Guanacaste is not just famous for its many beautiful beaches and National Parks, but is also generates 38.22% of the electricity of Costa Rica since 1991, all of it from renewable sources. Structures created by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), the private sector and a cooperative, makes Guanacaste home to 27 electricity plants that are part of the National Electric System (SEN). ...

If you are planning to travel to or from Paquera or the touristic areas of Tambor, Santa Teresa, Montezuma, this Tuesday, July 24, be advised that the ferry service will be suspended all day. According to the information posted by Naviera Tambor, the suspension will only be effective on the date mentioned due to maintenance work scheduled by the Ministry of Public Work and Transportation (MOPT)...

Two American tourists that had gone missing since Saturday evening were finally rescued by Costa Rican firefighters and rescue team. The alert came in on Saturday that two tourists from the United States were visiting the area and following one of the trails (Los Tucanes) in the Arenal Volcano National Park, apparently they lost their way at some point or wandered off the trail. On Saturday...

The United States continues to be the biggest tourism market for Costa Rica, and according to information by the Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT), in 2017 a total 1,199,214 travelers from the US visited the country and it offers a potential market of 24 million people. Minister of Tourism Maria Amalia Revelo has emphasized on the importance of focusing efforts on continuing to attract more visito...

A foreign senior citizen drowned this Sunday in Cahuita National Park in Limon. The incident occurred around 3 p.m. this Sunday, July 22 in the sector of the National Park known as Puerto Vargas. The man was in critical condition when the Red Cross arrived and despite their efforts to save his life he was declared dead 20 minutes later. According to preliminary information the victim was 66 ...

The website vivedota.org was officially launched by the Dota Municipality during the commemoration of the 93 years of founding of the county, this community seeks to position as a touristic destination. “We want tourism to be an essential part of our economy, turning our destination into one of the obligatory sites for tourists”, commented Leonardo Chacón, mayor of Dota. The platform will ...

In Costa Rica currently the only wholesale market that exists is the National Center of Distribution and Supply of Foods (CENADA) located in Barreal, Heredia, but by the end of January 2019 the Chorotega Region wholesale market, will be a reality. The wholesale market is being built in the area of Sardinal, Carrillo, Guanacaste, a project with an approximate cost of $52 million and financed by ...

The expansion work at the Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste began early last year and were supposed to be conclude before the end of the year, however, after several delays the additional 4,118 square meters (44,326 square feet) in boarding gates and 417 square meters (4,488.55 square feet)of the main lobby as well as new infrastructure for counters, stores and additional ...

The salaries received by the judges of the Supreme Court of Justice in Costa Rica are among the highest in the world when compared to their counterparts in different countries of America and Europe. To be more concise, Costa Rican judges receive the fifth highest sum of approximately $16,000.00 USD monthly , only behind Mexico ($18,500.00), England ($20,000.00), USA ($21,000.00) and Switzerland...

The province of Limon has received already 71% more rain than the average amount for the month of July and according to the National Meteorological Institute more rain is to be expected during this weekend in the Caribbean with the tropical depression number 18. The heavy rainfall of the past weeks caused floods, landslides, fallen trees and overflown rivers; the National Emergency Commission r...

Establishment Labs Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ESTA) commenced trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market yesterday and celebrated a successful first day with an offering size of 3,715,277 stocks at an opening price of $18.00 for a total of $66.8 million. With this initial transaction Establishment Labs intends to invest in a clinical study in the United States, informed daily La Nacion, with the purpose of...

The Costa Rica Tourism Board signed this week a cooperation agreement with the Association Wellness Costa Rica, valid for a four year period (extendable ) The agreement encompasses nine objectives, among them the organization of activities that seek the national and international recognition of Costa Rica as a wellness destination, trainings, continuing education and the professional training o...

The National University's Volcanology and Seismology Research Institute (OVSICORI) announced the start of a trial run to implement an earthquake early warning system in Costa Rica. Marino Protti, seismologist of OVSICORI, explained that the system consists in the installation of sensors close to the sources of strong earthquakes, these will generate alerts when the movements begin. This same s...

The Costa Rican National Coast Guard Service has seized in a period of four months, March through June, 103 illegal fishing artifacts such as drift nets and fish traps in waters of the Central Pacific. The majority of the artifacts were found in the river mouths, specially Parrita (40%) and Savegre (25%) Rivers and surrounding areas, where it is illegal to place these types of instruments beca...

