Monteverde Fights Gentrification to Preserve Community

In the Tilarán Mountains, Monteverde, Costa Rica is known for its biodiversity and ecotourism. However, rising rents and land prices are driving gentrification, forcing many local residents to commute from nearby areas for work as living costs exceed their budgets. Ecotourism drives Monteverde’s economy, attracting over 200,000 visitors each year to its cloud forests and …

US Deportations to El Salvador Unveil a Human Rights Crisis

The deportation of migrants detained in the United States to El Salvador and their imprisonment in a mega-prison for gang members is creating “a black hole” without legal protections, warn human rights advocates concerned about the anti-immigration alliance between the two countries. On Monday at the White House, the presidents of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, …

Poás Volcano Eruptions Hurt Costa Rica Tourism Economy

The recent eruptions of Poás Volcano have delivered a severe blow to the tourism-dependent communities surrounding Poás Volcano National Park, with local businesses reporting significant economic losses due to reduced visitation and sales. The park’s indefinite closure since March 26, prompted by intensified volcanic activity, has exacerbated the situation, leaving shopkeepers, restaurants, and vendors struggling …

Panama Tops Costa Rica as 2025 Retirement Destination

Panama has claimed the top spot in International Living’s Annual Global Retirement Index for 2025, unseating Costa Rica, which dropped to third place behind Portugal, according to the report released late last year. The shift highlights Panama’s growing appeal for retirees seeking affordability, modern amenities, and ease of relocation. The index ranks 20 countries based …

Trump and Bukele Reinforce Their Alliance Against Gangs

“We are very eager to help,” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele assured this Monday at the White House to a Donald Trump delighted to hear what his best friend from Latin America was telling him, who has imprisoned hundreds of migrants deported by the United States under the accusation of being gang members. The rapport between …

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Shows Slight Decrease in Activity

Poás Volcano shows signs of a slight decrease in its eruptive activity after three weeks of frequent eruptions and ash and gas emissions, according to the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSICORI). According to volcanologist Geoffroy Avard, a downward trend in the energy of the explosions has been observed since Friday. “There is a slight trend …

Costa Rica’s Bold New Tourist Trap: Where Beaches Meet Bars

I don’t know about you, but I was very excited to read that Costa Rica has expressed interest in getting into one of the best regional growth industries—massive prisons. Up in El Salvador, Bukele has built the prototype prison for long-term jailing: CECOT, the Center for Terrorism Confinement. Now our president has indicated that he …

Trump Hosts Bukele to Reveal El Salvador Migrant Deportation Plan

Donald Trump hosts his closest ally in Latin America, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, at the White House today. Bukele has been a key figure since agreeing to incarcerate migrants deported from the United States in exchange for payment. Whenever journalists mention Bukele, the U.S. president and his cabinet shower him with praise. On his Truth …

Ivanka Trump Enjoys Surfing Vacation in Costa Rica

Ivanka Trump, daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump, is vacationing in Costa Rica, as confirmed by the General Directorate of Immigration (DGME) upon her arrival on Friday, April 11, 2025. The businesswoman and former White House advisor is staying in a private residence between Playa Hermosa and Santa Teresa in Cóbano, Puntarenas, a area known …

Literary Icon Mario Vargas Llosa Dies, Marking the End of an Era

The Peruvian Nobel laureate in literature, Mario Vargas Llosa, passed away this Sunday in Lima at the age of 89, and with him, the last representative of the golden generation of Latin American literature is lost. A universal writer emerging from the complex Peruvian reality, Vargas Llosa was part of the so-called Latin American “boom” …