Source: FEDEFUTBOL The International Federation of Association Football, better known for its French initials FIFA, announced this past Sunday that tickets for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup are now officially on sale. Costa Rica is the host country for this major international sports event, but the shiny-new Garabito Municipal Stadium, home to the Jaco Rays Football Club of the second divisi...

Source: Wikimedia Commons After tallying a death count of 90 marine turtle carcasses on the beaches and in the ocean off Guanacaste, biologists, investigators and conservation officials believe that high levels of toxicity caused by coelenterates such as jellyfish may be to blame for the grisly deaths. As reported by online news daily CRHoy.com, this Medusa Hypothesis comes after necropsy stud...

Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica – Described by National Geographic as the “most biologically intense place on Earth,” there is an urgent need to protect the rich marine biodiversity of the Osa Peninsula due to rampant commercial fishing that is rapidly killing off dolphins, whales, sea turtles and entire marine ecosystems. The MPA for OSA group (Marine Protected Area for OSA Peninsula) has started a cam...

Avoid excess sugar that contributes to kidney stress, try honey or extra milk in your coffeeIn the past year, a surge of articles and reports has surfaced investigating kidney failure and the link to sugarcane farmworkers who live in the Guanacaste province. It is now well known that not only the farmworkers but others who live here are at high risk for developing chronic kidney disease. This ...

Most people visiting Nosara head straight for Playa Guiones, which with its beautiful white sand and consistent surf break, is one of Costa Rica’s most favored surfing beaches. This breezy Blue-Flag beach is reputed to have the most consistent surf on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast with “surf-able waves here over 300 days a year,” reports the Visit Nosara tourism website. Guiones Point at the south...

In the case of butterflies, it pays to look like your neighbor. New information about long-winged butterflies in Costa Rica is showing how the importance of “mimicry” and the butterflies’ natural promiscuity has led to interbreeding and the creation of new species that look very much alike, according to a study led by University of Chicago evolutionary biologist, Marcus R. Kronforst. “In evo...

Those who compete in sporting events always try to win in order to gain a prize, but there are competitions in which running to help those in need is more important and satisfying than an economic incentive. That's the spirit of the Kilometers of Love race and recreational walk that will take place on December 8 starting from Banco Costa Rica in Nicoya, which aims to raise funds to remodel the ...

The south Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica somehow seems almost greener, more lush and a more “tropical rainforest experience” than its highly-popular sunny cousin, the Pacific Coast. Maybe it is the abundant rain, brought in by the trade winds, which keeps the jungle thick and vibrant right to the shoreline. Maybe it is the bright aqua, crystal-clear Caribbean Sea that sparkles like a precious je...

You don’t have to be a sportfishing fanatic to get genuine pleasure from a day or two of fishing. Many of the men and women who contact Americana Sportfishing to enjoy Costa Rica’s world-class saltwater sportfishing are first- and second-time anglers who want to combine a long-awaited vacation in a tropical paradise with a day or two out on the ocean, seeking more excitement and involvement than s...

Wastewater treatment in Costa Rica is once again making headlines, and the latest reports indicate that strict measures such as limiting access to entire beach towns along the Pacific coast of Guanacaste could be taken unless a comprehensive water management strategy is adopted soon. Earlier this year, Playas del Coco was one of the beaches slated for closure due to a high count of 450,000 fecal c...

It has been said in Costa Rica that the best “all-terrain vehicle” for navigating the country is a horse. Costa Ricans love horses and their riding traditions – their equestrian roots coming from the Spanish who brought horses with them to Central America in the 16th century. The heart and soul of Costa Rica’s equestrian life is the northwestern province of Guanacaste. Here, vast rolling plains...

A recent analysis of Costa Rica's banking system by Ellen Brown, renowned author of works such as The Web of Debt and The Public Bank Solution: From Austerity to Prosperity, has been published and referenced in several online venues such as OpEdNews, EconIntersect, Counter Punch, Washington's Blog, Global Research (Canada), and others. Brown presides over the Public Banking Institute, and she come...

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo in GuanacasteGuanacaste, Costa Rica. November 25, 2013 – At the International Association of Golf Tourism Operators (IAGTO) Awards ceremony for 2014, Costa Rica was distinguished as Golf Destination of the Year – Latin America & the Caribbean. Daniel Kung, president of ARA Tours, a special tourism operator in Costa Rica that focuses on g...

