Families enjoying Playas del Coco Beach in Guanacaste Costa RicaA 24-year old man who had been missing after being dragged into the ocean by strong currents was found by divers in Playas del Coco hours later. This is the latest report of a fatal drowning in the beaches of Guanacaste, a region that is heavily visited by swimmers, surfers and vacationers from around the world, and it serves as a re...

Tourists posing for a photo at Cavernas el Venado La Fortuna is known for three major natural attractions and a variety of adrenalin packed adventures. It starts with the picture-perfect cone shaped Arenal Volcano, continues with a 26 mile-long sapphire blue lake that contrasts magically with the surrounding vibrant green hills, and finally the volcanic hot springs are found throughout the com...

An abundance of tourists caused a series of water outages in some areas of Nosara this past holiday season. Carl Wells, a member of the American Project’s ASADA in Nosara, reported that during the the December 24-31 festivities, at least two outages were reported due to excessive usage. According to Wells, the sections with highest consumption are K, J, H, I, which are areas with the majorit...

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...

A Pawnshop in Costa Rica, with jewelry, TV's, guitars, and more items Every year the cycle repeats, in December retail stores do their best to entice customers to buy, buy, buy, who in turn in January look to the “empeños y ventas” (also referred to as “compras y ventas”) – pawnshops to generate cash to lighten the “cuesta de Enero”, a term used in Costa Rica to describe the uphill financial situ...

Leo and Stefan Proster. Source: VisionsWald.de In the mountainous northern region of Costa Rica, a German-Austrian father and son team are leading a reforestation project that will not only benefit the ecosystem and biodiversity of the land but also yield handsome profits. This project, however, is far from being a “get rich overnight” scheme. It may take a couple of decades to reap financial ...

Close up of a Marijuana plant flowering during the final stages of growthAs 2014 begins, marijuana advocates are celebrating major legalization events in one Latin American nation and a progressive U.S. state. Activists in favor of cannabis legalization in Costa Rica are certainly encouraged by the current situation in Uruguay and Colorado, and they are longing for the day when they will be able ...

Police in Costa Rica seize tons of cocaine during 2013The police in Costa Rica seized 19.2 tons of cocaine, 2.8 tons of marijuana, 70,000 crack rocks and 11,209 doses of ecstasy in 2013. Costa Rican police confiscated 19.2 tons of cocaine from January to Dec. 15, making it one of the leading countries in drug seizures in the region, according to the Public Security Ministry. The achievement...

Pez Vela Marina in Quepos Costa Rica The Costa Rica Star recently reported on the legacy of superb sportfishing captains in Costa Rica. Anyone who has visited Quepos before 2008 would agree that the town was considered the dirty armpit of Manuel Antonio–we all have them and we all need them, but certainly don’t flaunt them. Go to Quepos to do your shopping and banking, and then get out–espe...

New cars arrive in Costa Rica, courtesy of a Free Trade Agreement with the United StatesThe Costa Rica Star previously reported on and introduced the Presidential candidates in Costa Rica for 2014. Costa Rica currently counts with 14 Free Trade Agreements (FTA) signed, one in renegotiation and two awaiting ratification by Legislators. Are these enough or would it be beneficial to have more? ...

Accepted in Costa Rica The New Year tends to bring a shift in taxation provisions for many countries in the world. In Costa Rica, personal income tax brackets were raised for those who make more than $1,500 a month, but comprehensive tax reform is at a standstill. With new exorbitant taxation schemes in France and fresh updates in the United States, the idea of using Costa Rica as a tax shelte...

Mexican Artist Juan Carlos SaldañaIt’s partly about patience—the patience of cutting colorful tiles into tiny pieces-, then arranging and bonding them piece by piece to a surface and later filling in the lines with grout while carefully cleaning the grout from the tiles so their brilliance shines in the completed mosaic. Artist Juan Carlos Saldaña compares this last step to giving the tiles a fac...

The holiday season in Costa Rica makes biologists and taxonomists very happy. This is the time when scientists and volunteers hit the field to conduct the traditional Christmas species count. Since Costa Rica is known for her rich biodiversity, each count is an opportunity to run into a rare species or even begin an investigation into a new organism for proper classification. As previously repo...

