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Scientists Document a Rare Golden Ray in Costa Rica’s Northern Pacific

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A small ray the color of a gold coin turned up in shallow water off Guanacaste, and researchers say nothing like it has ever been recorded in its family. The animal was a juvenile female blotched round ray, a common bottom-dwelling species along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. Rays of this kind are normally sandy brown with dark spots scattered across the disc. This one was a deep, saturated yellow. The condition is called xanthism, and it works in a way that is easier to picture than the name suggests. Ray skin carries different types of pigment cells stacked together. When the cells that produce dark pigment fail to develop, the yellow ones underneath are no longer masked, and the animal comes out gold. The dark spots on this individual survived, which is why researchers describe the case as partial. That detail turned out to matter later. The ray was caught and photographed twice at Playa Manzanillo, near the community of El Jobo in La Cruz, during a monitoring program run...
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The Lifeguards Who Transformed Playa Dominical in Costa Rica

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Playa Dominical has a well earned reputation as one of Costa Rica’s premier surfing spots. Its powerful and consistent beach break draws riders from all over the world. It regularly hosts stops for the official Costa Rican Surf Federation National Surf Circuit (Circuito Nacional de Surf) and also has its own highly competitive local tourneys. It is also one of Costa Rica’s most dangerous beaches, with violently crashing waves, hazardous rips, and a topography underfoot that goes quickly from shallow to deep. The Rio Baru empties into the sea at the north end of the beach, adding to the turbulent mix. While experienced surfers navigate the challenging conditions, the ocean is not forgiving to those who venture in unprepared. In the first half of the 1990s, Dominical averaged a startling twenty drownings per year. An untrained samaritan attempting to rescue a swimmer caught in the merciless rip sometimes resulted in a double tragedy. As Dominical’s popularity grew t...
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Costa Rica’s Caribbean Comes Alive for Puerto Viejo’s Wolaba Parade

One of the South Caribbean’s biggest cultural celebrations returns Saturday as the Wolaba Parade fills the main street of Puerto Viejo with music, dancing, colorful costumes and more than 30 participating groups. The 12th edition of the parade begins at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Supermercado El Diamante. Participants will travel along Puerto Viejo’s main road before finishing at Super Puerto Viejo, near the entrance to the community. This year’s theme is “BIG PARADE – Feel the Vibes,” with groups and delegations from different communities taking part in a celebration centered on Costa Rica’s Afro-Caribbean heritage. Visitors can expect music, dancing, traditional and creative costumes, and performances throughout the route. A community float will close the parade. The event comes during Costa Rica’s Historical Month of Afro-Descendant People and just two days before Costa Rica marks the Day of the Black Person and Afro-Costa Rican Culture on August 31. For Puerto Viejo, however, Wol...
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Hilton Signs Luxury Resort and Residences Next to Manuel Antonio Park

Hilton has signed an agreement for its first LXR-branded property in Costa Rica, a seven-story luxury resort paired with 116 private residences on a beachfront estate minutes from our most visited national park. The company announced the signing of Maravé Manuel Antonio, LXR Hotels & Resorts yesterday. The property is scheduled to open in 2029. The site covers roughly 16 hectares (40 acres) and descends from a rainforest ridge to about 198 meters (650 feet) of Pacific shoreline. Hilton describes the land as rare, titled beachfront. The resort component will hold 57 accommodations, made up of 42 ocean-view guest rooms and 15 bungalows set on the hillside, each with its own plunge pool. The residential component adds 66 villas, 46 oceanfront condominiums and four penthouses, bringing the total to 173 accommodations. Hilton said construction should finish in late 2028, with sales of the residences opening this fall. The resort was designed by Costa Rican firm Carazo Arquitect...
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Costa Rica’s Drug Violence Draws Wall Street Journal Alarm as Homicides Fall

The Wall Street Journal published a report Thursday arguing that Costa Rica’s rise in drug killings has fractured the political system, setting President Laura Fernández and her governing party against the judiciary in a conflict the paper describes as a political civil war. Reported from Limón, the piece traces the surge to the 2019 opening of the Moín container terminal outside the city, which it says gave criminal groups the capacity to move cocaine at a scale they had not managed before. It cites the U.S. State Department’s assessment that Costa Rica has been the leading transshipment point for cocaine heading from South America to the United States and Europe since 2020, the year after the port opened. Its headline figure is a 50 percent rise in homicides since 2020, which the report says has brought Costa Rica’s murder rate close to Mexico’s. That baseline holds up against the official record. The Judicial Investigation Agency counted 570 homicides...
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Costa Rica Reopens Turrialba Volcano Park and Guayabo National Monument

Two popular places people like to visit in the Turrialba area have reopened after being closed for more than a week because of heavy rain and concerns about uncertain conditions. Turrialba Volcano National Park and Guayabo National Monument reopened yesterday after officials determined that weather conditions had improved and access roads were safe for vehicles. The Ministry of Environment and Energy and the National System of Conservation Areas ( SINAC ) closed both sites beginning August 18 as Costa Rica dealt with heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Wave 33 and an orange weather alert. At the time, saturated soil raised concerns about landslides, falling material and other problems that could put visitors and park employees at risk. Officials said inspections carried out before the reopening found that the two most recent tropical waves had not caused significant damage in the area. Roads leading to the attractions have also been cleared for traffic. The reopening is welcom...
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Costa Rica Sees a Increase in Dengue and New Malaria Concerns

Costa Rica is fighting an uphill battle against two mosquito-borne diseases this year, with dengue cases climbing sharply and malaria showing signs of resurgence after a period of dramatic progress toward elimination. The Ministry of Health reported this week that dengue cases have reached over 3,400 through epidemiological week 32 of 2026, a 30 percent increase over the same period last year, when 2,405 cases had been recorded. The Central North region has logged the highest raw number of cases, while the Central Pacific region carries the heaviest burden relative to its population, with a rate of 240.2 cases per 100,000 residents. At least five people are currently hospitalized with dengue, one at Hospital San Rafael in Alajuela and four at Hospital Víctor Manuel Sanabria. What makes this year notable is not just the case count but the trajectory. Costa Rica actually started 2026 behind the previous year’s pace, with an 8 percent reduction in cases reported through earl...
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