Source: PlayasdelCoco.netIf you are taking part in this beach race or watching in the audience, consider staying at boutique Hotel Chantel on the hillside overlooking Playas del Coco, for the most relaxing and peaceful lodging experience. One of Costa Rica's most popular 5K and 10K races will take place this Saturday, November 30th at Playas del Coco in Guanacaste. The Third Annual Recreationa...

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford What is happening in Canada? Canadian mining firm Infinito Gold is still pursuing the government of Costa Rica for $1 billion based on the people's rejection of an open-pit prospecting and extraction project. This rejection, which has been tendered thrice, is making headlines because some Canadians believe that the Calgary-based company has gone far enough and is now ...

Source: Witch's Rock Surf Camp Guanacaste, Costa Rica. November 25, 2013 – An instructor from the prestigious Witch's Rock Surf Camp in Playa Tamarindo is the first professional surfer to win a tournament in the brand-new Guanacaste Surfing Circuit. As proudly reported by Witch's Rock Surf Camp, Isaac Vega shone during the final heats of Day 2 under clear skies and less than moderate swells. ...

Zip line and aerial jungle canopy tours are among the most popular tourist attractions in Costa Rica, and those who overcome their fear of heights and surrender to their sense of adventure will have only fond memories of their time spent gliding from one section of the forest to another. Such are the memories a 90-year old woman from Texas now has to enjoy from her recent visit to Costa Rica. D...

The morning of Thursday, November 21st brought shock and awe for officials and those carrying out court processes in Nicoya. The work and services normally provided at the court in Nicoya were suspended for more than two hours after the report of a bomb threat in the building. The alert was registered at 9:10 a.m. through the 911 emergency telephone service. At 9:45, officials from a special...

Students of the University of Costa Rica’s Liberia campus arrived on Wednesday November 20th to the debate organized by UCR Guanacaste Conferences (Conferencias UCR Guanacaste) in order to hear the proposals of deputy candidates. "As students, as future professionals and as productive people, we believe should ensure the safety of social guarantees and defend our thoughts and attitudes towards...

The Costa Rica Star has previously reported extensively on Craft Beer culture and local beer businesses in Costa Rica. If you're a beer drinker and have spent any time in Costa Rica than you know the selection is small. That was, at least, prior to the creation of Perrovida Craft Beer. As new kids in the Costa Rican brew scene, this underdog has come to play. Offering six full bodied, explosive...

Music fans who were disappointed by the announcement that the Caricaco Music Festival would not be held in 2013 will be delighted to know that it is being planned, bigger and better, for March of 2014. Alejandro Gutierrez, producer of the festival, let the Voice of Guanacaste know that the festival will be moved to a new open-air venue at Finca Austria, in Nosara across the river, with the goal...

With the motto “Let your food be your medicine," EUPI Pedagogical Institute is implementing a comprehensive nutrition program in order to look out for the health of the 240 children and youth that attend the institution and to achieve higher academic performances. The project began in October of 2012, and according to Eugenia Ovares, director of EUPI, the results are satisfactory. “We’ve achiev...

The market seems to be ripe in Samara for hostels catering to backpackers and other budget travelers passing through the colorful coastal town. The first hostel opened in Samara about three years ago, and this year a few other people decided to open hostels, so now there are four economical options to choose from. Samara’s original hostel is Las Mariposas, located just 100 meters from the beach...

Official announcement from the US Embassy of Costa Rica. The Social Security Administration (SSA) regularly contacts beneficiaries with addresses on their SSA record that shows they reside outside the United States to verify their current status. This year, questionnaires were sent to beneficiaries receiving their own benefits whose social security number ended in 50-99 or to beneficiaries w...

Steven Farrell, owner/general manager of Finca Luna Nueva Lodge in San Isidro de Peñas Blancas, and a member of the Slow Food Convivium of San Jose, Costa Rica will celebrate and host the third “Slow Food in the Rainforest” Terra Madre Day luncheon on December 8, 2013. The festivities will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Casa Luna where the participants can enjoy coffee, tea, juice, or chocolate tea (...

“This was basically a dead zone. The open-range cattle industry basically murdered the soil,” related Ray “Tarzan” Beise, owner of Pura Jungla nature reserve and eco community in Paraiso of Santa Cruz. We are seven stories up, looking out across the treetops of the 100-hectare (247-acre) reserve, watching some monkeys hanging around. Beise has spent 25 years reforesting the land and protecting...

