Extreme Adventurer Waterfall Tour Jaco is a town packed with social, adrenaline-filled, and nature-based activities. A walk down main street will lend you to countless tourist operators selling a variety of excursions. Let me help you whittle down your options by sharing the top ten things to do in and around Jaco.  1. Extreme Adventurer This is tour is operated from Jaco or Manuel Antonio. Yo...

The morning spent with Kayak Jaco was a highlight of my month. Guides Wilbur and Jacob taught the group the basics of paddling, with Kayak Jaco’s homemade, bamboo paddles, prior to pushing off for a three-hour journey that exceeded my every expectation! Playa Agujas, the beach of origin, has gorgeous green-blue flat water that begged an invitation. After the guides assisted the five of us into the...

I had zip lined three times before I hiked up the gorgeous trail to the first platform of the fourteen offered by Jaco Canopy. Once in Montezuma, Arenal, and Monteverde. The views from the Jaco Canopy platforms are hard to top. It’s difficult to choose what to focus on. The emerald green offered by the surrounding jungle, the sapphire blue ocean, glowing below, or the metallic blue morpho butte...

The abundance of outdoor activities hosted by Jaco never ceases to amaze. Did you know, from Jaco you have access to a gorgeous island filled with jet skis, kayaks, banana boats, volleyball, tropical fish to snorkel with, and loungers? Let me share with you my recent experience at Isla Tortuga. My day started with a gorgeous one and a half hour boat ride from Playa Herradura where I observed ju...

Source: Ronald McDonald House Costa Rica. The Costa Rican chapter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities is proud to announce the 14th edition of its classic Charitable Golf Tournament. This event has become the main fund raiser to cover the costs of operating and maintaining the Ronald McDonald House in Costa Rica, which opened in 2012. The stroke-play, 18-hole tournament will take place a...

Costa Rica’s fourth 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit competition is coming March 15 and 16 to the beautiful south Pacific beach of Dominical. The Marley Cup will be held in front of the well-known Tortilla Flats beachfront restaurant and bar at Dominical. The competition is named for principal sponsor House of Marley, which sells earth-friendly products inspired by legendary reggae singer Bob...

Crocodile Man Tour at the Tarcoles River near Jaco, Costa Rica It was another gorgeous day in Costa Rica when I walked down the dock towards the boat that would take me through the infamous Crocodile Man Tour. The bar was set high. I had seen pictures from friends and heard tall tales about this tour. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Jason, our guide, handed each member of the tour a...

Updated January 2017 Costa Rica is a top world travel destination because it has something for everyone: tropical rainforest, green mountains, spectacular beaches, active volcanoes, wild rivers and lakes, and charming towns. The dry tropical forest and wide savannas of the north Pacific are as varied as the dense, steamy jungle of the south Pacific, the misty cool cloud forest high in the centr...

Maikol Torres ripping the waves in Guanacaste Once again, perseverance paid off for up-and-coming surfer Maikol Torres from Costa Rica, who recently won the Reserva Conchal Tiki Hut Cup. The cup was disputed as the third event of the brand-new Guanacaste Pro Surfing Circuit. Conditions were excellent at the gorgeous Playa Marbella thanks to an inland breeze that shaped the swell into glassy 1....

The Jaco area can pack the tourists in. Why do thousands of tourists and expats prioritize Jaco as one of their destinations? The most common answer is a combination of the night life and the plethora of adrenalin packed activities. Whether you seek an ATV adventure, horseback expedition, water sport experience, crocodile or monkey encounter, the choice is yours. After living in the area, and ...

If this doesn’t make all of you avid saltwater anglers scurry to get on the next plane to Costa Rica, we don’t know what will! Los Sueños Marina, reputedly the finest marina on the Pacific coast south of the US border (Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and Viña del Mar in Chile might beg to differ, but who cares), is hosting the First Annual Los Sueños Signature Triple Crown tournament. There are three ...

A recent study by national newspaper La Nacion estimates that Costa Rica has more than 3,000 homes and living spaces available to foreign visitors looking for rental options. These properties are often listed on sites such as Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO, and many longer-term rental opportunities do not factor in the cost of utilities such as water and electricity. This opens doors for nefarious home...

Jaco Beach amphitheater under construction, photo by Tim Callahan Over the last few weeks, residents of Jaco Beach have seen construction crews busy at work behind the Johannes Dankers Municipal Recreational Park. They are building a large outdoor structure that was supposed to be part of a development package to host the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, which is still taking place in Costa Ric...

