By Wendy Anders Recent incursions of European tourists into protected marine areas off northern Costa Rica’s Pacific coast has officials concerned about the impact of promoting illegal fishing among visitors, said the Costa Rican National Coast Guard Service recently. Fishermen have been documented aiding tourists from Spain, Italy and Germany mainly in the waters off Guanacaste province’s S...

By Wendy Anders   Recent data from the Costa Rican Tourist Board (ICT, in Spanish) shows a full 27 percent of the country's workforce perceiving income or wealth from their connection, either direct or indirect, with the tourism industry. A new alliance between public safety institutions and the tourism sector promises to add an extra level of protection for visitors, said judicial i...

Many times, we hear complaints about the high cost of vacationing in Costa Rica, usually these complaints come from locals who affirm vacationing in our own country costs the same or more than vacationing abroad; and every so often we can hear the same complaint coming from foreign tourists, which makes you wonder if this is actually true or just a perception. Granted, many factors come into pl...

Several new self-named “low-cost” airlines began operations in Costa Rica this past year, and currently there is a total of eight offering their services in the country and covering different routes: Spirit, JetBlue, WestJet, Southwest, Volaris, Interjet, Wingo and Veca Airlines. Having options is a good thing, certainly, and when it comes to traveling many try to save as much as possible in ti...

By Wendy Anders Winds of up to 100 kph (over 60 mph) in Costa Rica’s northern region have forced the closure of two national parks today, Tuesday, Jan. 10 and tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 11, reported the country’s Teletica Channel 7 news station today. The Santa Rosa National Park (Parque Nacional Santa Rosa) and Rincón de la Vieja National Park are the two parks being slammed by heavy winds t...

The Jamaica Tourist Board has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with United States-based online company Airbnb Inc. for the promotion of the country’s tourism product, particularly in the area of accommodation. Airbnb is an online marketplace that connects people wanting to rent their homes and spaces with people needing affordable accommodations. Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett ...

By Wendy Anders Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís signed a new law designed to fight tax fraud on December 19, 2016 that will affect owners who rent properties for less than a month at a time, said tax officials this week. Officials reminded owners of various residences, cabins and other lodgings offered on sites such as AirBnB for short-term rental that they are required to pay Cos...

Back in November 2, 2016 the first direct flight from Air France landed in Costa Rica, this is the plane with most capacity to land at the Juan Santamaria International Airport, and with it Costa Rica confirms the good moment the tourism sector has been having. The news of the beginning of operations of the French airline represents one of many good news the industry had in 2016, which generate...

"Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Costa Rican women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, with those living in the north and central Pacific coastal zones being particularly vulnerable.” These are the first sentences of the 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report by the U.S....

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro is fighting to restore the once luxurious K Club on the island of Barbuda in the Eastern Caribbean, reports U.K.’s The Telegraph. The small island of under 2,000 inhabitants was a favorite spot for Diana, Princess of Wales, where vacationed with young Princes William and Harry in the winter. The K Club, Diana’s home base on the island suffered a reversal of fo...

With the beginning of a new year everyone should try to make the most out of each day, after all, if you live in Costa Rica there are a lot of different things you can do to enjoy your life to the fullest. Here are three options of adventure tourism high in adrenaline that you can do in Costa Rica: Paragliding: Paragliding in Costa Rica continues to increase in popularity, what better way to...

Visitors in Costa Rican beaches usually get a lot of safety warnings: don’t leave valuable items unattended, watch out for the red flags indicating rip currents, don’t drink and swim, watch out for crocodiles or sea snakes, etc. What we usually don’t hear is Do Not Touch the Manchineel Tree! Manchineel trees (Hippomane Mancinella), are very common, they are found all the way from Florida t...

If you stayed at home for this end of the year, but you want to spend the last day of the year or the first day of 2017 in good company and doing something out of the ordinary, we offer you four options of one day trips that you can enjoy in Costa Rica: Colinas del Poas: This mountain recreation center is located on the road to the Poas Volcano and it offers canopy tour, Tarzan swing, climbing...

When you hear about the wonders Costa Rica has to offer, one of the aspects that always comes up is the wonderful weather the country has; this is the reason many choose it as a vacation escape, especially those that live in areas of very cold winters, and this is also the reason many decide to move to Costa Rica. But what is so wonderful about the weather in Costa Rica? Costa Rica has only ...

