Costa Rica’s 2025 Flamingo Fishing Rodeo Highlights Sport and Conservation

With great fishing and a renewed focus on family fun, the Presidential Flamingo Fishing Rodeo presented by Marina Flamingo is set to take center stage in the world of sport fishing in mid-July 2025 in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica. Final registration and a welcome party hosted by Marina Flamingo and Gurme will take place on July 18th. Tournament fishing …

UN Ocean Summit Ends with Progress but No Clear Funding

The UN Ocean Summit concluded in Nice with advances in protecting the high seas—but without any clear financial commitments. After bringing together around 60 world leaders, the summit also ended with tougher warnings against deep-sea mining. Environmental advocates and leaders from island nations, however, criticized what they see as backsliding on fossil fuels and expressed …

Costa Rica Minister Faces Accusations Over Gandoca-Manzanillo Development

Costa Rica’s reputation as an environmental leader is under scrutiny. A formal complaint filed by environmental lawyer Marco Levy has called for a criminal investigation into Minister of Environment and Energy Franz Tattenbach. The accusations? Prevarication, corruption, and favoritism that could harm the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, a protected Ramsar site in Talamanca, Limón. This …

From Bookie to “Pura Vida”: A True Costa Rica Expat Story

I recently wrote about my fear that three decades after learning Spanish, I was now slowly losing my fluency, forgetting words I had once known, and mispronouncing others. This should come as no surprise. According to the experts on gray matter, my cognitive abilities peaked around the turn of this century. It has been a …

Gold Cup 2025: Costa Rica, Mexico and Canada Aim for Glory

While other CONCACAF teams have their sights set on the 2026 World Cup, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Canada are raising the stakes by targeting a Gold Cup title. The tournament will take place in the U.S. and Canada from June 14 to July 6. A year before the North American World Cup, high-profile teams from …

Costa Rica’s US-Donated Drug Scanners Sit Unused for Seven Months

Costa Rica’s fight against drug trafficking hit a snag, and it’s raising eyebrows. Seven months ago, the United States donated two high-tech scanners to help detect drugs at the ports of Caldera in Puntarenas and Moín in Limón. These machines were supposed to be game-changers, catching illegal shipments and tightening security. But today, they’re still …

Costa Rica’s Tortuga Island Hits Coral Milestone in Marine Restoration Push

Costa Rica’s Tortuga Island is making waves in marine conservation. On World Oceans Day the National Learning Institute (INA), State Distance University (UNED), and Bay Island Cruises announced a major milestone: the planting of 2,000 corals as part of an ongoing effort to restore the island’s degraded reefs. This project is a big step toward …

Costa Rica Faces Slower Growth and Rising Exchange Rate Pressures

Costa Rica is bracing for a challenging economic landscape through 2025 and into 2026, marked by slower growth, exchange rate pressures, and mounting uncertainties, according to economic analysts. While our country is not teetering on the edge of a recession, key sectors are losing steam, signaling a broader slowdown that could impact livelihoods and stability. …

Costa Rica’s UN Ocean Conference Role Slammed as Hypocritical

Costa Rica’s high-profile role in the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, has triggered fierce criticism from lawmakers and environmentalists, who accuse President Rodrigo Chaves’ administration of hypocrisy. The June event, co-hosted by Costa Rica and France, aimed to advance global ocean conservation, but critics argue the government is using the platform …

Banana Workers’ Strike Ends in Panama After Pension Agreement

Workers at U.S.-based banana company Chiquita Brands in Panama ended their protests and road blockades on Wednesday after reaching an agreement over pension reforms. The workers had gone on strike on April 28, blocking roads in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro, which borders Costa Rica, in response to a pension reform that removed …