Blogs

Costa Rica is celebrating International Surfing Day on June 20 big this year. Costa Rica’s surfing “dream team” made national history on June 7 when they were crowned 2015 World Surfing Champions.

Costa Rica’s team won the overall gold medal in the International Surfing Association (ISA) 2015 World Surfing Games held at Playa Popoyo, Nicaragua, competing against 26 teams from around the world. The medal, along with the Fernando Aguirre World Team Trophy and the International Olympic Committee (I

If you love the idea of roaming through a rainforest looking for monkeys, snakes, exotic birds and wild cats, then this Costa Rica nature adventure tour is for you.

On your next Costa Rica vacation, you should go on the Bushmaster Adventures rainforest wildlife tour. This is one of your best bets in the Central Pacific region of Costa Rica to see an incredibly diverse array of wildlife.

Private or group guided tours visit the coastal rainforest at Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living, located

What is your dream for the planet?

Live sustainably? No unusable trash? Less food waste? Clean oceans and water sources? Trees, mountains and forests protected? Well-being of people and animals? Communities living in harmony and respect?

Horizontes Nature Tours in Costa Rica has the same dreams. They care about how travel and tourism affects not only their home of Costa Rica, but the entire planet.

On June 5 people everywhere celebrate World Environment Day 2015 (WED) with the United Nations Env

Eco-friendly travel and sustainable tourism are some of the top buzzwords today in the travel and tourism industry worldwide. “Go Green” is the slogan you hear most often nowadays. Planet-conscientious travelers are more frequently seeking out eco-friendly lodging wherever they travel.

In ecotourism hotspot Costa Rica, L'acqua Viva Resort & Spa is a leading eco-friendly hotel in Nosara on the Nicoya Peninsula. The Bali-style Costa Rica luxury hotel is located between the beautiful white sand bea

Legend tells that when God made the world, after he finished painting the sky a brilliant pastel blue, he washed his brushes in a beautiful Costa Rican river, coloring the river the same intense sky blue.

Rio Celeste (Sky Blue River) is still revered as a sacred site by the indigenous Maleku tribe who live in this Northern Costa Rica region near the Tenorio Volcano. The river begins its journey as crystal clear water tumbling and flowing down the lush rainforest of Tenorio Volcano National Park;

Heard about Atenas, Costa Rica – a favorite place for international retirement – and want to know more information?

The charming country town, strategically located between the capital city of San Jose and beautiful Pacific Coast beaches, has several sources of information to let you know what’s happening in Atenas, Costa Rica. All are available online from wherever you may be. Then, the best thing to do is to visit Atenas in person.

ATENAS TODAY E-MAGAZINE

One of the best sources of information a

The way Omar Arce sees it, the Costa Rica tradition of the oxcart driver and his oxen is an important cultural heritage that must be kept alive. Nowadays in his country town of Atenas, Costa Rica most roads are paved and cars zoom everywhere. But when Arce, 73, was a boy, the only way to bring the vegetables his father sold from their family farm to the town center was by walking with their team of oxen pulling a wooden cart loaded with produce. The 7 km journey – now a 15-minute drive – would t

In celebration of Earth Day 2015 – celebrating its 45^th anniversary on April 22, 2015 – Horizontes Nature Tours in Costa Rica asked one of their long-time naturalist guides what was his favorite element of Costa Rica nature. Costa Rica’s national parks were his answer.

From a country that was nearly devastated by deforestation by the early 1980s, today over 52 percent of Costa Rica’s territory is protected between national parks, private reserves and wildlife refuges. Costa Rica’s progressive re

Surfing hotspot of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is a favorite among national pro surfers in Costa Rica. The award-winning beach was in the spotlight April 18-19, 2015 for the season’s fourth 2015 Costa Rica National Surfing Circuit competition, sponsored by ISAW Action Cameras of Australia.  Competitive surfers from all over Costa Rica came to Santa Teresa to compete. 

Surfing in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica

On Costa Rica’s southern Nicoya Peninsula, Santa Teresa and neighboring Mal Pais draw visitors f

Like all travelers, when you plan a vacation to an unfamiliar location, you want to have an idea of what to expect. TripAdvisor is a great resource for getting insider information about a place from guests who have been there.

Here are 5 great travel tips for your vacation to Nosara, Costa Rica from guests who stayed at L’acqua Viva Resort & Spa by Playa Guiones.

