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Costa Rica Reviews PriceSmart Site After Archaeological Material Found

Work at a PriceSmart construction site in Santo Domingo de Heredia could be temporarily stopped after archaeological material was found during earth movement, prompting the National Museum of Costa Rica to ask environmental authorities for an immediate suspension while specialists inspect the property. The request was sent to Setena, Costa Rica’s environmental review agency, after material of possible archaeological value appeared at the site where the new PriceSmart Santo Domingo project is being developed. The National Museum said no more earth movement should take place until a museum archaeologist carries out a technical visit and issues a report on the find. The case puts a familiar Costa Rican tension back in the spotlight: major development moving across land that may still hold traces of our pre-Columbian past. The Culture Ministry said the project already had environmental viability, granted by Setena on Nov. 3, 2025, under resolution No. 1622-2025-Setena. The pro...
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Costa Rica’s Water Crisis Deepens as AyA Loses Half Its Supply

Costa Rica’s national water utility is under renewed scrutiny after officials warned that more than half of the water produced by the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados ( AyA ), in the Greater Metropolitan Area failed to become billed consumption between 2019 and 2023. AyA’s unaccounted-for water rate in the GAM remained between 53% and 58% during that period. The rate was 53% in 2019, reached 58% in 2022 and closed at 56% in 2023, meaning that between 53 and 58 of every 100 liters produced in the metropolitan system did not generate billed revenue. The situation has been described as a structural problem for AyA’s finances and for the delivery of potable water service. Unaccounted-for water includes water lost through leaks, pipe failures and other physical losses, but it also includes commercial losses such as meter problems, irregular connections and water that is used but not billed. Even when that water is not charged to customers, AyA still pays to c...
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Costa Rica Carries Out Second Mass Deportation Flight

Costa Rica carried out its second mass aerial deportation of foreign nationals today, sending 26 people to Colombia and Ecuador in an operation coordinated by the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería and the Policía Profesional de Migración. The Air Panama aircraft arrived at the San Jose Airport early this morning before the deportees were escorted from official vehicles to the plane by migration police. The flight left Costa Rica with Colombian and Ecuadorian nationals who, according to migration officials, either had committed crimes in Costa Rica or were in the country with irregular migratory status. Authorities said 19 of the deportees had criminal profiles or had completed criminal processes in Costa Rica. The cases included offenses related to narcotics, cocaine distribution, drug sales, attempted homicide, aggravated resistance, domestic violence and robbery. The remaining deportees were Ecuadorian nationals who had been detected in irregular migratory status...
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Costa Rica’s Ethanol Gasoline Plan Faces New Delay

Costa Rica’s plan to begin selling gasoline mixed with ethanol is still moving forward, but drivers may have to wait longer than expected before seeing the new fuel at service stations. The Ministry of Environment and Energy(MINAE), still intends to mix gasoline super with 10% ethanol as part of a broader effort to reduce vehicle emissions. But the start date is no longer certain, and officials have not confirmed whether sales can begin in 2027 as previously expected. The delay centers on Recope, Costa Rica’s state fuel company, which has been designated as the entity responsible for making the blends. Recope has told energy officials it will need to make acquisitions before carrying out the project, a process that could push back the start of sales. Once the government publishes the first decrees, Recope is expected to prepare a roadmap with clearer deadlines. MINAE expects to publish two initial decrees during the second half of 2026. One will define the institutions involve...
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What Is an Arribada? Costa Rica’s Mass Turtle Nesting Event Explained

Every year, on a stretch of dark volcanic sand on the Nicoya Peninsula, one of Costa Rica’s most remarkable wildlife events unfolds. Thousands, and during the biggest months hundreds of thousands, of olive ridley sea turtles come ashore at Ostional National Wildlife Refuge to nest in a synchronized event known as an arribada. The word arribada means “arrival” in Spanish. At Ostional, it refers to a mass nesting event in which sea turtles emerge from the Pacific over several nights, dig nests close together, lay their eggs, and return to the ocean. For anyone trying to time a visit, the answer is not as simple as choosing a date. Ostional follows two overlapping calendars: the season and the moon. Olive ridley turtles nest at Ostional throughout the year, but the largest arribadas usually happen during Costa Rica’s rainy season, especially from July through November. September and October tend to produce the biggest events, when hundreds of thousands of turtles may come ashore ...
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Costa Rica Rounds Bus, Taxi and Toll Fares as the ₡5 Coin Exits

Hundreds of bus fares, along with selected taxi, train and toll charges, will shift up or down by a few colones starting July 1, as Costa Rica’s regulator rounds regulated prices to the nearest ₡10 to match the retirement of the ₡5 coin. The Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep) confirmed the adjustment, which it says was forced by the Banco Central de Costa Rica’s decision to strip the ₡5 coin of its value as a means of payment on that date. With the smallest coin gone, any regulated fare that currently ends in ₡5 is being recalculated to the closest multiple of ₡10. The change is folded into Aresep’s regular six-month tariff review. For bus riders — the service that carries most of the population — the impact is mixed rather than a blanket increase. According to Aresep, roughly 48% of bus fares stay exactly the same. Of the rest, about 26.8% (1,288 fares) rise by ₡5, while a nearly equal 24.9% (1,197 fares) actually fall by ₡5. From July, ...
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Costa Rica’s Mid-Year School Break Raises Dropout Concerns

Costa Rica’s upcoming mid-year school vacation is drawing renewed concern from education specialists, who warn that the two-week break can become a turning point for students already at risk of leaving the classroom. The issue matters not only for Costa Rican families, but also for foreign residents and relocating families trying to understand how the local school system works. Unlike the U.S. or Canadian school calendar, Costa Rica’s public school year runs from February to December, with a mid-year vacation in July rather than a long summer break. This year, public school students are scheduled to be off from July 6 to July 17, with classes resuming July 20, according to the Ministry of Public Education’s 2026 calendar. The first academic period runs from February 23 to July 3, while the second runs from July 20 to December 9. That pause is now being flagged as a sensitive period for school retention as about 19,000 students did not complete the 2025 school year, and that dr...
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