Pulmitan of Liberia Marcopolo Paradiso 1800DD passenger bus between San Jose and Playas del Coco, Guanacaste One of the most advanced, luxurious and comfortable coach buses in Latin America is operated by Pulmitan of Liberia, a respected transportation provider from the province of Guanacaste. The Marcopolo Paradiso 1800DD is an elegant double-decker bus that steals a lot of looks wherever it ...

Agents from the Organization of Judicial Investigations of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: OIJ) have taken two persons into custody for their alleged participation in a narcotics distribution and retail scheme that catered to foreign visitors and expatriate residents in Guanacaste and Puntarenas. When the suspects were arrested in Liberia, they were found in possession of cocaine byproducts as well ...

Many people who suffer from inflammatory diseases of their connective tissues tend to develop an uncanny ability to predict bad weather. Osteoarthritis and its many related conditions are often cited as the reasons some expats move to Costa Rica, specifically to places such as Atenas and Guanacaste. The relation between joint pain and climate has always been questioned, but a recent study by medic...

A few beach communities are named Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica, and two of them often get mixed up by tourists and expats. There's Playa Hermosa near Jaco Beach -this one is in the province of Puntarenas, and there's also the Playa Hermosa of Costa Rica's Gold Coast in Guanacaste. These two tourist and expat havens have one thing in common: They are gorgeous beach towns besieged by crime that often...

Artwork for Hembolia CerebralIn the style of musical groups such as Minor Threat, The Clash and the Dead Kennedys, three young men from Guanacaste punish their instruments and scream lyrics of discontent about how they see Costa Rica in the post-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) era: A socioeconomic model gone wrong. This is Hembolia Cerebral (Brain Aneurysm), a hardcore punk trio from Costa Rica's Gold ...

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...

If you are a single woman traveling to Costa Rica read this previous article about exciting things to do on the Caribbean side of the country. In my travels, I have come across single women around the world who say, “I’d like to travel, but I don’t have anyone to go with.” Having traveled alone, I asked what was stopping them. What I found was a mixture of fears and concerns: Blending In ...

The waves were big, and so were the national surfers who came to Playa Guiones at Nosara, Costa Rica last weekend for the third competition in the 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit. Costa Rican pros like Gilberth Brown, Jair Perez, Jason Torres, Carlos Munoz, Lisbeth Vindas and Nataly Bernold descended on the top Costa Rica surfing beach for the tournament, held Feb. 8-9. Munoz was just ret...

Bilingual and friendly doctors and dentists await you in Costa Rica. The global health tourism industry has grown significantly despite a lack of substantial publicity or marketing. To this effect, Costa Rica is the leading destination in the Americas for medical tourists and visitors seeking quality and affordable treatment options; there are several reasons why this country enjoys this statu...

Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations meet protests in Salt Lake CityThe acceptance of Costa Rica into the Pacific Alliance, a new Latin American trade bloc, has been reported with a certain level of interest and excitement around the world. Israel is one of the various observer nations in this new bloc, and Arutz Sheva (Channel 7) recently remarked on the trade and economic opportunities...

Two top U.S. biology research scientists are coming to Costa Rica in early March to lead a study trip deep in the Costa Rican rainforest on the south Pacific Coast of the Golfo Dulce. The scientific tour will be held March 1-7, 2014, at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge, a member of Enchanting Hotels & Resorts Costa Rica. Drs. Howard Topoff and Carol Simon of Arizona – both professors emeriti of T...

A state-controlled news media organization from Venezuela recently apologized for reporting that the United States military industrial complex that the late President Eisenhower warned the world about had reached Costa Rica. The report specifically mentioned a U.S. base in sunny Guanacaste, with 46 warships, an aircraft carrier, 200 gunships, 6 fighter jets, and 13,000 combat troops. While it is a...

Coming to Costa Rica soon on vacation? Besides planning what you’re going to do, you’re probably already thinking about what to pack. Here are some quick and easy trip tips on what to pack for your Costa Rica vacation. Of course, what you need depends on where you are going and what you will do (check with your travel provider or hotels), but these general guidelines will serve you well. C...

Starting this weekend the traffic headaches on the Circunvalación will start again, as the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) begin the process of removing the Bailey bridges, and erecting a new permanent bridge over the María Aguilar river. According to the MOPT press release, Saturday night is when crews will remove the first of four Bailey bridges erected last November after a...

