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El Salvador’s 51st extension of the state of exception took effect Sunday, May 31, and runs through June 29, keeping certain constitutional guarantees suspended as President Nayib Bukele prepares to deliver his annual report to the nation on Monday. The Legislative Assembly, controlled by Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party, approved the 30-day extension during its 111th plenary session by a vote of 57 to 1, with the lone dissent coming from the VAMOS party. The decree suspends three guarantees: Article 12, second paragraph, on the right to defense; Article 13, second paragraph, on the maximum period for administrative detention; and Article 24, on the privacy of communications. The measure has remained in force since March 2022, when it was imposed after a surge in gang-related homicides that, according to the investigative outlet El Faro, followed a presumed rupture in an arrangement between the government and the gangs. Each renewal is requested by the Council of Minist...

If you’ve lived in Costa Rica long enough, you know grocery shopping can be a half-day to full-day project.  Great things are abundant in Costa Rica. Grocery shopping, usually done efficiently, is hardly one of them, especially for healthy products and organic produce. Most expats know the routine. One grocery store for imported goods. Another for decent produce. A farmers’ market for “organic” vegetables, and you’d better arrive early. A specialty shop if raw dairy or clean meats are required. Throw in driving, checkout lines, rainstorms, and half the day vanishes in grocery shopping around town. That frustration is why so many people across Costa Rica have started relying on Market and More .  This year marks the specialty grocery delivery company’s sixth year. After talking with customers for a while and taking a look at how a successful business is built, the reasons for their growth become quite evident.  Market and More are filling ...

Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly approved a measure in its first debate on Thursday that extends to December 31, 2026, the deadline for commercial companies to register an official email address for legal and administrative notifications, granting a roughly six-month grace period to hundreds of thousands of firms that had yet to comply. Lawmakers unanimously backed a substitute text to bill 25.094, which reforms the Commercial Code and Law 10.597 to make the registration process free, faster and possible without hiring a notary. The change responds to mounting complaints from business owners over the cost and red tape attached to a requirement that, until now, many had been unable to meet before the original June 4 deadline. Under the approved text, companies will be able to register or update their notification email through a sworn declaration by their legal representative, submitted as an electronic document with a certified digital signature. That eliminates the ne...

President Laura Fernández has widened a controversial order requiring polygraph tests for officials involved in her government’s new security strategy, declaring Friday that judicial branch personnel who attend her weekly “Fuerza Élite” meetings must also submit to lie-detector exams. Speaking to reporters after a closed-door session with representatives of the Legislative Assembly and the Supreme Court of Justice, Fernández was asked whether the requirement she imposed on police commanders earlier in the week would apply to members of the other branches of government. “Polygraph for everyone. I already took it myself without any problem, and so did the vice presidents,” she said, framing the tests as a way to build “an environment of mutual trust” among the institutions joining the talks. The expansion follows the order Fernández issued Monday at the first meeting of “Fuerza Élite” (Elite Force), a weekly working session sh...

Costa Rica will see unstable weather from today through June 3, with warm mornings followed by afternoon and early-evening rain across much of pur country. The National Meteorological Institute ( IMN ) expects Tropical Wave No. 5 and the Intertropical Convergence Zone near Costa Rica to keep moisture and instability over the country during the forecast period. The pattern is typical of the rainy season’s early stretch: mornings with fewer clouds and higher temperatures, followed by growing cloud cover, downpours and thunderstorms later in the day. The Central Valley and the Pacific regions are expected to see the most frequent rainfall, especially during the afternoon and the first hours of the night. San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago could see clearer starts to the day before conditions turn cloudy, with scattered showers and thunderstorms developing later. The Pacific coast should also prepare for repeated afternoon rain. The Central and South Pacific are likely to see...

