There is so much to do and see in Costa Rica that families with kids can go nearly anywhere and be happy. What child, teen or adult wouldn’t appreciate rainforest exploring, canopy zip-lines, surfing, snorkeling, nesting sea turtles, endless beaches, and plenty of wild animals and cool bugs, plants and trees? One of the best...Read More
The setting: Romantic tropical beach, palm trees, balmy breezes, beautiful sunsets, candlelit dinners, lush rainforest. What could be a better backdrop for your destination wedding and honeymoon? Many brides and grooms these days favor a fun, exotic destination wedding with the built-in sunny honeymoon. For destination weddings, Costa Rica is one of the most popular...Read More
Each neighborhood in San Jose, Costa Rica has its own personality and character. The culturally-rich neighborhood of Barrio Amon in the capital city’s downtown center is urban, eclectic and funky. There are lots of art galleries, restaurants, cafés, bars, museums and cultural attractions. The Caribbean bus station is close. So is the Costa Rica Center...Read More
Like many beaches in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, Playa Guiones doesn’t have much shade. The coastline is lined with long grasses, shrubbery, very-low-to-the-ground stubby trees and some tall palm trees here and there. A nonprofit NGO in Costa Rica is working to change that. The Green Coasts Conservation Association (La Asociación Conservacionista Costas Verdes) is dedicated...Read More
Part mountaineering and part rock climbing, but in reverse, with the added challenge of pounding water, the waterfall rappelling extreme sport of canyoneering is the latest top popular adventure tour in Costa Rica. One of the best places for canyoneering, also called canyoning, is by the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. The rugged, mountainous rainforest...Read More
Practicing yoga outdoors has many benefits, especially at the beach. In addition to beautiful scenery and fresh air, it takes balance, concentration and strength to hold yoga poses in the sand, so you get more of a workout. Here are six reasons why yoga is fun on the beach, from Nancy Goodfellow, resident yoga instructor...Read More
Parades, lantern ceremonies, traditional music and dancing will take place all over Costa Rica this weekend to mark the day that Costa Rica and four other Central American nations gained their independence from Spain. Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras are all celebrating 193 years of independence from Spain on Sept. 15. On this...Read More
There is a lot of talk in travel about eco-tourism and being sustainable. But what does that really mean? Is that simply turning off a few lights, not wasting water and recycling the trash? According to the United Nations, sustainability is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to...Read More
In Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, organic healthy living is alive and well – especially at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat. Budda Eyes Restaurant at the beachfront Santa Teresa Costa Rica hotel is dedicated to serving healthy, nourishing and innovative cuisine. “At Pranamar we try to satisfy not only your stomach, but also your soul...Read More
You have bought your dream house in Costa Rica; or, you’ve secured the ideal rental while you check out the country as a place to live. You are checking your packing list for the big move to Costa Rica – what about Fido or Fluffy? A lot of people who move to Costa Rica bring...Read More
Rainy season in Costa Rica is the best time to visit the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge. Known as the “everglades of Costa Rica”, its 25,100 acres have been designated a “world protected area” by conservation groups like the Ramsar Convention, for being home to some of the world’s rarest plant, animal and bird species. Located...Read More
I never get tired of watching the monkeys in Costa Rica. It is so much fun to watch the cute, miniature-sized Squirrel Monkeys jump and play, and marvel at the ingenuity of clever White-faced Capuchin Monkeys. Spider Monkeys are wonderful to see swinging gracefully through the trees with their long arms, legs and tails. And...Read More
The Costa Rica Caribbean Coast has everything you’re looking for on your holiday, whether rest and relaxation, romance, adventure, family time, fun with friends, or new beginnings like your wedding or honeymoon. The southern Caribbean of Costa Rica has a decidedly relaxed vibe. Afro-Caribbean, Latino and Bribri indigenous cultures uniquely blend with customs of newer...Read More
The peaceful and shy Manatee has been declared a national marine mammal in Costa Rica. Costa Rica lawmakers this week passed the bill making the endangered Caribbean mammal a national symbol; the honor had been proposed by two school children from the region of Limón after they learned about Manatees in school. Also known as...Read More
Manuel Antonio Costa Rica is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country for its abundant beauty, wildlife and adventure tours. It is also exceedingly popular for hotels. Knowing where to stay is the key in this famous location on the Central Pacific Coast – named one of the 2014 Top 25 Beaches...Read More
Often dismissed by Costa Rica vacationers as a place to avoid, or to endure only for a layover night, the vibrant capital city of San José, Costa Rica in actuality has a lot to offer visitors. It is a city of contrasts blending the old world and modern times; expressing its history and culture in...Read More
Families who travel to Costa Rica know that Costa Rica is a fun, easy and safe family vacation destination. In fact, Costa Rica is this year’s most recommended travel hotspot in the world! Positioned between Nicaragua and Panama, Costa Rica is easily accessible from North America and Europe with numerous daily flights. It is one...Read More
There are many attractions on the southern Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, but few visitors explore the tiny fishing village and mysterious island of Cabuya. Cabuya is known as the gateway to the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, Costa Rica’s first privately protected reserve at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Seven kilometers after...Read More
Guanacaste – known as the “sunny side” of Costa Rica – is a preferred Costa Rica vacation destination and popular place to live for its famous Pacific Coast beaches. Known as the “Gold Coast” or “Costa Rica’s Riviera,” here you can find everything from wild, completely deserted tropical beaches to booming, buzzing beach towns full...Read More
There are plenty of beaches covered with shells in Costa Rica. The beaches near Nosara Costa Rica, however, are spread with a different kind of shell – that of nesting sea turtles. This time of year, from July to December, hundreds of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles swim to these remote beaches of the...Read More
Two must-see destinations on your Costa Rica vacation are the Arenal Volcano and Northern Plains of Costa Rica. The tall, impressive Arenal Volcano rises 5,437 feet above the verdant rainforest and neighboring Lake Arenal, framing the skyline with its near perfect cone shape. The spectacular live volcano is easily one of the most photographed landscapes...Read More
While all eyes are on Costa Rica’s national football team in the World Cup 2014 in Brazil, the country of Costa Rica also is getting attention from the United Nations. At the end of June 2014, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added four pre-Colombian historic sites located in the southern region...Read More
The slow-moving sloths of Costa Rica are streaking into the limelight with their own weeklong online special program. Starting June 20, 2014, Animal Planet and Animalist will stream daily footage from the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica. Cute and cuddly sloths of the Caribbean Costa Rica have been in the spotlight since last year’s program...Read More
“Without water, there can be no life. Without clean water, there can be no healthy life.” This is the driving force behind the worldwide environmental organization Waterkeeper Alliance. Based in the United States, the Waterkeeper Alliance aspires to protect every major watershed around the world, to advocate for every person’s right to clean water and...Read More