Dogs, cats, and other animals are welcome at pet-friendly hotels in Guanacaste, enjoying your family companion on vacation is always an option with recent changes in Costa Rican tourism offerings. Nearly 67 percent of households in Costa Rica enjoy the company of at least one companion animal. Members of the Canis lupus genus are the most common pets, followed by Felis domesticus. Over the last...

Playa Brasilito Two foreign visitors who came to Costa Rica to enjoy the beaches of Guanacaste abruptly ended their vacations with their unexpected demises. One tourist drowned in Playa Zapotal while the other was shot and killed in Playa Brasilito. These unfortunate losses took place right at the beginning of the high tourist season, a time when Guanacaste's seasonal population increases cons...

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...

Typha domingensi "Tifa" plant in Guanacaste Costa RicaThe forest fire season in Costa Rica will officially begin on January 15, but an early wildfire in Guanacaste recently served as a grim reminder that the hot, non-rainy season spells danger for the driest region of the country. The fire occurred in the Coral de Piedra (Stone Coral) area, a protected wetland located in the Nicoya canton. Firefi...

Save for shopping trips to South Florida and family outings to the amusement parks in Orlando, Tico tourists are mostly content with exploring their own country. Although rural tourism has picked up considerably in Costa Rica over the last few years, families in Costa Rica are increasingly looking for upscale, all-inclusive resorts when they go on vacation, and hoteliers in Jaco Beach and Guanacas...

The Ministry of Cultural and Youth Affairs of Costa Rica (Spanish initials: MCJ) is reporting that the new Museum of the Stone Spheres in the southern Pacific region of Osa has been an astounding success. To encourage visitors to explore the 10 hectares where ancient indigenous tribes somehow manipulated these mysterious objects to line up in perfect sync with the sun each solstice, the MCJ will o...

From Catholic feasts to independence day and from Christmas to New Year's Eve, fireworks are a major part of holiday celebrations in Costa Rica. The 2013 holiday season, however, has been marked by a strict crackdown on unsafe fireworks by law enforcement agencies and public health officials. Now even the iconic Zapote fairgrounds will be devoid of fireworks. As reported on Christmas Eve by Lad...

Earlier this month, more than 250 firefighters from five Latin American nations concluded a major training exercise in Ciudad de los Ninos (City of Children), province of Cartago. This exercise was very timely for Costa Rica, a country that is expecting a high risk of wildfires due to increased human activity in nature reserves and farmlands, climate change, and overall carelessness. This multi...

New requirement for all expats due TuesdayThe Costa Rica Star recently published about US expats giving up their citizenship to avoid taxes in Costa Rica, clarifications for FATCA for US expats, and the new income tax brackets for 2014. This is not the first time Costa Rica has required that expats and citizens update their information with the bank. However, this update seems to correspond wi...

Officials from the Bagaces canton in the province of Guanacaste are evaluating a nimble method of garbage collection utilized in the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. This curbside trash pick-up method does not involve the traditional dump truck contracts, which are often plagued by issues such as inadequate staffing, broken down vehicles, labor strikes, and subcontractor disput...

Source: taxitico.cr A new mobile app for iPhones and Android-powered devices aims to connect taxi cab operators with passengers by augmenting the process of finding a ride and providing a platform for cashless payments. In a style similar to successful transportation network apps such as Uber and SideCar, Taxi Tico is a company that seeks to bring higher efficiency to public transportation in C...

Volunteers from The Monkey Farm: Daniel Blanco Jaime, Bonnie Gwathmey, Vicki Conley, Uyku Tulumu and Tomi-Pekka Astikainen The Monkey Farm in Playa Ocotal, just five minutes from Playas del Coco, is having an Open House Sunday, January 5th from noon until 5:00. The Monkey Farm is a non-profit organic, sustainable farm and future wildlife rescue center, run entirely by volunteers from all over...

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...

After three months of arduous training, 21 dogs on Friday completed their training to now begin their work, along with their official guides, to sniff out illegal drugs and explosives and for the first time in the art of detecting fake currency. The training was provided by Colombian officials, thanks to an international cooperation agreement. The officials and their dogs will be on duty in...

