Photo: Illustration purposes only Walter Espinoza, director of the Judiciary Investigative Police, explained during a press conference that the center of the province of Puntarenas is being affected by insecurity which comes as the consequence of criminal activity that manifests through violence and aggression. “The OIJ has detected not just individuals but also organizations that are aggres...

Puntarenas receives many tourists from cruise ships every day, however, the majority of these visitors choose to take tours in nearby areas due to the lack of attractions and activities to enjoy in the pier and Paseo de los Turistas; solving this situation is what is motivating the building of a new park that will receive the tourists and hopefully get them to spend more time in this zone. The ...

According to the timeline given by the construction company in charge of the works at the new Quepos aerodrome, the new landing strip will be ready by the end of July this year. On May 18, 2018 the General Directorate of Civil Aviation will take possession of the land that will be used for the second stage of the aerodrome, and therefore on May 19 the work will commence to build the Domestic Te...

The traditional mountain bike event Guanaride moves site for its 16th edition, from the area of Tamarindo in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste to Tambor and Santa Teresa in the Nicoya Peninsula, Puntarenas. The event will have three stages and is scheduled to take place May 18 – May 20. Luis Diego Chaverri, organizer of the event explained that they chose to switch the site of the competition to offer ...

The hotel chain Selina, which focuses on millennials and offers “hostel” style lodging, chose Costa Rica as the site to establish its first wellness center, Vida by Selina. “Secluded in the foothills of Costa Rica’s Montes de Oro, Vida by Selina is a hidden oasis with expansive views of the Pacific. Greet dawn with a peaceful vinyasa. Venture down to the fruit orchard to pick fresh mangoes and...

The Judiciary Investigative Police in Costa Rica (OIJ) require the help of the public in finding German tourist Gerlinde Hahne, a 75-year-old woman that went missing the afternoon of May 3. According to information released by the family, Hahne came to Costa Rica on April 30 from Munich, Germany, with the purpose of attending her son Tobes Hahne’s, wedding that was scheduled for Saturday, May 5...

After seven years of absence the first Disney Cruise will arrive in Puntarenas, Costa Rica this upcoming Sunday, April 15 from Florida, USA. The announcement of the return of the Disney Cruises to Costa Rica was made back in March 7 when representatives of the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) were taking part of the Seatrade Global Fair in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. The ship that...

U.S. actor and filmmaker Mark Ruffalo, famous for his role as Hulk in Marvel’s Avengers , but whose face is known from roles in many other movies since the late 90’s, has been spending some of his time in Costa Rica, more specifically in the beautiful area of Santa Teresa in Cobano, Puntarenas. This is the second time the actor visits Costa Rica, this time in the company of his oldest daughter....

Fishermen of Puntarenas plan to protest this Monday, March 19 against the resolution of the Constitutional Chamber which annulled the trawling permits that had been issued by Costa Rican Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (Incopesca). The group has stated their protests will be pacific, they will gather outside the Legislative Assembly in San Jose and also in the streets of Caldera in Puntaren...

Image for illustration purposes (Jumping sting rays in Santa Elena, Guanacaste. Photo BY: Luciano Capelli) Copa de Arbol Beach and Rainforest Resort located in Drake Bay, Osa Península in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, posted the following video of a group of Devil Rays as they jump and “fly” out of the water in what is a beautiful and unique spectacle. It is not uncommon to see groups of ...

The Sustainable Tourism and Commerce Chamber of the Central Pacific (CATUCOSO) was created with the purpose of reactivating the economy and tourism of the Puntarenas province by launching campaigns that promote the visitation of this area of Costa Rica. Jaco in Garabito is probably the most popular and visited tourist area of the Central Pacific, the community depends on tourism, however, in t...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT) announced the return of Disney Cruises to Costa Rica after a seven year absence. Representatives of ICT made the announcement during their participation in the Seatrade Cruise Global Fair, the largest cruise ship fair in the world, which was taking place March 6-8 in Fort Lauderdale, United States. According to the information released, the first cruise wi...

Costa Rican NGO "Nicoya Peninsula Waterkeeper" demands a regulatory plan from the Puntarenas Municipality to ensure a sustainable development of the tourist areas of Santa Teresa, Mal Pais and Hermosa. A new aqueduct will soon be operational in the area of Cobano in Puntarenas, this project was created to solve some of the existing water-shortage problems that affect this region; however, neigh...

