Costa Rica’s geographic position and economic openness make it a target for money laundering, primarily driven by drug trafficking, according to the 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy ...

Every region has its unique slang, and Costa Rica is no exception. Beyond well-known phrases like Pura Vida, tuanis, and solo bueno, here are some others: Dar pelota – To seek attention (not to give ...

In Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean, where tourism and development are booming, natural habitats are shrinking. This pressures ecosystems and disrupts the balance that keeps parasite populations in ...

Costa Rica recorded 880 homicides in 2024 and 225 in early 2025, prompting U.S. and Canadian travel advisories. Over 6,300 tourists reported crimes like theft and assaults since 2020. A high-profile ...

In April, Costa Rica’s Minister of Justice visited El Salvador to learn from that country’s fight against crime. President Nayib Bukele has launched an aggressive campaign against gangs. The Costa ...

A joint Costa Rica–Panama operation has dismantled a transnational criminal organization involved in human smuggling and money laundering. Authorities carried out 23 raids Wednesday across Golfito, ...

Costa Rica just scored a big win for its farmers and exporters. The European Union classified the country as low-risk for deforestation under its Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR), set to take ...

Video shows cat trying to smuggle drugs into Costa Rica prison 01:31. Costa Rican police seized crack cocaine, marijuana and five capybaras — the largest rodents in the world — after chasing ...

Costa Rica has launched urgent negotiations with the United States to overturn a 10% tariff on its exports, imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration in April. The tariff, part of a broader U ...

In Costa Rica, he highlighted signs such as increased violence, clashes between government branches, setbacks in press freedom, and growing democratic ambivalence. He added that in Costa Rica, there ...

If you want to audition Costa Rica, you can settle there on a tourist visa for a year. The only catch is that after the first 180 days, you have to exit the country — make a border run — for ...

This year, Costa Rica has 12 officially sanctioned días feriados—mandated days off, most of them paid. Beyond these national holidays, each of the country’s seven provinces observes extra days off ...