Gas emissions and brake failures continue to be the main reasons why vehicles failed the annual vehicular inspection for 2013, according to Riteve. By the numbers, in 2013, 48% of all vehicles failed the test on the first go round, down from a 71% failure rate in 2003. Other causes for failure, said Riteve spokesperson, Jennifer Hidalgo, included problems with seatbelts and tension bars. ...

Officials of Nicoya’s Fuerza Publica decided to all contribute money to use for a good cause and help a local family this holiday season. In that way, this past December 24, a group of police officers arrived at the house of Santos Zuñiga, 67 years old, and Nuria Zuñiga, who is 22, in Chinampas de Terciopelo. Both women live in a house made from zinc sheets and pieces of wood, with a dirt floor...

Telethon in Costa Rica raises money for the needyAlthough the Telethon (Teleton in Spanish) was held between December 5 and 7, it will be until next February that the money for the Hospital de la Anexión in Nicoya will be allocated for the purchase of medical equipment, which would be delivered during the first half of 2014. After finishing the event, which brought together the people and busi...

Taiwanese man born in Costa Rica, Ken "Chino" ChuThis article is for entertainment purposes only and is not factual, originally posted on ElPeji.com. Belen, Costa Rica — A local Costa Rican man born to Taiwanese immigrants is threatening to pack up and move to Taiwan though he’s never actually been there before. Ken Chu, 28, who was born in Belen to Taiwanese immigrants, says his reasons f...

Photo: Gabriel Enrique MonteroThe new bishop of the Diocese of San Isidro de El General, Gabriel Enrique Montero, expressed concern over the apathy that Costa Ricans have with politics. Montero, who was appointed on Tuesday by Pope Francis, replacing Guillermo Loría, asked the presidential candidates to "learn the lesson" and govern for the people instead of "for themselves or their friends." ...

Ecstasy drug use in Costa Rica is on the rise and increasing profits for narcosSan Jose, Costa Rica – Thirteen human-trafficking victims in Costa Rica this year were taken for their organs, according to a report on crime in the country that gives new life to an ongoing organ trafficking scandal unfolding in the country. The report, co-authored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (U...

Gay rights and demonstrations in Costa Rica, amongst the top 10 news articles published by the Costa Rica Star during 2013The year 2013 was filled with major events that managed to please even the most demanding news junkies. Readers of the Costa Rica Star, who access our website and social media channels from every continent, showed a keen interest in news on topics ranging from sports to politic...

Costa Rica Colones currencyIn the past the Costa Rica Star published about Paypal in Costa Rica, and how it is a good solution for sending money from a bank account anywhere in the world, to Banco Nacional in Costa Rica. One of the numerous things to consider when moving abroad is currency. I’m not trained in finance in any way, nor can I advise you in investments. What I can tell you is, I ha...

On December 20, members of the Playas de Nosara ASADA water board, sometimes referred to as the American Project ASADA, held a meeting to discuss the results of an engineering report required by the Costa Rican Water and Sewage Institute (AyA) as part of the rate increase application. Once the report has been sent to AyA, it will then go to ARESEP (Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos...

Costa Rica's first female president, Laura Chinchilla Undeniably “machismo” is an integral part of Costa Rican and Latin society in general, where men are still seen as the primary breadwinners even when they are not, while women are seen as being responsible for domestic work. The traditional family roles of men and women have certainly changed over the last few generations. Women in Costa...

Tope Nacional in San Jose Costa RicaIf you are big fan of the “Tope”, today Thursday December 26 is your day, as the annual Tope Nacional, with more than 5,000 horseback riders, takes over the main streets of downtown San Jose Costa Rica. The horseback riders and their horses will gather on the east side of La Sabana and start making their way along Paseo Colón and onto Avenida Segunda after 1...

Founder and Senior Partner Marcela Gurdian If you would like to apply for legal permanent residency in Costa Rica and have all of your immigration questions answered, contact Marcela Gurdian of Immigration Experts at her email: [email protected] or at her office phone: (506) 2290-8050. According to the recent Census statistics in Costa Rica, there are about 150,000 foreigners fr...

Airbnb in Costa RicaSince 2008, Airbnb has offered an online service that essentially brought a new dimension in terms of finding lodging and short-term residential options in Costa Rica. Airbnb's business model, which involves empowering property owners in Costa Rica to monetize their unoccupied living spaces by offering them to visitors, has been very successful; however, the hospitality indust...