A customs official at Costa Rica’s Daniel Oduber International Airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, has been suspended for four months while prosecutors investigate an alleged extortion scheme targeting a foreign tourist. The Criminal Court for Finance and Public Service ordered the precautionary measure Wednesday, according to a statement released Thursday by the Office of the Prosecutor for Integrity, Transparency, and Anti-Corruption (FAPTA). Investigators say the case dates to May 26, when the official — identified by the last name Chavarría — allegedly told a foreign traveler he owed a $200 tax before he could collect his luggage. Prosecutors contend the bags were in fact exempt from duties, as they did not exceed the limit set under Costa Rican customs regulations. Evidence gathered by FAPTA indicates the tourist paid the amount after being led to believe the charge was mandatory. Authorities further allege that the official told the traveler to hand over the cash di...

Costa Rica’s Pacific coast will once again play host to one of the region’s premier road cycling events, as the UCI CRC 506 Gran Fondo returns for its fourth edition on Sunday, June 7, drawing national and international riders to the Jacó–Quepos corridor. The competition will follow the Jacó–Quepos–Jacó route, a course organizers say combines scenic coastal views with a serious athletic challenge. The event forms part of the Union Cycliste Internationale calendar and carries the endorsement of the Costa Rican Cycling Federation, racing under the UCI Gran Fondo World Series banner and its “Cycling for All” program aimed at amateur riders worldwide. The 2026 edition offers two official distances: the Gran Fondo at 141.4 kilometers and the Medio Fondo at 69.8 kilometers. The Gran Fondo departs at 6:00 a.m. from the Centro Cívico por la Paz in Garabito, neutralized for the first two kilometers along Route 34, while the Medio Fondo starts at 7:30 a.m. from t...

British travel magazine Wanderlust placed El Salvador on its Green Travel List f or the first time in the 2026 edition. The publication singled out Parque Nacional El Imposible for its conservation work and community-led eco-tourism projects. The list recognizes 101 destinations, initiatives and places to stay that demonstrate travel can support ecosystems and local communities. Wanderlust described El Imposible as a forest home to endangered species including black-crested eagles, wild boar and puma. The park has faced decades of pressure from deforestation, illegal hunting and rural development. Eco-tourism now provides jobs for local guides who lead hiking, birdwatching and photography tours while steering people away from logging and hunting. Officials noted the coordinated work of the ministries of environment, tourism and foreign affairs together with local communities to protect natural heritage. The ministry called the park a vital habitat and pointed to visitor number...

Guanacaste is heading into another period of water uncertainty as Costa Rica’s long-promised PAACUME water project remains far behind schedule, four years after the country signed a $425 million loan agreement to finance the work. The project, officially known as the Water Supply Project for the Middle Basin of the Tempisque River and Coastal Communities, was designed to move water from the Arenal reservoir system toward some of the driest and fastest-growing areas of the Chorotega region. But the project has reached only 20.8% completion, according to figures from Senara reported this week. The delay comes as Costa Rica prepares for a possible El Niño-driven dry spell. NOAA said that El Niño is likely to emerge between May and July 2026, with an 82% probability, and continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter. For Guanacaste, where drought and pressure on aquifers have long shaped public policy, the timing is especially sensitive. PAACUME is meant to take water from...

I just read a statistic that I find difficult to believe. According to worldpopulationreview.com , Hong Kong consumed a heart-racing 43 kilos of coffee per capita in 2023. This has to be some kind of record. I combed through other websites and found no other place or year anywhere close to this number. I thought I drank a lot of coffee. I go through a 250 gram bag a week, or about 13 kilos annually. In Hong Kong in 2023, I wouldn’t even have been considered a serious coffee drinker. Imagine how frantically zanged they must have been with that much high octane java flowing through their veins. Even considering that Hong Kong figure an outlier, Costa Rica is still nowhere close to the top of the list of the countries that lead in annual per capita coffee consumption, which I also find hard to believe. According to cafely.com , we rank 28th. Twenty of the countries ahead of us are in Europe. The long, dark, cold winters may have something to do with it. Luxembourg, of all pla...