Every year thousands of tourists visit the Marino Ballena National Park, located in the South Pacific of Costa Rica and famous for the common sightings, specially certain times during the year, of whales and dolphins; however, this natural wealth is being threatened by climate change. “Climate change is already here. It is not just a change of temperature, it goes way beyond that”, said to EF...

After two years of not celebrating the carnivals due to different problems with permits, finally the traditional Puntarenas Carnivals are back and they kick off Thursday, February 8th and will continue with different activities through February 18. The Puntarenas Carnivals are a great way to immerse in the culture and life of this beach town. Among the activities that will take place, are, a...

A U.S. man drowned in Montezuma Beach, Cobano, Puntarenas this Friday, February 2. The man was kayaking along with his wife when their kayak was dragged in by the waves and the strong winds, the kayak turned over the couple tried to get back on but the conditions of the ocean didn’t make it possible, neither of them were using a life vest. Witnesses that were in the area called 911 and went ...

We all need a little adrenaline in our lives, that rush that makes us feel alive, granted there are some people that certainly get addicted to the thrill and are in constant search of new adventures. Costa Rica is certainly a huge playground for thrill seekers, with many options ranging from canopy to white water rafting and waterfall rapelling. The Adventure Park in Miramar, Puntarenas, ...

A Canadian man and one of his workers are being investigated for the shooting of two Nicaraguan men outside the Banana Beach Bar in the beach town of Santa Teresa de Cobano, Puntarenas, as a result of the shooting one of the man died and the other was injured. According to the authorities, one of the Nicaraguan men worked as a security guard at the liquor store where the Canadian arrived to buy...

A man was apprehended by Tourist Police in the center of Quepos, in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, when he was on the run with three backpacks he had stolen from a group of U.S. tourists. This was confirmed by Juan Carlos Salas, the local chief of the Tourist Police, who explained that as they were doing their routine rounds in the area they saw the suspect carrying three backpacks, they imme...

The Health Ministry informed through a press release and posts on their social media accounts that they shut down the San Lucas Beach Club in Puntarenas due to certain conditions found that signify health risks. According to the Health authority, they originally shut down the business in November 29, they sealed all main accesses to the Beach Club, however, apparently the seals were broken and ...

Kelly Clarke was a former East Texas Youth Pastor who had moved with his family to Costa Rica earlier this year as missionaries, here he was close friends to the family of Costa Rican Pastor Manuel Garcia, and together their families were spending time together at the beach (apparently Playa Hermosa, Garabito, Puntarenas). According to the information published by Fox51 News, Clarke and his fam...

Playa Hermosa in Garabito, Puntarenas, very close to Jacó, is one of the most visited beaches of this province, its beauty, great waves ideal for surfing and the fact that is just a short drive from San Jose contribute to the high visitation rates; however, this is also one of the most dangerous beaches in Costa Rica. On Christmas day the Garabito Red Cross informed of the drowning of a 44-yea...

Lifeguards will be looking out for tourists in the different beaches of Parrita, Puntarenas. A group of locals and a few US expats working as volunteers have been certified by the Coast Guard Academy and are hoping to get sponsorship from local businesses and authorities to be able to work full time as lifeguards. One of the promoters of this initiative is community leader Rosemary Chamber...

Coordinated operations by the Costa Rica Coast Guard Service, the Aerial Surveillance Service and the Drug Control Police resulted in another hit to drug traffickers in waters of the South Pacific. A Costa Rican fishing boat was stopped carrying an important load of cocaine, an amount not yet quantified but estimated in close to one ton; the packets were hidden under a lot of ice in the storag...

Starting this Friday, December 15, the Naviera Tambor ferry that provides service between Puntarenas and the southern Nicoya Peninsula town of Paquera will resume its operations with normality after working in a reduced scheduled since early October. One of the vessels (Tambor 2) had been out of service and in maintenance in Cartagena, Colombia but has not been fixed. The service will go back t...

Photo Credit: Accidentes de Costa Rica A tragic car accident that took place at 5:54 a.m. this Tuesday, December 12 in the area of Route 34 close to the bridge in the area of Portalon de Savegre, Quepos, Puntarenas, caused the death of three people. The crash involved a sedan and a 4x4, although the causes of the accident are not confirmed, apparently one of the drivers lost control of his v...

