Expomóvil 2026 Opens in Belén with 350 Models

Costa Rica’s biggest auto fair of the year is in full swing, and this edition is one for the record books. Expomóvil 2026 started Thursday, and runs through Sunday at the Centro de Eventos Pedregal in Belén, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Association of Vehicle and Machinery Importers (AIVEMA), the trade group that …

Costa Rica Report Says Gentrification Is Reshaping Guanacaste

A new study from the National University’s Observatory on Tourism, Migration and Sustainability in the Chorotega Region says development in some of Guanacaste’s best known beach towns is becoming more exclusive, more segmented and less connected to the communities around it. Focusing on El Coco, Nosara and Tamarindo, the report argues that the dominant pattern …

The History of Pirate Raids Along Costa Rica’s Coast

Long before Costa Rica became synonymous with cloud forests and wildlife reserves, its coastlines were contested territory in one of history’s most dramatic power struggles. During the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, the country’s remote bays, dense jungles, and exposed river mouths made it both a target and a thoroughfare for pirates, corsairs, and privateers …

Latin American hopes fade in Munich as Cerundolo falls to Zverev

Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo let an early opening slip away Friday as top seed Alexander Zverev fought back from a set down to win 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 and reach the semifinals of the BMW Open in Munich. The comeback sent the German through to a last-four meeting with Italy’s Flavio Cobolli and ended Cerundolo’s run at …

Costa Rica Activists Rally Against Bahía Papagayo Plan to Cut 700 Trees

Opposition to the Bahía Papagayo development in Playa Panamá is intensifying after SINAC authorized tree cutting in the project area. The citizen group Salvemos el Bosque de Playa Panamá has called two demonstrations, one for Tuesday, April 21, at 4:00 p.m. outside the Constitutional Chamber in San José and another for Wednesday, April 22, at …

Costa Rica Authorities Train to Better Handle Rescued and Seized Wildlife

Humane World for Animals Costa Rica has partnered with Costa Rica’s National Environmental Security Commission to deliver a series of training workshops for government authorities responsible for handling wildlife rescued or confiscated in illegal trafficking cases. The workshops are part of a broader project titled “Improving Costa Rica’s Capacity to Combat Wildlife Trafficking,” funded by …

Costa Rica Says Deported Migrants May Seek Asylum Over Return Fears

Eight of the 25 migrants deported from the United States to Costa Rica in the first flight under a new third-country agreement have told authorities they fear returning to their home countries, a development that could push several of them into Costa Rica’s asylum system just days after their arrival. Costa Rican immigration chief Omer …

Costa Rica Joins CENTAM Security Drills in El Salvador

Costa Rican security personnel are taking part in a new round of U.S.-led regional exercises in El Salvador, where more than 1,200 members of military, security and disaster-response forces from seven countries began training yesterday under the CENTAM Guardian 26 program. The exercise, hosted by U.S. Southern Command and El Salvador’s Ministry of National Defense, …

US Tightens Visa Policy for Latin America and Caribbean

The United States announced on Thursday a tightening of its visa policy for Latin America and the Caribbean that initially affects 26 people, without detailing names or nationalities. “This Administration will deny adversary powers the ability to own or control critical assets or to threaten the security and prosperity of the United States in our …

Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano Records Unusual Crater Collapse and Lake Surge

An unusual eruption inside Poás Volcano on April 10 sent ash into the air, pushed the crater lake up by as much as three meters, and opened a new fumarole field, according to Costa Rican volcanologists tracking the event. Scientists say the episode was not the kind of explosion seen during Poás activity last year, …