2013 was a great year for tropical Nu-Disco/Dance-Pop band Patterns from San Jose. Their infectious single Sunny Days (video above) received major radio airplay in Costa Rica and around the world, thanks in great part to the song's colorful and surreal video, which saw its debut on the popular website Noisey, part of the Vice online network. Here's a closer look at the masterful production of ...

There are times when sportfishing is, to put it mildly, fantastic. You can’t drop a line without something biting. Right now is one of them. Los Sueños Marina, just north of Jacó on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast, is among the finest marinas south of the US border. Thanks in no small part to marina manager Bill Kirby, an unabashed workaholic who runs things smoothly and efficiently, Los Sue...

Construction workers on the build site of Croc's Casino Resort in Jaco Beach Jaco, Costa Rica – Croc's Casino Resort, the first Las Vegas-style luxury hotel, condominium and casino undergoing development in Costa Rica, recently took account of its immediate and potential future benefits to the local community of Jaco in the canton of Garabito and beyond. To this effect, developer Rory Hascall...

UPDATE: The purpose of publishing this article is to prove how misinformation online can cause problems, it's always best to consult with a lawyer in matters of immigration and residency. The content in this article below is not accurate, and should create conversation on the topic. The Costa Rica Star recently published an article about getting your permanent residency in Costa Rica to avoid the...

The Minister of Health, Daisy Corrales, has issued an order to temporarily close public pools that fail to fulfill the requirements established by the Regulation on Management of Public Pools (Executive Decree Nº 26671-S Reglamento Sobre Manejo de Piscinas Publicas) if changes aren’t made soon. In the canton of Nicoya, health authorities spent the last six months carrying out a general inspecti...

Carlos Ceciliano Lugo, Food and Beverage Manager for Croc's Casino Resort in Jaco Beach Costa RicaAccording to the great Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, there is no love sincerer than the love of food. In Costa Rica, food is a fresh, yet mostly utilitarian experience. This is something that Carlos Ceciliano, the new Food and Beverage Manager at Croc’s Casino Resort in Jaco Beach, is sworn t...

Catching a jump into the air while kiteboarding in Costa RicaThe high tourist season in Costa Rica coincides with Guanacaste's warmest and windiest months, which also happen to be the best time for kiteboarding (also known as kitesurfing). This adventuresome activity is quickly gaining interest among tourists and residents of Guanacaste, a province that has the best wind, beach and ocean conditio...

Ivan Neville. Source: Wikimedia Commons The Fourth Annual Jungle Jam in Jaco Beach is already one of Costa Rica's premier musical events, but this year's Jungle Jam will truly shine thanks to the performances of two high-caliber musicians whose legendary body of work includes playing next to the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Herbie Hancock, and others. As previously rep...

Sportfishing Captain Johnny Cerpas at the Los Sueños Marina near Jaco Costa RicaHow many fish does an exceptional saltwater charter captain catch? Captain Daniel Espinoza is one of the most recognized captains currently fishing in Costa Rica. He’s been at the helm of the 42ft Spanish Fly - owned and built originally at Maverick Yachts just outside Jaco by Richard and Nancy Lebo, and now owned b...

After a higher-than-expected death toll during the Christmas holiday in Costa Rica, public safety officials are preparing for what they believe will be a busy New Year's Eve celebration. Ten people lost their lives due to violent incidents on December 24th and 25th: Three were homicides, three suicides, one deadly fire, two drownings, and a fatal road traffic accident. As reported by national n...

December 29, 2013 Jaco, Costa Rica -- Slightly Stoopid, the Ocean Beach/San Diego, CA group led by multi-instrumentalists and founding members, Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald, will headline Jungle Jam IV January 16-19, 2014 in Jaco, Costa Rica. Slightly Stoopid will be joined by special guest Don Carlos of Black Uhuru. Featuring four days of continuous music, this year’s party in the jungle...

Source: Overseas Radio Network This Week in Costa Rica, a podcast/radio program produced 52 times a year by a Canadian expatriate, is looking forward to bringing more reliable, useful and entertaining information to listeners in 2014. This radio program, which is also available as a podcast, is currently an exclusive feature of the Overseas Radio Network, the online radio station created by ex...

Just in time to beat the winter blues, Costa Rica’s summer season is beginning, offering affordable winter vacation destinations for northern travelers. Costa Rica is a fun and easy tropical adventure for winter sun-seekers. Miles of beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts make for great beach vacations. Rainforests, cloud forests and active volcanoes give you thrilling jungle adventur...

