Bats are mammals with a bad reputation – their good name stained with images of blood and vampires by Hollywood. The truth is that bats are an important part of the environment, helping with pest control, spreading seeds and pollinating plants. Of the approximate 1,100 bat species on Earth, 112 of them are found in...Read More
If bird-watching is your passion, then you definitely want to add Costa Rica to your “Top 10 list of places to go birding.” The small Central American country is home to more than 870 bird species – more than in all of the United States, Canada and Mexico combined – and is a bird-watching hotspot....Read More
As a surfer, wouldn’t you like to be able to surf for longer without getting tired, have more strength and flexibility and better balance, get a quicker pop-up, relax your breathing and sharpen your mental focus? Yoga can help you do this. Pro surfers know that yoga keeps their performance constantly improving and aids in...Read More
The pristine beaches of Nosara, Costa Rica have caught people’s attention a lot lately. In December, National Geographic Magazine chose Nosara as one of the best winter trips for 2014. Then, Cable News Network (CNN) selected Nosara as one of its 11 Places to Go Worldwide for 2014. Nosara also was listed as one of...Read More
Costa Rica summer is yoga season at Pranamar Oceanfront Villas & Yoga Retreat on Santa Teresa Beach. Pranamar is offering 14 exceptional yoga retreats between February and June 2014. Whether you are looking to deepen your yoga practice, or try yoga for the first time, a yoga retreat is an excellent opportunity for both. Retreats...Read More
One of the biggest dreams for retirees is moving to a warm, sunny place where you can relax and enjoy the “golden years” of life with no stress. Lower costs to stretch your savings and having good quality health care available are also top considerations. In the Americas, Costa Rica continues to be one of...Read More
A flash of brilliant red, blue and yellow, and a loud raucous squawk, and you know you are in the jungle. There is nothing quite like the sight of wild Scarlet Macaws flying overhead or contentedly gathered in bunches in a treetop to give you the full feeling of being in the tropics. Their distinctive...Read More
2014 is the year of World Cup fever. Costa Rica will host its own World Cup in March 2014 – the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup. Sixteen international teams will gather in this spectacular Central American country to compete for title of world champions. The prestigious tournament will be played in Costa Rica from March 15...Read More
Puerto Viejo and the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica will host the second big surf competition in the 2014 Olympus National Surfing Circuit later this month. The Lime Coral Caribbean Classic II will be held January 25 and 26 at Playa Cocles just south of Puerto Viejo. Top surfers from all over Costa Rica will...Read More
Newlywed couples from Europe to North America are flocking to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica for the ultimate romantic wedding and honeymoon destination. The Wall Street Journal recently named Costa Rica as the “Best Destination to Say ‘I Do’ in Latin America”. Costa Rica has become a leader in destination weddings and honeymoons, receiving...Read More
For its sheer beauty and phenomenal whitewater rapids, the Pacuare River of Costa Rica is one of the world’s top whitewater river rafting adventures. The Pacuare thunders down a long gorge and canyon through primary and secondary rainforest of the Talamanca Mountains on Costa Rica’s Caribbean slope. You have the feeling of being completely isolated...Read More
As we drove up into the clouds, it began to look not like Costa Rica anymore. Mist swirled around us. Large-leafed Prehistoric-looking vegetation lurked in the gloom. All windows were up; I was wearing a big fleece jacket, and I was contemplating turning on my car’s heater for the first time ever. When I told...Read More
The end of the year in southern Costa Rica is time for one of the country’s biggest indigenous cultural events. This is when the native Boruca community celebrates their traditional “Fiesta de los Diablitos”, or the Festival of Little Devils. The four-day annual event happens from Dec. 30 to Jan. 2 in the village of...Read More
Nosara, Costa Rica, is a fascinating, eclectic beach community. Remotely located on the Pacific Coast of the Nicoya Peninsula, Nosara has become a haven for local and international residents who sought to “get away from it all.” Many came to surf the wild side-by-side beaches of Playa Pelada and Playa Guiones, two of Costa Rica’s...Read More
For more than 100 years, every year at Christmastime, rather than searching for the perfect present, tens of thousands of active passionate folks explore the great outdoors looking for the most splendid birds. Outfitted with binoculars, bird guides and checklists, birding devotees throughout the Americas brave snow, wind, rain, or maybe even tropical sun, to...Read More
Costa Rica’s summer season is beginning, just in time to beat the winter blues with affordable winter vacation destinations. Find your winter sun in Costa Rica, an easy and fun tropical getaway. Miles of beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts make for great beach vacations. Rainforests, cloud forests and active volcanoes provide exciting...Read More
Have you heard the one about the visiting tourist enjoying Costa Rican tamales? He says, “They’re really delicious, but the lettuce is little tough!” (Costa Rican tamales are wrapped in green banana tree leaves.) Ho, ho, ho! Tamales are one of the most time-honored Christmas traditions in Costa Rica. Like the rest of Latin America,...Read More
Guanacaste is known as the “sunny side” of Costa Rica. The northwestern province is named after Costa Rica’s national tree, the Guanacaste. The nearly-always sunny climate is dry and hot, which creates its unique dry tropical forest habitat. Vast rolling plains, foothills, low coastal mountains and the towering Cordillera de Guanacaste mountain range create an...Read More
I’ve been reading about ocean pollution, and the facts are really quite shocking. Apparently, it was once a common practice to “get rid of trash” by dumping it into the ocean, and there was even a positive catchphrase: “The solution to pollution is dilution.” People assumed that the oceans were so vast and deep that...Read More
Spending your Christmas holidays in Costa Rica and wondering what to do? The capital city of San José has a lot going on. So get your Santa hat and festive cheer ready, and let the rhythm of Christmas in Latin America dash you away! Christmas in San José, Costa Rica, is a lively, fun time....Read More
I drove through the city of San Jose last weekend. Everywhere the streets were clogged with traffic and shoppers, rushing around to cash in on Christmas deals and sales. Besides making a mental note to avoid the traffic until after Christmas, the scene made me adamantly think how much I do not want that chaos...Read More
The southern Pacific Ocean off the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica is an amazing natural wonder of marine biodiversity, home to more than 25 species of dolphins and whales, four of the world’s eight different sea turtles, along with manta rays, sailfish, marlin, tuna and sharks. The southern Pacific, and especially Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf)...Read More
When you finally arrive to your destination on vacation, there is no better way to slip into full relax mode than with a massage. It really is amazing what a professional therapist can do in 60 or 90 minutes to make your muscles and body loosen up and bring you bliss and well-being. Massage therapy...Read More
It is said in Costa Rica that the best “all-terrain vehicle” for navigating the country is a horse. Costa Ricans love horses and their riding traditions – their equestrian roots coming from the Spanish who brought horses with them to Central America in the 16th century. The northwestern province of Guanacaste is the heart and...Read More