There are plenty of travelers that don’t identify themselves with just one particular vacation style, but instead they are looking for the perfect combination of activities and destinations to satisfy their preferences. For example, some like staying in a secluded hotel where they can relax but also have the possibility of doing some outdoor activities and even adventure tourism. Others want ...

Costa Rica is the country in Central America with more digitally attractive to tourists and it holds fourth position in America in this category according to Digital Country Index. This digital country index was developed by Bloom Consulting and it measures the total amount of searches performed worldwide towards any given country. A Digital Country, according to Bloom Consulting, “refers to a ...

Not a beach person? Don’t worry, Costa Rica has plenty of mountain retreats as well. Peace and quiet, sometimes that’s all we need, a place where we can breathe fresh air, and listen to just the sounds of nature around us, the wind, the birds and the trees. There are plenty of mountain hotels in Costa Rica, and although you can choose to go to beautiful destinations such as Monteverde or Rio...

“All Costa Rica helped those affected by hurricane Otto, but the second part of the rescue is just beginning. This summer, visit Golfito, Corcovado or Tortuguero. Admire the Celeste River, enjoy the hot springs or the Guanacaste beaches, take a tour of the Maleku territory; buy beans from Upala and cacao from Bagaces, travel, rest, eat, have fun, and while you enjoy, help them get back on their fe...

Many tourists every year decide to visit Costa Rica attracted by a number of different reasons: the excellent weather, beautiful beaches, healing nature and the warmth of its people; but there is another reason that has gained popularity in the past years and it’s medical tourism. Costa Rica is one of the preferred destinations for medical and dental tourism, and among the many different proce...

Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16 — The saturation of the dolphin-watching market in several Asian countries is endangering the population of the marine mammals, according to an international study released on Friday. The research focused on seven popular areas of dolphin watching in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines between 2008 and 2014, and in almost all cases the market w...

Since ancient times, hot springs have been a fabled source for wellness, relaxation and cleansing throughout the world.  In Costa Rica, they've not forgotten the many benefits and pure pleasures of indulging in thermal baths.  The country welcomes visitors to share and discover their own favorite spot and therapy.  From coast to coast to coast, from the Northern Plains to the Guanacaste and Centra...

Golfito Marina Village and Resort The port town of Golfito in the province of Puntarenas receives many visitors every year mainly attracted by The Duty Free Shopping Center, but also because of the many beautiful beaches and National Parks located nearby. A group of Costa Rican and North American investors in conjunction with the Municipality and the Regional Development Board, put together...

The construction of the National Congress and Convention Center (CNCC) will begin in January of 2017 as the Comptroller General of the Republic of Costa Rica notified that it has approved the contract for the construction of the center. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute confirmed that with this approval they will begin the construction in January 2017 and the awarded company, Edica, will have a...

Yacht-Style cruises are a different way to discover some of the most beautiful areas of Costa Rica, places that are best accessed by ship. We already went through the information on itineraries and tours offered by Windstar Cruises in the first part of this article. Now we will go over the options offered by Lindblad Expeditions- National Geographic to tour Costa Rica. First thing you sh...

Contiki, the global tour operator specializing in once-in-a-lifetime experiences for young travelers, recently polled over 5,000 18-35 year olds around the world to discover what motivates them to travel and create the The No Regrets List, the top 20 bucket list travel experiences for 2017. According to the study, 71 percent of U.S. millennials and post-millennials, view experiences as the most...

Summer time in Costa Rica is finally here and with it the tourism activity obviously increases, Costa Rica is the perfect place to escape the cold weather of North America and Europe during this next few months, for those that live in Costa Rica, school is out for summer break, many have vacation from work, so it is without a doubt the perfect time to explore Costa Rica and enjoy the wonderful wea...

There’s a great deal of tourists that are always looking for new places to discover and those hidden treasures that go unnoticed by many. If you are visiting Costa Rica or if you’ve lived here for a while and are looking for a new adventure, you might want to check out the region of San Gerardo de Dota and Los Quetzales National Park, just about two hours away from San Jose, located in the area kn...

