explore rainwa...

Caterpillar B15 Smartphone, Tough as S#&@! People love Guanacaste for dozens of reasons, and one of the reasons most often mentioned by adventuresome tourists and expats is the wide range of outdoor activities that can be enjoyed in the province. Surfing, horseback riding, diving, hiking, stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding, mountain bike riding, kite boarding... the list goes on. Guanacaste...

A man suspected of stabbing his former employer to death after a disagreement is now in custody after he turned himself in at a police station in Carrillo, province of Guanacaste. The suspect, a fruit and vegetable peddler whose last name is Scott, was reportedly extremely angry after his demands for severance pay and aguinaldo (the mandatory holiday bonus in Costa Rica) fell on deaf ears. Mari...