Epsy Campbell, Vice-President of Costa Rica and Minister of Foreign Affairs announced today that Costa Rica has opened two shelters for the assistance of Nicaraguans that are fleeing this country as a result of the violence and social-economic crisis. One of the shelters is in the North Zone close to the Nicaraguan frontier and the other one is in the South Zone in Golfito, since according to C...

The Costa Rican company Establishment Labs Holdings began trading their common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the trading symbol “ESTA” following its initial public offering. Establishment Labs is a global medical technology company that focuses on breast esthetics and reconstruction technologies, it was founded in 2004 by Juan José Chacón Quirós and currently it exports to 60 countrie...

Like every year hundreds of thousands of Costa Ricans are preparing for the annual pilgrimage to La Basilica de Los Angeles in Cartago to honor the country’s patron saint, La Virgen de los Angeles or “La Negrita” this August 2. “La Romeria” as it is known in Costa Rica, is an act of faith for Catholics, that make the long walk to honor a promise, ask for a miracle or a favor or give thanks for ...

The expansion of the bridge over the Virilla River which connects Belen in Heredia, with Lindora in Santa Ana will finally conclude early August, confirmed President Carlos Alvarado and the Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Rodolfo Mendez Mata, during an inspection done this Wednesday. This bridge is being expanded from two to four lanes and it’s the first step in the expansion of th...

The General Directorate of Migration in Costa Rica announced that as of this Wednesday, June 18 it will make available the phone number 1311 to offer appointments for refugee applications. The call center service will be available from Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. through 10 p.m. and to access it calls must be made through a Kolbi line at a cost of $3 per minute. The caller can make all ne...

Google announced the arrival of its Special Collections to Costa Rica. This option is part of Google Maps, collects 360-degree sights of geographic, touristic, historical or cultural sites throughout the country. In total 76 locations are part of Google’s Special Collections in Costa Rica. “Thanks to the support of the country brand Essential COSTA RICA and different organizations, such as the ...

The Costa Rica Coffee Institute (Icafe) emitted and early warning for the threat of coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix) for four regions: Central Valley, Coto Brus, Turrialba and Zona Norte (North Zone), where the weather conditions for these months puts the production in high risk. “The current weather conditions favor the appearance of coffee rust. There will be important increases in the incid...

The National Meteorological Institute has informed about the possibility that Tropical Depression #17 will transit through the country as of the early hours of this Wednesday, July 18, which could intensify the rainfall in the Caribbean and North Zone. “It is important to consider that the floors are still saturated in the Caribbean, and for this reason precaution is recommended in the presence...

The General Directorate of Armaments in Costa Rica has destroyed 191 firearms this month, firearms which had been used in various crimes including homicide, robbery, drug trafficking, and illegal arms possession and sale. The Guns destroyed included 133 short weapons and 58 long weapons which have been in custody since 2012 and were previously used as evidence in criminal proceedings. They had bee...

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, visited Costa Rica in the frame of the summit “Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development: Living no one behind”. “I am here mostly to honor Costa Rica for its cutting-edge character and for being a pioneer in the construction of sustainable development”, commented Guterres after praising the determination of the country to commit with...

National Emergency Commission (CNE) in Costa Rica declared the red alert for the counties of Sarapiqui, Turrialba, Matina and Talamanca due to the saturation of the floors in these regions. The counties of Guatuso and San Carlos are now under yellow alert. President Carlos Alvarado will be joining the meeting of the Emergency Operations Center (COE) this Tuesday and will then be doing an ae...

Police operations carried out in the area of Garabito, Puntarenas have allowed the seizure of important quantities of drugs; the Public Police Force with the support of the Operational Support Group (GAO) have been working in particular in the beach town of Jaco and the surrounding areas, where the large number of tourists attract drug dealers. During a road side control stop this Monday police...

Following the directives and decrees of the presidency regarding cost containment due to the fiscal crisis in Costa Rica, the Municipal Consulting and Development Institute (IFAM) will have savings estimated to be close to $293 thousand dollars for the remaining of this year. By implementing Directive 003-H, streamlining the use of public resources, the institution will save close to $228 thous...

