A physician evaluating the condition of Evgeny Otto, an imprisoned Russian man in Costa Rica who started a hunger strike in mid-October, explained that the inmate was at a point of no return with regard to his health. As reported by online news daily CRHoy.com a few days ago, Mr. Otto was resolute on consuming nothing but water as he pushed for a resolution to his Kafkaesque status in Costa Rica. ...

Sixteen musicians from Costa Rica, including Carlos Vargas and Edin Solis, accompany Canadian music star Alanis Morrissette in The Morning, a song commissioned by Italian coffee giant Illy to serenade the women who grow and export coffee enjoyed in European markets. Illy is known for its expert roasting of Arabica coffee beans that are specifically grown to be brewed and served in the espresso ...

Source: La Ruta Facebook Portuguese rider Luis Alberto da Costa Leão Pinto of Team Scotiabank conquered the 22nd edition of La Ruta de los Conquistadores in Costa Rica, one of the toughest mountain bike competitions in the world, by winning two of the three stages of this grueling race. Mr. Leão Pinto had a very strong first stage between Jaco Beach and Atenas, crossing the finish line at 4...

Envision is an annual gathering in Costa Rica that seeks to provide a platform for different cultures to inspire one another to co-create sustainable community and practice yoga, spirituality, art, music, dance performance, education and acknowledge our fundamental connection with nature. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star:   Some gatherings around the world have become emblema...

Source: OVSICORI It's been five days since scientists from the Observatory on Seismology and Volcanology of Costa Rica (Spanish acronym: OVSICORI) and the National Seismology Network (Spanish initials: RSN) climbed to the top of the Turrialba volcano along with emergency management officials after a powerful eruption.. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, geologists, petrologists, vo...

Source: OVSICORI Volcano tourists take note: The Turrialba, Poas and Rincon de la Vieja (Old Lady’s Corner) volcanoes of Costa Rica are currently very active and not safe to visit. As recently reported by The Costa Rica Star, the Turrialba volcano came alive a few days ago with a spectacular midnight eruption that sent thick clouds of ash as far as the capital city of San Jose. Nearby communit...

Self-guided tours in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve of Costa Rica are just one of the many activities that allow you to get really, really close to Nature. In this video by travel journalist Elizabeth Donatelli, she spots butterflies and a friendly white-nosed coati (or pizote) that comes right up to her. Afterwards, she boards Sky-Trek to get the true feeling of just how humid this amazing p...

Riding longboard skateboards in Costa Rica is nothing like surfing the Gold Coast beaches of Guanacaste. There are many more obstacles to negotiate on our dangerous roads, and skateboard wipeouts tend to be quite painful and will often result in weeks of road rash. Such matters do not seem to affect the Longboard Girls Costa Rica Crew, who actually enjoy hairpin turns that lead to downhill surpris...

At the CONCACAF Women's Championship being decided in the United States, the National Women's Football Team of Costa Rica are shining very bright on their way to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada. They are not only undefeated but also scoring at will, and they are looking strong going to the semifinals against their next rival, the national team of Trinidad and Tobago. Of special note in this rout...

In this video by U.S. journalist and videographer Elizabeth Donatelli, she visits the vast Chirripó National Forest of Costa Rica and somehow manages to hike up a cloud forest reserve in her sandals. Then she turns into real estate agent and tries to sell you the amazing Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. For $899,000, it is a bargain; however, absent landowners need not apply: A contractual ownership cl...

Nasty drug cartel members, dirty cops and even terrorists who specialize in manufacturing deadly explosives stand in the way of The Specialist, a retired United States Special Forces operator and former federal agent who is on a daring life-or-death rescue mission to extract a corrupt banker from the hands of kidnappers in Costa Rica.   The Specialist: The Costa Rica Job is a thriller a...

Once again, Las Ticas have made their country proud with a 2 -1 victory against their Jamaican counterparts in Illinois. Shirley Cruz once again proved why she is one of the best professional female strikers in the world, and Raquel Rodriguez put the final and swift kick to advance our national team to the CONCACAF semifinals on the road to the 2015 FIFA World Cup in Canada. A word of caution: Our...

The Manuel Antonio National Park is one of Costa Rica’s best-known coastal attractions. As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, a visit to Manuel Antonio entails an enjoyable 2.5 hour drive from San Jose on well-paved roads:; upon arrival you will find gorgeous beaches, plenty of nature, security, and:   A ton of wildlife, including monkeys, raccoons, sloths, crabs, iguanas, and ev...

A vacation in Costa Rica is probably the easiest and most pleasant task for anyone to undertake, but it is easy to understand how some people may feel uncertain if they are traveling abroad for the first time. This video by Elizabeth Donatelli will dispel all fears, jitters and apprehensions anyone may have about coming to Costa Rica. Elizabeth has been writing, presenting, and producing video ...

The Poas Volcano in the province of Alajuela is currently one of the most active in Costa Rica, and on Monday morning it treated tourists to an awesome display of Nature’s sheer and beautiful power. A video recorded by geologists at the Observatory of Seismicity and Volcanology of the National University shows a massive phreatic (ground water) eruption that sent Earth matter flying up in at a heig...

  Inaugurated in 2008, El Silencio Lodge & Spa is a sixteen-suite natural immersion eco-destination. Embedded in a 500 acre private cloud forest reserve, it is flanked by two national parks in Costa Rica’s central volcanic valley. El Silencio (The Silence) provides an upscale signature experience that was exalted in Andrew Harper's esteemed Hideaway Report in August 2013. El Silencio is...