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and what better way to express your feelings to your beloved than through a love letter. Historically, love letters were possibly the only form of communication between lovers who might be separated for months at time most commonly during times of war. And with this void, emotions often intensified and romantic feelings soared. The most engaging love letter ...

Natural gas is used extensively throughout homes in Costa Rica, a power source for cooking. Unlike in other countries, like Canada, the United States and Colombia, for example, in Costa Rica natural gas is not piped into homes: it is purchased in cylinders. According to a study by the School of Statistics at the University of Costa Rica (UCR ), which was released on Tuesday by the Autoridad Reg...

Asociación Nacional de Educadores in Costa Rica during a previous demonstration The labour movement said Wednesday that they are evaluating a nationwide strike call next month, in protest of the government’s decree of the 0.43% wage increase for the public sector. The leaders of the Asociación Nacional de Educadores (ANDE) – the largest of the public sector unions – met Wednesday, and accor...

Photo of Christine Laemer at Tropical Garden Cooking Classes, by Arianna McKinney for Voice of GuanacasteA year ago, in August of 2012, Christine Laemer went for a mammogram and found out she had breast cancer. This news changed her lifestyle and diet completely, and now she is sharing some of what she has learned about health and nutrition through Tropical Garden Cooking Classes. Originally f...

For a couple of years now, the sport of tennis has been making inroads in the Nosara community, and now a couple of developers are stepping it up a notch, although not everyone is happy to see courts being built in the heart of Playa Guiones. In Esperanza, in Villas Esperanza, known as the 506 tennis center, Sam Carver is developing a tennis community with 12 homes planned. He believes that suc...

Plate of Chicharrones in Costa Rica Quite a few tourists leave Costa Rica disappointed with what they perceive as a narrow range of culinary options. This feeling is exacerbated by the unwritten rule that every meal, from breakfast to late night snack, should feature some combination of rice, beans and corn tortillas. While this grain combination is ever-present in restaurants across the count...

Source: Rugby Federation of Costa Rica In a heart-stopping final qualification game, the National Men's Rubgy Team of Costa Rica was able to secure two tickets: One to Mexico for the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz later this year, and the other to Brazil for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The rugby sevens match between the national teams of Costa Rica and Guat...

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....

Parks and protected areas are on alert nationwide for forest fires. The alert went into effect on January 15th, but even before then one major fire had already broken out in the Nicoya area. On Saturday, December 28th, 9 hectares (22 acres) were burned in Corral de Piedra, according to Gabino Carrillo Arias, MINAE park ranger in charge of control. It is believed that the fire was caused by ...

In December 2013, La Creperie opened its doors in Playa Guiones, offering original French crepes to Nosara. The project was the idea of Franck Geers and is located 400 meters north of Delicias del Mundo supermarket, next to Hostal 4You. Geers says that the plates have a wide range of prices so that the food is accessible for all. Crepes start at 1,200 colones ($2.40) and the most expensive ones co...

Jorge Pita waiting it out in the cells of the Santa Ana police station before being taken to La Reforma prison.It doesn’t pay to mess around with a court order to pay child support. A U.S. businessman was thrown in jail last Thursday for not paying January child support of ¢3.6 million colones (US$7,500) plus school costs of ¢2 million (US$4,000) for his six-year-old daughter. The Juzgado de P...

Playa Potrero in Guanacaste is a quiet beach community that many real estate analysts believe could turn into the one of the most lucrative luxury resort and housing markets in Costa Rica. It was in this community where members of Fuerza Publica, Costa Rica's national police force, stormed the offices of the local water utility and environmental development office (Spanish acronym: ASADA) on Frida...

Tempisque River Inspectors from the Ministry of the Environment (Spanish acronym: MINAE) recently inspected an improvised dam erected by a sugar cane processor in Guanacaste. Municipal council members from Carrillo accompanied the MINAE inspectors in the latest dispute over water in the driest, yet most lucrative, region of Costa Rica. Complaints about the dam and its alleged impact on the ...

Tamarindo Beach in Guanacaste Costa RicaAn oft-discussed topic among tourists and expats visiting Costa Rica is how little they can get for their hard-earned dollars here. This is a sentiment shared by the local population as well, who somehow make do with a lot less than their fellow North American and European complainants. An incredibly detailed report by blogger Tricia Lyman reveals that a co...

