Costa Rica Leatherback Turtles Arrive Early on Caribbean Beaches

Costa Rica’s Caribbean leatherback season is getting underway, with conservation groups and park-linked patrols on the coast already reporting the first turtles of the 2026 nesting cycle. Rangers at Tortuguero and Cahuita confirm first major arrivals 10 days ahead of schedule, opening up an unexpected early window for one of our country’s most awe-inspiring wildlife …

Costa Rica Farmers Donate Harvest in San José Holy Week Tradition

During Holy Week, farmers, the Catholic Church and the Municipality of San José come together for the blessing of the harvest, an event that provides food to San José’s most vulnerable communities in a gesture filled with faith, hope, and collective support. The event has been organized jointly by market vendors, the Archdiocese of San …

FBI Sends Team to Cuba to Investigate Deadly Boat Incident Linked to Florida

An FBI delegation is in Cuba to take part in the investigation into the incident involving an armed boat from Florida and Cuban coast guard forces, which left five dead and six injured, a source at the U.S. Embassy in Havana said. A U.S. embassy official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that “a technical team from the …

Is El Salvador Winning the Central America Tourism Race?

The numbers tell a story that Costa Rica’s tourism industry cannot afford to ignore. In 2019, before the pandemic reshaped global travel, Costa Rica stood as the most visited nation in the Central American region with 3.14 million foreign visitors, while El Salvador ranked second with 1.77 million. That gap, over 1.3 million visitors, looked …

Brazil Congress Approves Shared Pet Custody for Separating Couples

No more arguments over who gets the dog. The Brazilian Congress has passed a bill that will let separating couples share custody of their pets. Lawmakers approved the measure on March 31. It reflects how Brazilians view their animals as family members rather than property. The bill, known as PL 941/2024, states that if a …

Costa Rica Oversight Body Warns U.S. Deportation Deal Could Trigger Rights Violations

A Costa Rican oversight body is warning that the country risks repeating human rights violations if it moves ahead with a new agreement to accept migrants deported from the United States. The alert comes after President Rodrigo Chaves’ government signed a nonbinding migration deal with Washington that would allow up to 25 third-country deportees per …

Astronauts begin NASA’s historic Artemis II lunar mission

Four Artemis II mission astronauts blasted off Wednesday aboard a massive NASA rocket on a journey that will take them around the Moon, the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years. With a thunderous roar heard far beyond the launch pad, the orange-and-white rocket lifted off carrying three Americans and one Canadian from …

Costa Rica May Pay Private Doctors to Ease Appointment Backlog

Costa Rica’s public health system is again weighing a move that would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago: paying private doctors directly to help relieve pressure inside the CCSS. The latest proposal would allow some patients to receive care from private physicians when the public system cannot offer a timely appointment. The version now …

Nicaragua Rejects United States Claims of Holy Week Celebration Ban

Nicaragua denied Wednesday that it is prohibiting Holy Week celebrations, countering accusations from the United States and opposition voices that public processions have been banned. The government of spouses and co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo faces claims it is cracking down on the Catholic Church, which it accuses of backing 2018 anti-government protests. The …