Author: allthingspanama.net

As October draws to a close, Costa Ricans prepare for Halloween with a mix of modern festivities and age-old tales that echo through rural communities. While carved pumpkins and costumes have gained popularity in urban areas, the holiday often revives local folklore, including ghost stories passed down for generations. One such narrative, the legend of …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Phantom Ox Cart is a Halloween Legend Rooted in History”

Nantipa Resort in Santa Teresa has secured a place among the top 20 resorts in Central America in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards. This marks a key achievement for the Costa Rican property in one of the travel industry’s established honors. Readers from across the globe cast more than 757,000 votes to rate …

Read more “Costa Rica’s Nantipa Named Among Best Resorts by Condé Nast Traveler”

Use it or lose it. I passed a month speaking zero Spanish and was anxious to get the tongue rolling again. With each passing year I forget a few words, and find myself saying ‘Como?’ in conversation too often. The more time away, the more time my brain needs to limber up and regain fluency. …

Read more “Costa Rica Expat Back in LA Where Pura Vida Meets Melrose”

The Ministry of Public Education (MEP) has rolled out new guidelines that will reshape how students present themselves in public schools across Costa Rica starting in the 2026 school year. These rules target personal expression through bans on tattoos, makeup, and certain accessories, sparking discussions among families, educators, and legal specialists. The changes aim to …

Read more “Costa Rica Bans Tattoos and Makeup in Schools”

Costa Rica’s national parks and protected areas face growing threats from budget shortfalls, surging visitor numbers, and climate shifts, according to a recent report from the Universidad Estatal a Distancia (UNED). The study highlights how these pressures weaken conservation work and risk the country’s renowned biodiversity. The National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), tasked with …

Read more “Costa Rica National Parks Face Threats from Tourism and Budget Cuts”

Streets across Costa Rica fill with color and music each October 31 as the nation marks Traditional Masquerade Day, a celebration that honors local heritage and sparks community spirit. This year, on Friday, parades, performances, and workshops bring families together to remember the roots of this lively custom. The day traces back to 1996, when …

Read more “Costa Rica Celebrates Cultural Roots with Masquerade Day Parade”

Authorities in Costa Rica arrested three people on Wednesday in connection with the killing of a European couple whose bodies turned up buried on their property in Quepos last month. The suspects, two Costa Rican men and a Colombian woman, face charges tied to a plot driven by greed over the victims’ land. The victims, …

Read more “Costa Rica Arrests Three in Murder of European Couple in Quepos”

While the American military blows up boats it claims are transporting drugs from Venezuela, observers say tankers shipping Venezuelan oil in violation of a US embargo continue to navigate the very same Caribbean waters undisturbed. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has claimed a massive US military deployment within striking distance of his country was part of …

Read more “Shadow Tankers Thrive While U.S. Bombs Drug Boats in Caribbean Waters”

Panama’s government faces mounting pressure to relocate more Indigenous Guna families from low-lying Caribbean islands as sea levels continue to rise, building on the 2024 move of over 1,200 residents from Gardi Sugdub. The relocation effort highlights the direct impact of climate change on vulnerable communities in the Guna Yala archipelago, also known as the …

Read more “Panama’s Indigenous Families Relocate Amid Rising Sea Levels”

ABC News Live has launched the second season of its docuseries “Last Lands,” with an episode that spotlights Coiba Island in Panama. The island, once a notorious penal colony, now stands as a protected national park facing modern threats. Correspondent Bob Woodruff leads viewers through the remote site off Panama’s Pacific coast. Coiba served as …

Read more “Docuseries Last Lands Spotlights Panama’s Prison Island Now a National Park”