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Costa Rica expects around 150,000 cruise passengers to arrive in Puntarenas during the 2026–2027 season, a sharp increase that could bring more business to tour operators, restaurants, transportation companies and shops along the Pacific coast. The Costa Rican Pacific Ports Institute ( INCOP ), projects 72 cruise ship visits during the season. That compares with 64 ships and approximately 90,000 passengers during the previous period. If the projection holds, Puntarenas will receive about 60,000 more cruise passengers than it did last season, an increase of nearly 67%. The number of ship visits would rise by 12.5%. The longer-term increase is even larger. Puntarenas received 63 cruise ships and 79,000 passengers during the 2024–2025 season. That means passenger traffic is expected to climb by almost 90% over two seasons, according to INCOP. The figures represent passengers arriving at Costa Rica’s Pacific cruise terminals and should not be confused with the broader number of in...

One of the largest arribadas of the year began in the early morning hours this morning at the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge in Guanacaste, as thousands of olive ridley sea turtles emerged from the Pacific to nest on the beach long known as their favorite stretch of Costa Rican coastline. Guides and residents alike described this week’s event as among the biggest seen so far in 2026. More turtles were expected to continue arriving through Friday night and into Saturday morning. The spectacle draws both Costa Ricans and tourists eager to watch the turtles come ashore, dig their nests, lay their eggs and return to the sea. That cycle has made Ostional one of the most closely watched nesting sites in the world. The timing fits a well-established seasonal pattern as well as arribadas occur throughout the year at Ostional, but September, October and November typically bring the largest events, when more than 100,000 turtles can come ashore in a single night and a single ar...

The rare blue octopus that surprised scientists has returned to the Galápagos Islands. The specimen, about the size of a golf ball, will be preserved at the Charles Darwin Research Station, which houses an extensive collection representing the archipelago’s extraordinary biodiversity. An expedition collected the first specimen of this species, distinguished by its small tentacles, in 2015 at a depth of more than 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) in the northern part of the Ecuadorian archipelago, known for its endemic flora and fauna. Only three specimens have been observed to date, but the other two were recorded only on video. The octopus, which was already dead, was taken in 2022 to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, United States. There, it was given the scientific name Microeledone galapagensis , classified and introduced to the world. On Monday, it returned to the Galápagos, although its tentacles had lost their intense blue color, its body had turned opaque and its...

If you have been waiting for the right weekend to see humpback whales in Costa Rica, this is it. The 16th Whale and Dolphin Festival takes place this weekend, September 4, 5 and 6 in Costa Ballena in the South Pacific, timed to the peak of the season when humpbacks fill the warm water off Uvita. The whales are the reason the festival exists. Adults reach nearly 16 meters (52 feet) and weigh up to 36 metric tons (about 40 short tons), and they arrive here after one of the longest migrations any mammal makes. Whales reaching Costa Rican waters can cover between 5,000 and 8,000 kilometers (3,100 to 5,000 miles) from cold-water feeding grounds, some as far south as the waters near the Antarctic Peninsula. They come to breed, give birth, and raise their calves where the water is warm and sheltered. Mothers spend these weeks teaching their young to feed, socialize, and move through open ocean. Bahía Ballena, next to Marino Ballena National Park , is one of the best-documented breedi...

Perez Zeledon is home to a team in the first division of Costa Rica soccer. Known as Los Guerreros del Sur, the club has been in existence since 1991. As one of the smaller market teams, they are at a general disadvantage compared to the major teams such as Saprissa (San Jose), La Liga (Alajuela), and Heredia. Salaries are much lower, and when a talented player emerges, he will be made a better financial offer by one of the major clubs and depart for the Greater San Jose area. Los Guerreros play their home games at their stadium in downtown San Isidro del General. It is a cozy facility that seats around 6,000 people. To this day, there is no scoreboard to show time elapsed or even the score of the game. The PA announcer gives the score at the end of each half. As regulation time neared the end of each half, a man on the sidelines held up a digital clock showing the minutes of extra time left to be played. Back in the 1990s, I was a socio (partner) in the club. For 1,500 colone...

The United States asked its international partners to immediately end normal dealings with Nicaragua’s government, hours after the Ortega-Murillo administration formalized a constitutional rewrite that bars opposition figures from running for office and extends the terms of nearly every elected and appointed post in the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a State Department statement that Nicaragua’s National Assembly had eroded what remained of the country’s democratic framework by amending the constitution to entrench what he called an illegitimate dynasty. “Dictatorships that deny the unalienable rights of their citizens should not enjoy the same economic or political benefits as governments committed to defending hemispheric peace and security,” Rubio said, adding that Washington urges international partners to stop business-as-usual operations with the government in Managua. Rubio said the United States will bring specific measures...

The U.S. dollar has slipped below ₡450 again in Costa Rica, continuing a trend that has steadily reduced the spending power of foreign residents who earn their income in dollars and increased pressure on the tourism industry. The dollar closed yesterday at an average of ₡449.24 in Costa Rica’s Monex foreign exchange market, down from ₡450.03 in the previous session. It remains close to the record lows reached in August , including ₡448.96 on August 14. For those North American and Canadian retirees, remote workers and other foreign residents receiving income in U.S. dollars, the impact is that the same number of dollars now buys noticeably fewer colones. At the beginning of 2026, the Monex dollar rate stood at about ₡497. By Tuesday it had fallen to ₡449.24, a decline of nearly 10% in eight months. As an example, take someone living in Costa Rica on a $3,000 monthly pension or other dollar-based income. Using the Monex rate simply as a benchmark, $3,000 was worth about ₡1.49 milli...