Month: September 2025

In a joint effort to strengthen security and provide immediate assistance for tourists visiting the country, authorities inaugurated the Tourist Police 9-1-1 Operations Center yesterday. The center is strategically located in the heart of the capital, specifically on the south side of San José’s Central Park. The new operations center will enable an immediate and …

Read more “Costa Rica Debuts 9-1-1 Tourist Police Hub to Boost Visitor Safety”

Recently, I was hiking in the mountains along Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific Coast. The trail went from gravel road, to horse track, to narrow jungle path… until I realized I was temporarily lost. The squawk of loras (parrots) pierced the morning air, and somewhere in the distance I heard rushing water. Retracing my steps, I …

Read more “Have You Ever in Costa Rica? A Fun Checklist for Expats & Travelers”

Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug used for pain relief and anesthesia, has raised alarms in Costa Rica. It is about 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Typically, fentanyl is prescribed to cancer patients or used during surgical procedures. Recent detections in Costa …

Read more “Fentanyl Alarms Costa Rica as Low-Dose Cases Emerge”

Costa Rica’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal, or TSE, has announced a fresh design for the national identity card. The updated cédula will start circulating in the weeks ahead, bringing better security and some key changes to what appears on the card. Officials say the move aims to make the document safer and easier to handle while …

Read more “What to Know About Costa Rica’s Revamped Cédula Rollout”

Marino Ballena National Park gears up for the height of humpback whale watching, drawing visitors to see these massive creatures in action. The park ranks among the top spots worldwide for this activity, as noted by National Geographic. Costa Rica boasts the longest whale migration period, spanning ten months, with peaks from July to November …

Read more “The Whale and Dolphin Festival at Costa Rica’s Marino Ballena Park”

A Spanish photographer named Kike Arnaiz recently spotted a rare leucistic yellow-throated toucan in Costa Rica, calling it a one-of-a-kind find that left him amazed. The bird, known locally as “Tuky,” shows white plumage due to leucism, a genetic trait that reduces pigmentation in feathers but keeps eyes, beak, and other features normal. Arnaiz, who …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Unique White Toucan Captures Hearts of Nature Lover”

Ecuador is negotiating a new program with the United States to receive 300 people each year with refugee status in that country, provided they have not committed crimes and have no health problems, Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said Monday. Without giving further details, the minister made the announcement two days before the arrival in Quito …

Read more “Ecuador, U.S. Deepen Ties With Refugee Deal and Base Talks”

The trial against former President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría restarted today in the Tribunal Penal de Hacienda y de la Función Pública, marking the latest chapter in a corruption probe that has dragged on since 2001. Rodríguez, who led Costa Rica from 1998 to 2002, faces charges of peculado alongside several ex-officials for allegedly accepting …

Read more “Costa Rica Ex-President Rodríguez Trial Resumes in Reinsurance Scandal”