The shores of Costa Rica's Gold Coast are home to the occasional stranding of marine mammals, but these sporadic situations could result in massive beaching events unless human oceanic activity is conducted in a way that minimizes underwater noise pollution. Such was the message delivered by oceanographer and cross-discipline scientist Melania Guerra Carrillo at a recent presentation on bioacousti...

Tourists in Playa Guiones during the month of JanuaryRecently the Costa Rica Star published about the tourism, wealth, and high unemployment in Guanacaste that comes as a result of foreign investment in the region. If you have been to Playa Guiones recently, in the district of Nosara, you probably noticed the incredible amount of commercial and residential construction underway as well as seve...

“Eat my dust” is no joke hereabouts. The solution, we are told, is asphalt or concrete paving. For what it is worth, paving is my least favorite solution to finding health and happiness on our roadways. So, let’s look at the problems with paving and examine alternatives. The problems with paving are legion. Paving increases both traffic and traffic speed considerably. Without signals and posted...

He takes me by the hand, guiding me gently through the water so I feel safe and I’m breathing fairly calmly. He points out a puffer fish, trying to catch it’s tail as it speeds away. Then he reaches down to pick up a bright blue starfish and hands it to me. Later he hands me a conch shell and a red sea snail peaks out timidly. I don’t feel like the Little Mermaid exactly; after all, I’ve got a tan...

The 21st century has proven difficult for professional football development in Guanacaste, but things seem to be improving for the northern province. Two local teams from the province are among the best performers in the development football league of Costa Rica, previously known as the Second Division. Should the Guanacaste Sporting Association or the Liberia Municipal Team continue playing a...

A typical abandoned home in Detroit. The National Stadium in La Sabana, hundreds of patrol cars and the National Police Academy: These are some of the most significant donations given to Costa Rica by the People's Republic of China (PRC). Costa Rica is hardly the only country in the region to receive major aid from China; the Costa Rica Star has previously reported on the work of the PRC in th...

Luis Guillermo Solis, presidential candidate in Costa Rica. As the runoff presidential election nears in Costa Rica, candidates Johnny Araya of the National Liberation Party (Spanish initials: PLN) and Luis Guillermo Solis of the Citizens' Action Party (Spanish initials: PAC) are formulating their strategies to capture the vote that will determine the successor to President Laura Chinchilla. A...

Electronic Dance Music events in Costa Rica are full scale experiencesOn the heels of the extravagant Life in Color electronic dance music (EDM) festival, scenesters are paying close attention to related events in Costa Rica. From the upcoming German DJ Paul Van Dyk's set at Vertigo to the Envision Festival in the Osa Peninsula and from the psychedelic dance rock party at Best Fest to the prolife...

Roadways of Rural Costa RicaThe roads in Costa Rica are one of the most important public services that the government provides us. We all use them, daily. They connect us to the municipality, to the commercial central, to the beaches, to the schools and the hospitals, and to each other. So what kind of public service is the local and national government entities providing us in this regard? I...

Nosara Yoga Institute adds new facilities for guests and teachersThe Nosara Yoga Institute (NYI), founded by Don and Amba Stapleton, brought yoga classes and training to the Nosara area since 1994, but teacher training and program participants had to look for accommodations elsewhere. Now the Institute has expanded its facilities to eight acres to include a hotel, restaurant, juice bar, a 25-mete...

Playa Barrigona, Costa RicaThe Municipality of Nicoya is currently conducting studies to open a roadway to connect the beaches of Barrigona and Barco Quebrado, as well as a road to connect the smaller beaches of Pavones and Bajo Escondido, between Barco Quebrado and Garza, according to Mayor Marco Antonio Jimenez Muñoz. Citing article 23 of Law 6043 regarding the Maritime Land Zone, the mayor ...

A large car hit this dog on February 2nd. His left front leg had to be amputated and his head injury treatedDog owners in the Nosara area are keeping a closer eye and hold on their pets these days. On January 29th yet another dog was run over and killed by a car in Playa Pelada. Amid high season volume, the roads are at their busiest with speeding cars, trucks, quads and motos. Without sidewalk...