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...

The fictional character in The Specialist: The Costa Rica Job, written by Charles Peterson Sheppard, is based on the experiences of Phillip Sheppard, a former federal agent and reality television actor who is known for his work on the hit series Survivor. The Specialist happens to be fond of cooking Asian fusion recipes as well.   http://youtu.be/oiOHqCSJm6M...

One of the most popular video game franchises in the world recently released its new version and gives a slight nod to the incredible progress that Costa Rica has made on the international football scene. As reported by Zacks Equity Research and Yahoo Finance, Electronic Arts' (EA) FIFA 15 is now leading the video game sales charts in the United Kingdom, with retail purchases making up to 80 perce...

The most emblematic and traditional dish of Costa Rica humbly consists of rice, beans, a few tasty vegetables, and spices. Gallo pinto is nutritious, delicious and easy to make; however, proper preparation is key. In a video recently shared by YouTube channel The Hot Dish, a beautiful and talented actress from Southern California uses the tried and true method of warming up the beans prior to addi...

The foreign direct investment (FDI) bonanza that Costa Rica has enjoyed for most of the 21st century has been in free fall lately. Intel and Bank of America are just two of the major global firms that have left Costa Rica for greener (meaning: cheaper) pastures. The rapid loss of FDI is something that has President Luis Guillermo Solis very concerned, and he has been on a personal mission to at...

As the iPhone 6 arrived in a few stores and online marketplaces in Costa Rica in late September, shoppers were worried about whether their beloved smartphone would bend as shown in this surprising video uploaded by Unbox Therapy. Retailers in Costa Rica are now considering the strategy that they should follow when the time comes to offer the iPhone Plus 6 to the public.   http://youtu.b...

Online video is by no means a new trend in real estate marketing, but its potential has not been completely embraced by international real estate agents until recently. Reality television shows about real estate investing flourished during the American housing bonanza and somehow survived the bursting of the housing bubble, but there has been an even sharper increase of YouTube clips that focus on...

A few months ago, The Costa Rica Star published an article that described an unusual situation: Last year, a 40-year old man found himself naked in a lush rainforest of Costa Rica. He was looking for something to eat when he disrupted the habitat of a large terciopelo (fer-de-lance) snake, which he proceeded to kill with a stick. The killing of the reptile, which you can watch here, was filmed by...

  The Whales and Dolphins Festival was a great success this year, and cetacean sightings in the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica will continue through October. As you can see from this video recently uploaded by kind blogger Capi, the season has thus far provided plenty of whale spotting opportunities.   http://youtu.be/ybm6VAZsCaI    ...

Statement from Carlos: The media in Costa Rica supports me a lot… and it was amazing; I couldn’t believe it how so people were voting… All the soccer players put me on Instagram. All the people on radio, TV… everybody and people in Latin America, Europe, Brazil, here, and in Hawaii… I got so many people, so many good vibes and they gave me a chance to compete here and I am so happy for that. ...

Source: Official Film Site Two years after its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the excellent movie Paradise: Love finally made it to movie theaters in Costa Rica. Lovingly directed by Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl, Paradise: Love tells the story of Theresa, a middle-aged European woman who travels to Kenya in search of hunky young Africans who are more than willing to indulge her sexual d...

Source: Andiamo La Facebook Timeline The list of celebrities who visit Costa Rica is growing, but they mostly seem intent on spending their time on the beach or in secluded locations far away from the telescopic lenses of the pesky paparazzi. Reports of celebrities spending time in the Central Valley are rare, which is why unexpected visits by Chris Hemsworth to restaurants in Escazu and Santa...

Source: PokerStars Imagine you are a tournament poker player about to sit at a table when you learn that you will be facing a smiling man in his sixties, who is nicknamed “The Shark,” who is known as the Godfather of Poker in Costa Rica, and who was sponsored by none other than PokerStars for nearly a decade; would you still take your chances and sit at that table?   Many players pr...

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...

Can a movie produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and starring Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake change the landscape of online gambling in Costa Rica? If it is up to the American Gaming Association (AGA), a powerful industry and lobby group in the United States, Runner Runner could be the worst thing to happen to online poker in Costa Rica since Black Friday. The Costa Rica Star has been following the...

There is a plethora of possible excursions to jump in to once you’ve arrived in the lush and tropical Central American country of Costa Rica. Things that tourists venture to do include zip lining, crocodile feeding, volcano trekking, and beach lounging–to name just a few. Well, for all you dog-lovers out there, Territorio de Zaguates (Territory of the Street Dogs) is a place you don’t want to miss...

Rob and Nadine Pisani were successful business owners in New Jersey, but when the stress of their lives landed Rob in the hospital, they decided it was time leave it all behind and start over in Costa Rica. Five years later, they are happier and healthier than ever. Rob is in a band, Nadine has written a book, and they wake up every morning excited to see what the day will bring. From shopping for...

Here is a video developed by Tourism Costa Rica that will be played in hundreds of theaters across the United States over the course of 2013. Costa Rica Traveler Magazine took the film crew on a 25 day tour, staying in 18 hotels throughout the country in order to get the video content for this promotional video. ...

Five months into a historic ceasefire between El Salvador's street gangs, Investigators profile the complex history of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). While the MS-13 is more commonly associated with menacing tattoos and violent initiation ceremonies,  Investigation into the gang's history shows that this was not always the case. When starting out at the bottom of the food chain in ...