On July 11, 2018, the Policia de Control de Drogas (Drug Patrol Police PCD) arrested a mother, her boyfriend, and her son, for drug violation charges in Pavas de San Jose, on the San Juan de Rincon Grande Farm. The family called themselves, “Los Craqueros”. This is the 22nd narco-family busted by the PCD this year, including busts in Guacimo, Coto Brus and La Cruz de Guanacaste. They have also ...

After an extension of almost 300% in area this Monday, July 16 the duty-free store administered by the Joint Institute for Social Aid (IMAS, its Spanish acronym) reopened to receive travelers entering Costa Rica. The duty-free store was closed for close to four months for the remodeling works and it went from 100 square meters to 475 square meters. The total investment was of over $1.4 million....

The National Roads Authority (CONAVI) resumed since the early hours of Sunday the cleaning work o the national routes that were affected by the strong rains of Friday and Saturday. The works done in Route 32 which connects Limon to San Jose, allowed the mobility of vehicles and trucks in the area of Zurqui which remained trapped. Many drivers that were rescued yesterday had to return for their ca...

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) in Costa Rica confirmed they provided attention to over 600 people in fourteen temporary shelters set up in three provinces, Limon, Heredia and Cartago. For the province of Limon a total of 6 shelters were set up, another 6 in Heredia and two in Cartago. Thousands of users also had interruptions of their electricity, telecommunications and water servic...

At 6am this Saturday morning The Costa Rican Red Cross informed  that one of their Ground Rescue and Search Units had been sent to Route 32 to offer assistance and help to people that were isolated on this road due to landslides. According to their first report, there are approximately 50 cars and some 120 people stranded, there are no reports of injuries at this time. The high pressure syst...

The heavy rains this Friday which have mainly affected the areas of Cartago and Limon forced the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) to activate its emergency protocols at the hydroelectric plans of Cachi, Angostura and Reventazon. “As part of the actions, the three hydroelectric plants are undergoing a process of controlled spill to regulate the level of the reservoirs. We do not have any ...

Photo Credit: Radio Turrialba Heavy rains have affected several areas of Costa Rica because of trade winds that has caused damages in several different communities and roads. This Friday evening the National Emergency Commission (CNE) had already close to 80 reports on incidents in different parts of the country by 10pm. Landslides and floods have affected the communities of Jimenez, Turrial...

Uber has been operating in Costa Rica for almost three years, and according to information published by national newspaper El Financiero (https://bit.ly/2JaTm4t), it currently has a total of 21,000 registered drivers and 800,000 users; this makes Costa Rica the country with more market penetration in Latin America and one of the most important markets in the world. Andres Echandi, General Mana...

98.53% of the electricity generated in Costa Rica between June 1, 2014 and June 30, 2018 came from renewable sources. In total the National Electric System (SEN) in this period produces 44,300.53 gigabytes per hour, out of which 43,647.72 came from five clean energy sources: Hydroelectric (74%), Geothermal (11.92), Wind (11.08%), Biomass (0.73%) and Sun (0.03%). Bunker and diesel represented on...

Costa Rica and El Salvador officially announced that both countries already have the necessary conditions for the beginning of the operations of the Central American Ferry, establishing a route for exports and imports between the ports of La Union in El Salvador and Caldera in Costa Rica. The initiative would connect the maritime commercial flow between the two nations, with the purpose of cons...

It was initially scheduled to re-open in December 2017 and then in May, but finally this July 10 the historic Gran Hotel Costa Rica in the center of San Jose, opened its doors now as a Curio Collection by Hilton. The hotel closed in June of 2016 to begin a complete renovation. Famously known as the hotel where John F. Kennedy stayed during his visit to the country in 1963, the Gran Hotel Cos...

Officials of the Drug Control Police (PCD) of the Ministry of Public Security detained a foreigner in the Juan Santamaria Airport as he attempted to leave the country carrying drugs intracorporeally. The man, of Italian nationality, appeared nervous, behaviour which alerted the officers who intercepted the man and discovered he was carrying drugs in his body. The 43-year-old foreigner identi...

The Global Environmental Facility’s (GEF) Fund announced that it will destine a total of $12 million to promote the creation and implementation of green politics during the next four years of government. The raise in the collaboration amount is the result of the trip that President Carlos Alvarado and the Minister of Environment, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez did to Washington last June. The am...