Costa Rica moved up one spot to 18th place in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released Thursday by Reporters Without Borders, reaffirming its standing as the freest country for journalists in Latin America even as press freedom hits a 25-year low globally. The country posted a score of 12.08 in the new ranking, edging …
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Costa Rica is moving to expand its payment-based conservation model into open-water marine protection, with a new program being designed to reward the protection and release of hammerhead sharks. The Ministry of Environment and Energy, through SINAC and in partnership with FUNBAM, is developing a Marine Payment for Ecosystem Services program, known as PSEM, aimed …
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Is it just me, or does it seem like too many people are looking too hard for something– anything– to get upset about? The internet is overloaded with whiners and nitpickers, broadcasting the latest outrage to their delicate sensibilities. While it can be tiresome, it can also be contagious. The more I watch, the more …
Read more “A Costa Rica Expat’s Funny List of Everyday Pet Peeves”
Costa Rica is undergoing a demographic transformation that will leave a lasting mark on the country. Families are smaller, parents are starting later in life, and a growing share of households no longer include children at all. The shifts, captured in recent data from the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), are reshaping the …
Read more “Costa Rica Fertility Rate Hits 1.2 as Families Get Smaller and Older”
Costa Rica drivers will soon face a major increase at the pump after the Public Services Regulatory Authority, ARESEP, approved a new fuel price adjustment that will hit diesel and regular gasoline the hardest. Under the approved rates, diesel will rise by ₡152 per liter, moving from ₡564 to ₡716. Regular gasoline will increase by …
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Costa Rica’s Route 27 will operate with a reversible lane this Sunday, May 3, as authorities prepare for heavy return traffic from the Pacific coast to the Central Valley after the long International Workers’ Day weekend. The measure will apply on the highway between Caldera and San José, with traffic directed toward the capital between …
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Travelers and lodging operators in Costa Rica are being urged to watch for phishing attempts after Booking.com confirmed that unauthorized third parties accessed some customer reservation information in a cyberattack affecting users worldwide. The company began notifying affected customers in mid-April after detecting suspicious activity tied to guest booking information. Exposed data may have included …
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The Ballet Nacional de Costa Rica will bring Sleeping Beauty to the Teatro Nacional on June 6 and 7, staging one of classical ballet’s best-known works at Costa Rica’s leading cultural venue. The production will be presented in three performances: Saturday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, June 7 at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 …
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Mexican coach Miguel “El Piojo” Herrera, dismissed by Costa Rica in November after the national team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, has returned to Liga MX as head coach of Atlante, the club announced Tuesday. The appointment marks Herrera’s third stint with the historic Mexico City side and ends a five-month period …
Read more “Former Costa Rica Coach Miguel Herrera Lands Job With Historic Atlante”
A new luxury beach hotel has opened near Playa Hermosa on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast, adding another high-end option to one of our country’s busiest tourism routes. Amarena Canvas Beach Hotel is located within the Místico beach community between Jacó and Esterillos, about 94 kilometers from Juan Santamaría International Airport and six kilometers from …
Read more “Costa Rica Adds New Sustainable Luxury Hotel Near Playa Hermosa”