Tourism between El Salvador and Guatemala is consolidating as one of Central America’s strongest growth stories, with millions of cross-border travelers fueling a regional boom in short getaways, beach escapes, and mountain destinations — a trend with implications for Costa Rica’s own tourism positioning. El Salvador received 4.1 million international visitors in 2025, extending a multi-year upward trajectory that has placed the country among Central America’s most-visited destinations, according to official sector data published this week by El Salvador’s tourism authorities and reported by elsalvador.com. The bulk of that movement is regional. Roughly 1.5 million Guatemalans crossed into El Salvador in 2025, accounting for 36.5 percent of all international arrivals — the single largest visitor group. In the same period, more than 1.75 million Salvadorans traveled north to Guatemala, making them one of the most important inbound markets for their neighb...

Expotur, Costa Rica’s main tourism business fair, will return to San José from May 27 to 29, bringing international buyers and local tourism companies together as the country looks to build on a strong start to 2026. The 39th edition of the event will take place at the Crowne Plaza San José La Sabana Hotel. Expotur is a business-to-business travel mart focused on connecting Costa Rican tourism sellers with selected international buyers through pre-arranged meetings. The event began in 1985 and is held annually. This year’s edition comes at an important moment for Costa Rica tourism. The country received 1,033,777 foreign visitors in the first quarter of 2026, an 11.3% increase over the same period last year and a stronger first-quarter result than in 2019, before the pandemic. Expotur 2026 has reached its full international participation target, with 140 buying companies from priority and emerging markets confirmed for the event. The fair is expected to bring together hoteli...

Costa Rica is bracing for an extended El Niño event that meteorologists now expect to grip the country from June through the second half of 2026 and persist into the early months of 2027, prompting authorities to activate a national contingency plan covering water supply, electricity, agriculture and wildfire risk. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional ( IMN ) has escalated its El Niño classification from “surveillance” to “advisory,” meaning forecasters now consider the development of the phenomenon highly likely rather than possible. The updated outlook is notably more severe than projections released as recently as April. The IMN now estimates rainfall deficits of up to 50 percent in some regions and temperatures running as much as 2 degrees Celsius above normal, compared with earlier estimates of 10 to 30 percent rainfall reduction and warming of 0.5 to 1 degree. “Those deficit conditions are now expected to be worse than they were a month ago,” Karina Hernández, head of th...

Panamanian authorities have announced the scrapping of a 5.5% tax on winnings from table games and betting. The measure aims to attract foreign players and boost tourist arrivals that have declined in recent years for this niche. The Gambling Control Committee, known as the Junta de Control de Juegos or JCJ, under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, made the announcement. Officials described the step as a way to make Panama more competitive with Caribbean and U.S. destinations that do not impose a similar direct tax on players. The 5.5% tax was introduced in 2015 by the previous administration. It applied to cash redemptions and winnings at casinos, bingo halls, slot machines and sportsbooks. The levy was created to help finance higher pension payments. JCJ Secretary Manuel Sánchez said the tax had become a barrier for international gamblers. “The elimination of the tax will support the hotel and tourism sector because players will get better value when traveling to Panam...

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Nicoya authorities are pushing back against a proposal in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly that would move the July 25 holiday commemorating the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya to the following Monday, arguing that the date itself is part of Guanacaste’s identity. The Municipal Council of Nicoya approved a motion on May 19 asking lawmakers to remove July 25 from bill 25.593, a proposal that seeks to move several national holidays to Mondays to create long weekends. The council said the Annexation should continue to be observed on its original calendar date, not shifted for tourism or economic convenience. The bill, introduced by ruling-party lawmaker Wilson Jiménez of the Partido Pueblo Soberano, would move five holidays to the Monday following their official date. Those include Juan Santamaría Day on April 11, the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya on July 25, Our Lady of the Angels Day on August 2, the Day of the Black Person and Afro-Costa Rican Culture on August 31...