1. What’s the best way to get to Nosara, Costa Rica? Fly.

The area of Nosara includes the town of Nosara and the beaches of Playa Guio

John Boggs first fell in love with Costa Rica many years ago when he was in the Air Force stationed in Panama. He visited Costa Rica frequently for R&R and on business, but it wasn’t until 2013 when he and his wife, Gay, finally moved to the renowned tropical country to retire.

Selling their house in Virginia, they opted for the adventure of international retirement life and chose Atenas, Costa Rica for their new home. The couple liked Costa Rica’s family-based culture and chose Atenas for its g

Spring means a return to sunshine; and if the sun is not shining yet in your part of the world, it’s time for a sunny Spring Break getaway.

There is a reason Spring Break is called what it is – a break from winter’s chill to tide you over until summer. But if you are looking to avoid the crowds of heavily partying spring break students and instead have a true getaway, then choose a destination not frequented by that set.

Costa Rica is being talked about everywhere for vacations, but is not a touri

Article by Shannon Farley

Continuing to be a favorite with world travelers, beaches and hotels in Costa Rica were named among the best in the world according to the latest TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards.

The popular global travel site announced on Feb. 18 its 2015 Travelers' Choice Awards for the best beaches and hotels in the world. The annual awards are based on traveler reviews gathered by TripAdvisor over the past 12 months. In addition to an over-all top 25 world winners list, top winne

Life in Atenas, Costa Rica is always “pura vida” – life is good. The new video about Atenas, Costa Rica by Pure Life Development of Atenas shows this with stunning footage of the mountain town’s natural beauty and attributes.

Produced by acclaimed photographer and videographer, Oscar Protti of Costa Rica, the four-minute high-quality video depicts life in Costa Rica and in the charming centrally-located town of Atenas. Protti used state-of-the-art equipment and remote control drones to produce br

Article by Shannon Farley

People around the world have their eye on Costa Rican football star Keylor Navas.

Not only is Navas a national hero for helping lead his team as goalkeeper to the quarterfinals in the 2014 World Cup, he also is a rising star as goalkeeper for the prestigious Real Madrid football team. Now, Navas has been appointed Costa Rica’s first official Tourism Ambassador.

In a big event at the official Costa Rica stand at the FITUR tourism trade fair in Madrid, Spain on Jan. 29, one

Article by Shannon Farley

The exciting, adrenaline-charged whitewater rafting and kayaking competition of the Chorro Race 2015 comes again to Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast on Feb. 21 to 22.

The second annual event is organized by the Quepos Whitewater and Adventure Association and sponsored by TEVA. The competition in the Chorro Canyon of the Naranjo River, by the Manuel Antonio National Park, will have both whitewater kayaking and four-person team whitewater rafting races and slalom events

For its fifth year Envision Festival returns to Costa Rica, where thousands of socially conscious people from all over the world gather together to share a magical experience of culture, art, music, yoga, meditation and pure nature.

The 2015 Envision Festival will be held from February 26th to March 1st at Rancho La Merced in Uvita, Costa Rica, next to the Marino Ballena National Park, famous for its beautiful Whale’s Tail sandbar formation.

The festival is known for its great music performances w

Need to get from San Jose to the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica? Or from Guanacaste to the Monteverde cloud forest? How about from Arenal to the beach at Manuel Antonio?

Transportation in Costa Rica, unless you’ve booked a Costa Rica vacation package that includes transfers, can sometimes be complicated and expensive. Now there is a Costa Rica transportation solution that also makes your travel days fun.

Desafio Adventure Company offers Adventure Connections that take care of your transportation bet

Have you always wanted to live in the rainforest by a tropical beach? Or are you looking for a vacation home in a warm climate? The special eco-community of Portasol Rainforest & Ocean View Living in Costa Rica is an excellent option.

Strategically located on the Costa Rica Central Pacific Coast between Manuel Antonio National Park and Dominical, the beautiful sustainable development encompasses 1,300 acres of pure rainforest, streams, waterfalls, mountain ridges and sea views along the Portalón

Is it a good time to buy real estate in Costa Rica?

According to real estate experts, it is. Costa Rica – one of the hottest real estate markets in the Americas in the early 2000s – is coming back stronger than ever after the economic slump throughout the United States and Latin America.

“Costa Rica definitely has bounced back, especially in the Central Valley and the popular beach areas on the Pacific. Prices are on the rise again,” commented Dennis Easters, co-owner of Pure Life Development of