Photo Credit: Kenneth Bolaños./ Puntarenas se Oye A man and a woman lost their lives in different water accidents in Puntarenas this weekend. The first accident took place in Playa Hermosa in the Central Pacific when a 40-year-old woman of last names Soto Alvarez who was swimming along with her kids was dragged in by the tide; when the rescue team arrived they were able to pull her out but i...

If you are looking for something different to do this weekend, head over to Puntarenas and visit the Marino del Pacifico Park, which just added two brand new fish tanks to its exhibit. The park is located 500 meters East of the cruise pier. The park which already offered a sample of close to 50 marine species, was able to include two big fish tanks and a devil ray tank thanks to the help of ...

The naval unit of the Costa Rican Fire Department confirmed a fire that affected the historic building of the command headquarters in San Lucas Island in the early hours of Saturday morning. The two level structure, of just 100 square meters was burned to the ground. The Judicial Investigative Police is conducting an investigation in the Island, and according to the preliminary information t...

The Ministry of Security confirmed the arrest of a man in Quepos who was driving a van with 18 illegal immigrants aboard. The arrest took place when officers were in the middle of routine controls in the roads of Quepos, Puntarenas, the officers stopped a van that was exceeding its passenger capacity, and requested the documents for all of them, however, only the driver had an identification do...

A few weeks ago, a Red Cross ambulance driver was threatened at knife-point and asked to hand over his cell phone when driving to the scene of an emergency in the agricultural town of Santa Rosa de Pocosol in the north-central region of San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica. This and other potentially life-threatening incidents involving aid workers in different parts of Costa Rica have the agency c...

The Ministry of Public Security (MSP) reported bringing in two people for treatment for heart problems following a 6.9 magnitude earthquake this evening, Sunday, November 12 at 8:28 p.m. south of Jacó off the Costa Rican central Pacific coast. The individuals, who were from the Jacó vicinity, were rushed to the regional Puntarenas Hospital but were declared deceased shortly after being admitted...

This video taken by Esteban Saborío at the Herradura beach Marriott Los Sueños Resort, adjacent to Jacó on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast shows the strong impact of this evening's 6.9 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake was felt virtually throughout the entire country.  ...

Jacó, Parrita, Esterillos and Turrubares were the towns closest to the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rattled much of the country this evening at 8:28 p.m. local time, according to the Costa Rican National Seismological Network (Red Sismologico Nacional). The intense shaking that lasted for at least 30 seconds, was accompanied by a roaring sound, as reported by many throughout the San José capit...

The small community of Ojochal in Puntarenas is located in the South Pacific, about 30 minutes south from the popular beach town of Dominical and also 30 minutes north from Palmar Norte. The South Pacific of Costa Rica continues to grow in popularity since many tourists try to escape the crowded beaches of Guanacaste, but this is not the only reason, this area is beautiful and has a lot of att...

The marine research yacht, the Shark Water, will dock in the Pacific port of Puntarenas, Costa Rica at the tourist pier Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 10 a.m., and will be open to the public for viewing. The 40-meter yacht was refitted to facilitate biological research of highly migratory sharks and other marine fauna in the Eastern Pacific, and is owned by the Colorado, United States-based ...

Costa Rican border police agents detained a suspected human trafficker, in Spanish what's known as a "coyote," with six Ecuadorians in the mountains near the Panama border yesterday. The area of southern Puntarenas province where the man was leading the six undocumented migrants  is called ​​Guaycará de Golfito. The Costa Rican man, Agüero, knew of a route over the border that circumvented p...

The Naviera Tambor ferry company providing service between the Pacific port of Puntarenas and the southern Nicoya Peninsula town of Paquera announced a special reduced schedule while one of their vessels is in the shop. Service will depart from Puntarenas to Paquera at 7 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m. And the ferry will travel from Paquera to Puntarenas on the following schedule: 5 a.m., ...

With an eye to receiving more and larger ships in the near future, the pacific port of Caldera, in the province of Puntarenas, is getting a much-needed boost to its facilities. The US$20 million improvements aim to decrease wait time for ships to load and unload, thus making the port an attractive option by saving ships money. President of the Republic, Luis Guillermo Solís and the First Lad...

The Costa Rican Social Security Agency (CCSS, in Spanish) said they will publish later this year a tender in order to select the company that will design, build and equip a 70,000 square meter hospital in Puntarenas, on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast. The new hospital will be located in Barranca, and will open in 2021 with a substantially larger and improved infrastructure, and more service...