If you are an angler who loves the spectacular, Costa Rica is the place to be. Between now and the end of April, Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast is home to one of the world’s most anticipated billfish bites. During this period Los Sueños Marina (Jacó/Herradura) and the newer Pez Vela Marina (Quepos/Manuel Antonio) will as always host some of the calendar year’s most prestigious international...

Maykol Torres surfing in Costa RicaThe holiday season in Costa Rica brings many good things for everyone to enjoy. The weather is great across the country and there are parades, carnivals, shopping bonanzas, etc. On the Pacific coast, the surf at this time of the year is spectacular, which is why the 2014 Olympus National Surf Circuit is taking place right now in Playa Bejuco, south of Jaco Beach...

Artist rendering of a master bathroom in the Croc's Casino Resort condominium development in Jaco beach Costa RicaOver the last few months, Jaco Beach has become Costa Rica's busiest real estate market, and there is a very strong demand for condos. For the most part, supply is adequate thanks to a few development projects, but buyers are looking for more than just condos for sale in Jaco Beach...

Lexus Dealership at Avenida Escazu Income inequality grew in Costa Rica during 2013, but not as much as in other nations. There are now about 100 individuals in Costa Rica whose net worth is more than $30 million, up from 85 a year ago; however, the super-rich in this country are less than in any other Central American nation -including Nicaragua. According to a recent article by Cesar Augus...

Data provided by Bing search for Mashable.comAccording to Mashable, a leading British-American website covering Internet technology and social media, Costa Rica is among the top 10 most-searched travel destinations in the world. The data was provided by Bing, Microsoft's flagship search engine property, and it shines a light on how tourism and hospitality operators are taking advantage of these t...

Source: Municipality of GarabitoThe municipality of the Garabito canton of Puntarenas is proud to announce that the Jaco Beach community will be the first in Costa Rica to build a Civic Center for Peace. This is part of a national project that the new Ministry of Peace coordinated with the administration of President Laura Chinchilla. The goal of these centers is to remind Ticos that peace is not...

An improvised rally in Jaco Beach that sent two young girls to the hospital after being struck by a sports car racing down a dirt road may have been organized under false pretenses. According to an investigative report by a daily tabloid newspaper in Costa Rica, a corrupt transit police officer may have issued falsified racing permits to naive rally organizers. In Costa Rica, Diario Extra is kn...

Jaco Beach, Costa Rica. December 3, 2013 – The first-ever resort lifestyle residential project to bring the standards of quality in Las Vegas to Costa Rica is only a year away from completion. A newly-released video report on the progress of Croc's Casino Resort in Jaco Beach features developer Rory Hascall explaining his vision in detail, and it also brings to mind the new opening date: Decem...

Source: FEDEFUTBOL The International Federation of Association Football, better known for its French initials FIFA, announced this past Sunday that tickets for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup are now officially on sale. Costa Rica is the host country for this major international sports event, but the shiny-new Garabito Municipal Stadium, home to the Jaco Rays Football Club of the second divisi...

Croc's Resort Sales Office in Jaco Beach At the recent World Travel Market fair in London, representatives from the national tourism boards of Central America and Mexico were anxiously waiting to hear the name of their respective countries called to receive the prestigious World Travel Award for best beach destination. Nominated for Costa Rica was Jaco Beach, a place that not long ago was pejo...

Although it is one of Costa Rica’s most spectacular destinations – for its gold and white sand beaches, world-class surfing, warm blue Pacific Ocean, and lush rainforest – the southern Nicoya Peninsula stays off the beaten tourist path. The reason is the region’s remote location. Going by ferry is the traditional way to get to the towns and beaches of the southern Nicoya Peninsula – Tambor, Mon...

Child at the Independence Day parade in Jacó, Costa Rica.A friend of mine invited me to some big parade that was going on today here in town so I decided to check it out. Did not know until the last minute that it was to celebrate Independence for Central America! Very cool. While I am pretty easily entertained, this was going to be something substantial to see, so I was pretty excited to wa...

At the north end of Jacó in Costa Rica, towering cranes dominate the skyline as construction of the $48 million Croc's Casino Resort advances at lightning speed. On Wednesday morning, I stopped by Croc's sales office on Avenida Pastor Diaz to meet with Rory Hascall, President and Chief Operating Officer. I have barely set my foot in the door when the VP of marketing rushes over to warmly gre...

Author’s Note: The following analysis and opinion of the video produced by the “Essential Costa Rica” branding initiative has been adapted into English from the online blog of Luis Paulino Vargas Solis, which also appeared in online news publication Informa-Tico. Mr. Vargas is the internal director of the Investigative Center on Culture and Development of the National Distance Learning University....