The Irazu Volcano located in the province of Cartago experimented some changes after the heavy rains received in the past days’ product of a tropical storm and also hurricane Otto. The water filled up three lakes in the volcano and a small waterfall is dropping in the main crater, the last time this phenomenon happened was back in 2012. According to Costa Rican volcanologist Gino Gonzalez, the...

The 15 finalists of the National Geographic World Legacy Awards were unveiled today. The World Legacy Awards, a partnership between National Geographic and ITB Berlin, showcase the leading travel and tourism companies, organizations and destinations — ranging from entire countries to small islands and from urban hotels to jungle retreats — driving the sustainable tourism transformation of the glob...

/PRNewswire/ -- Modern travellers seeking an authentic Costa Rican experience filled with immersive culture, adventure and romance will love the new Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas hotel opening February 2017. The resort is the first hotel for the up and coming coastal town of Las Catalinas on the Guanacaste coastline and the second Costa Rica property for NP International, the name behind TripAdv...

The beautiful province of Guanacaste Costa Rica charms locals and foreigners with their impressive nature, and many looking to escape the stress and fast pace of the city look to make Guanacaste their new home, but how to choose where to settle? We have sought the advice of real estate experts at RE/MAX Ocean Surf and Sun to help us answer this question, and here we leave you the top 5 recommen...

/PRNewswire/ -- With more Americans taking fewer, shorter vacations a year, the Central American nation of Costa Rica – known for its natural wonders, colorful culture and friendly locals – offers travelers an ideal destination for a quick getaway. Roughly the size of West Virginia, visitors can take advantage of the country's small size to explore numerous opportunities for adventure and relaxati...

Numbers don’t lie medical and dental tourism are growing trends, approximately 1.6 million North Americans (1.2 million Americans and 400 thousand Canadiens) seek dental or medical care overseas, and out of this number approximately 45-65 thousand travel to Costa Rica to take care of their teeth. According to the American College of Prosthodontists over 35 million American are losing all their ...

Guayabo de Bagaces in Guanacaste shares limits with Upala, Liberia, Carrillo, Cañas and Nicoya, and is just 15 kilometers north from Miravalles Volcano, it’s in the foothills of this volcano where we can find the Miravalles Geothermal project. The area is visited by many tourists, naturally because of the Volcano, and also because of several touristic centers located in the area, many of which ...

Update: Hurricane Otto had already strengthen to a category 2 hurricane early this Thursday morning and affected certain areas in Costa Rica with heavy rain. As of 11:15 a.m. Costa Rica time Hurricane Otto hit land in Bluefields, Nicaragua, north of Isla Calero in Costa Rica with wind forces almost reaching a category 3 hurricane. Experts expect Otto will lose strength and will degrade to a tropic...

If you happen to be vacationing in Costa Rica right now and you are concerned about the hurricane alert, don’t panic, here’s what you need to know: This is the first-time Costa Rica is in danger of being directly affected by a hurricane; this country has received the indirect effects of several tropical storms and hurricanes in the past, the last one was Juana in 1988. Costa Rica has a three...

A small natural reserve in Montezuma of only 63 hectares honors the memory of Nicolas Wessberg, but only few know who he was or why this place is named after him. Olof Wessberg also known as Nicolas Wessberg was born in Germany but lived most of his life in Sweden; his wife, Karen Mogensen was from Denmark, they were married in 1952, the couple wanted to leave Sweden and Europe in general, due ...

Montezuma, a small and bohemian town located in southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Puntarenas, has gained popularity among tourists in the last few years due to its laid back and friendly style and of course its unique beauty. Many consider this area more of an option for “backpackers” but this is not entirely true, Montezuma can be enjoyed by backpackers, adventure seekers...

By Wendy Anders Golfo Dulce and Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica Hilton announced last week the signing of the Botánika Osa Peninsula to Curio - A Collection by Hilton. Botánika Osa Peninsula - Curio is slated to open in 2018 and the project developer is the San José, Costa Rica-based Sinergo Development Group. The resort will be on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, an unspoiled tropical rain...

Every country has its culture, its traditions, and its people, and this last element can make a big difference in your impression of a country or in your overall experience, but it is very hard to learn all about the residents of country and their way of living if you are visiting for just a few days, and certainly knowing a few things about a country’s citizens is not only part of the experience,...