On Saturday, November 16th, a dose of adventure passed through Nosara’s landscape with the second "Nosara Aventura" race, in which 50 adults and about 20 children participated. The event was organized by the Nosara Civic Association (Asociación Cívica de Nosara). Its purpose is to support a different association every year. Registration had a cost of $30 and the proceeds will be given to the Se...

Due to the health alert in parts of Guanacaste related to the presence of arsenic in water, the private company Agua Solutions has decided to offer free tests to detect arsenic levels until December 15th. The initiative began this July and so far they have received samples from about 50 private residences, farms and ASADAS. In addition, since 2011 they have performed tests in conjunction with t...

If you require an airport or beach transfer service in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, please contact BeachTransfer.com. They have a team of English speaking drivers ready to handle your shuttle requests. Ever since the new terminal at the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia (LIR) inaugurated in January 2012, the province of Guanacaste has seen increased tourism activity and an uptick...

Source: President Laura Chinchilla of Costa Rica By the end of the year, people from the Abangares canton of Guanacaste will enjoy a new and spiffy marketplace where farmers and handcraft artisans will be able to showcase and sell their goods. This past Friday, President Laura Chinchilla inaugurated Costa Rica's first roadside market, which is located right off the Pan American Highway near th...

Source: UCR Music, theater and folklore were showcased alongside science, research and community development at the recent Guanacaste Expo of the University of Costa Rica (UCR). This major cultural and social event kicked off on November 6th at the Guanacaste Museum in Liberia, and it was deemed a sheer success by organizers who are pleased with the ongoing development and growth that this provi...

The Costa Rica Star recently published a similar article called: Learn About the Venomous Snakes of Costa Rica, which you may enjoy reading after this one. The green season could also be called the slithering season due to the increase of snake sightings. The rain brings the snakes closer to residences, because of this fact, you should know a few things about them. Out of 139 species of snakes ...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The most promising region of Costa Rica in the 21st century has not been able to flourish in relation to the country's national pastime and obsession. When it comes to football (or soccer, as some readers will insist) the Guanacaste province has a less-than-stellar past. This, however, is beginning to turn around thanks to various ongoing efforts. Football: More Ef...

The Ecological Blue Flag flies high over Playa Hermosa for the 11th year. PLAYA HERMOSA, GUANACASTE - On Saturday, November 16, 2013, on a gorgeous Guanacaste beach day filled with nothing but clear blue sky and sunshine, the community of Playa Hermosa gathered together on its "beautiful beach" to celebrate its 11th year of garnering Costa Rica's Ecological Blue Flag status (out of 12 years si...

Croc's Resort Sales Office in Jaco Beach At the recent World Travel Market fair in London, representatives from the national tourism boards of Central America and Mexico were anxiously waiting to hear the name of their respective countries called to receive the prestigious World Travel Award for best beach destination. Nominated for Costa Rica was Jaco Beach, a place that not long ago was pejo...

Foreign Workers at a Suger Cane Farm in Costa Rica From a macroeconomic point of view, Costa Rica has been mired in contradictions since the beginning of the 21st century. Consumer spending and prosperity are on the rise, but so are inflation and income inequality. With regard to the labor market, the current unemployment rate is the highest the country has experienced in 30 years; but, if you...

Source: Wikimedia Commons The Hagnauer Foundation of Costa Rica is pleased to announce that two rescued jaguarundis or eyra cats (Puma yagouaroundi) will be reintroduced to their habitat in Guanacaste in the next few months. The two felines were recently found by officials from the Guanacaste Conservation Area (Spanish initials: ACG) during a routine patrol in the Curubande sector, which is part...

Irazu Volcano Crater, Costa Rica November has been a busy month for the Irazu volcano, one of Costa Rica's most emblematic tourist attractions. Even though the high tourist season is still a few weeks away, the Irazu has been attracting a lot of attention in news media headlines around the world, which claim that volcanic ash, snow and even rose petals have been falling on the skirts of this a...

The Tortuguero coast in Costa Rica is a 22-mile-long, desolate, volcanic black sand beach littered with driftwood and tree logs tossed up on shore from the untamed ocean. It is a wild place – like the imaginary jungle coast in Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” There is nothing but beach and low, swampy jungle for miles and miles. You can’t swim here because of rough surf, strong curren...

The discovery of the lifeless body of a three-month old baby by his grandmother in Guanacaste on Sunday, November 17, 2013, has prompted a forensic investigation. According to a news article by Cythia Bran of national newspaper La Nacion, the grim finding took place about 300 meters north of the Villas del Sueno hotel in Playa Hermosa, a beach community that is located just northeast of Playas del...