Costa Rica approved higher bus and taxi fares this week after a rise in international fuel prices pushed up operating costs for public transport operators. The Public Services Regulatory Authority, known here as Aresep , approved a 5.43% increase for bus fares nationwide and increases ranging from 1.39% to 2.82% for taxi service. The adjustment covers regular red taxis and authorized taxis operating at Juan Santamaría International Airport. The regulator linked the fare hike to fuel price increases tied to the conflict in the Middle East, which it treated as an external event outside Costa Rica’s control. Aresep said fuel makes up about 28% of bus operating costs and about 12% of taxi operating costs, meaning sharp changes in fuel prices can quickly affect transport operators. For bus passengers, the increase will vary by route. Many fares will rise by small amounts, but longer or higher-priced routes will see larger increases. Aresep’s breakdown shows 211 fares rising by ...

Costa Rica’s Constitutional Chamber has confirmed that the moratorium on tree-felling permits in the Gulf of Papagayo Tourism Pole remains fully in force, keeping a major legal freeze in place over parts of one of Guanacaste’s most valuable resort development zones. The latest clarification came from Sala IV magistrate Anamari Garro Vargas, who confirmed that the precautionary measure ordered in April still blocks the granting of tree-cutting permits in the Gulf of Papagayo tourism zone when tied to hotel development. Her resolution responded to a filing connected to a SINAC administrative act authorizing tree cutting linked to a Papagayo concession. The case centers on a constitutional challenge to Executive Decree 44448-MP-TUR, a regulation approved under the Rodrigo Chaves administration. The decree allows concession holders in Papagayo to use a mechanism known as compensation of density or coverage, letting them concentrate construction rights on one lot while leaving othe...

Costa Rica could gradually lose part of its ability to monitor earthquakes, track volcanic activity, and issue early warnings if the country does not restore permanent funding for its scientific monitoring networks, the Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica has warned. OVSICORI Director Esteban Chávez said the country’s seismic and volcanic monitoring system has been weakening since 2023, when the networks lost a stable source of financing. The concern is not that the system will collapse overnight, but that stations will begin failing one by one without enough money to replace equipment, upgrade technology, or expand coverage. “We are going to lose instrumental coverage in Costa Rica. We will no longer have eyes or ears in the field,” Chávez warned. The monitoring networks were previously supported with resources from the National Emergency Fund, which was financed by surpluses from public institutions. After changes tied to the Law on Strengthening Publi...

Costa Rican lawmakers are considering a bill that would bring back prison sentences for drivers who flee the scene of a traffic accident without helping injured victims. The proposal, filed under legislative bill No. 25.598, was introduced Thursday by ruling-party Representative Mayuli Ortega Guzmán of the Partido Pueblo Soberano. The bill would add Article 144 bis to Costa Rica’s Penal Code and create a specific crime for failure to render aid in traffic accidents. The bill is currently listed as presented, with no committee assignment or votes registered yet. The measure targets drivers who are involved in a crash and leave without stopping, helping injured people, preventing injuries from getting worse, or immediately alerting authorities when they can do so without putting themselves or others at risk. Under the proposal, a driver who flees after a negligent crash could face six months to two years in prison, a fine equivalent to 20 to 60 days’ wages, and a license suspens...

Costa Rican graphic designer and wildlife photographer Felipe Vega has become the first Costa Rican to win at Santiago Wild , one of Latin America’s leading nature film festivals, with a one-minute film about tent-making bats filmed in Sarapiquí. The film, titled Lo Esencial , won in the Digital Explorers category, which recognizes short videos and microfilms made for digital platforms and social media. Santiago Wild’s rules define the category as films between one and three minutes, designed for platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Vega’s short film follows an intimate wildlife moment: the discovery of a newborn tent-making bat, known in Spanish as a murciélago tiendero . The footage was captured while he was photographing a family of bats in Sarapiquí, without expecting to witness anything unusual. “I’m no bat expert by any means, but when I saw them, I was just calmly taking pictures. In fact, I have photos taken two minutes apart showing the entire adult family...