Posted on 18 November 2011 by Paul Clayton
You’ll be following in Richard’s footsteps as you visit the Nectandra Institute, Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve, Arenal Volcano National Park, and Tortuguero National Park. And you’ll do so with Costa Rica Expedition’s legendary master naturalist-guide, Carlos Gómez, and with Felipe Arias, the uncanny wildlife trackers featured in Richard’s PBS special.
Fourteen departures are scheduled for the coming year, beginning with Dec 17-25, 2011.
Posted on 09 November 2011 by CarlosO
The 49.5 MW wind facility will be made up of 33 ACCIONA Windpower wind turbine generators (1.5 MW each).
ACCIONA Energía has won a tender called by the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) for the purchase of electricity from a 50 MW wind park in Costa Rica. ACCIONA will design, construct and operate the Chiripa wind park (capacity 49.5 MW) following an investment of 125 million US dollars (90 million euros at the current exchange rate). The award enables the Company to incorporate another country into its renewable energy program worldwide.
ACCIONA presented its bid together with the local company Grupo Ecoenergía, which holds a 35% stake in the development company; ACCIONA holds the remaining 65%. The wind park is planned for the municipality of Tilarán (Guanacaste province) in north-western Costa Rica, and will consist of thirty-three 1.5 MW wind turbines using ACCIONA Windpower technology.
The award involves the signature of a 20-yearPower Purchase Agreement and the materialization of the wind park through the BOT (build, operate and transfer) formula. Under the agreement, the developer will design, build and operate the wind park for the 20 years of its duration. Once this period is over, the ownership of the facility will be transferred to the ICE.
ACCIONA expects to start construction work on the wind park at the end of 2012 and put it into service in around one year, i.e. towards the end of 2013. Once grid connected, the Chiripa wind park -located on a site with a strong wind resource- will produce over 200 million kilowatt-hours in an average year.
The materialization of the Chiripa wind park will drive the incipient wind power development of Costa Rica -with an installed capacity of 179 MW at the end of 2010- and will contribute to the government’s strategic objective of reducing the country’s carbon footprint.
The wind park will enable ACCIONA Energía to include a new country in its process of internationalization. At the end of the first semester of the year, the wind power capacity owned by the company outside Spain was around 2,000 MW, 30% of the total; this figure will increase significantly at the end of the year.
ACCIONA now owns and operates wind parks in Europe (Spain, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Hungary and Greece); America (USA, Canada and Mexico), Asia (India and South Korea) and Oceania (Australia). It is currently building a wind park in Poland and has installed others for customers in France and Morocco.
In Latin America, ACCIONA leads thewind power sector in Mexico, with 556 MW owned and installed in that country (all in the state of Oaxaca). In 2009 it put the Eurus (250.50 MW) wind park into service, a self-sufficient project developed in collaboration with the cement company Cemex. In 2011 it has built another three wind parks, which will enter service in December this year.
Posted on 01 November 2011 by Paul Clayton
“Odissey 2050″, an animated film made in Costa Rica was released to the public last Friday. The movie was produced in collaboration with the British Embassy, and its purpose is to teach about climate change and the destructive actions of humans on Earth.
“We are very happy to have this great opening here in Costa Rica; in this country there is a lot of talent among youths, and thanks to this initiative, a lot of kids are going to be able to learn about the importance of taking care of the planet,” said Bruce Callow, from the Communications Office of the British Embassy.
“Odyssey 2050″ was declared of Public and Cultural Interest by President Laura Chinchilla in May this year. According to the movie’s website, the project wants to present in a fun and enthusiastic way, the consequences of climate change.
The film also represents a big leap in the Costa Rican movie industry.
“Costa Rica has a lot of potential in the field of animation, because there is not only talent, but also a lot of creativity,” said Alejandro Hernández, Director of Science and Technology Promotion of the MICIT.
“This is just small sample of what could be done. It is the first animated movie produced in Costa Rica and directed by a Costa Rican,” he added.
Synchro Studio started developing the project two years ago. The movie was directed by the tico Thelvin Cabezas. The first of 10 modules of “Odyssey 2050″ was presented during the visit of Jeremy Browne, Foreign Affairs Minister and member of the British Parliament, last week.
Browne said that the British Government wants to closely collaborate with Costa Rica in the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change.
Luis Liberman, second vice-president; Enrique Castillo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Sharon Campbell, British Ambassador in Costa Rica, also attended the activity and presented recognition certificates to a group of students who participated in a workshop destined to reflect on the importance of preserving the planet.
Posted on 28 October 2011 by Paul Clayton
Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José has successfully completed a three-year restructuring and is preparing to more than double its passenger capacity after partnering with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).
Last month, the IDB and OPIC disbursed $100 million in loans to Aeris Holding S.A., the airport’s operating company, owned by sponsors Brazil’s Andrade Gutierrez Concessões and ADC & HAS Finance Ltd.
Juan Santamaría International airport, Central America’s second biggest airport, receives 85 percent of all international arrivals in Costa Rica and 80 percent of all tourists that arrive into the country.
The restructuring and financing is the result of close work between the IDB, OPIC, the sponsors and the Costa Rican government to revamp the airport operations, complete all pending construction works under the first two phases of the expansion program, restructure existing debt and obtain additional financing to complete new expansion phases.
“This project has provided the financial structure and contractual stability for the airport to continue to expand and meet rising demand,’’ said Gian Franco Carassale, the project team leader at the IDB’s Structured and Corporate Finance Department. “With the completion of the first two phases of the expansion plan, the airport now has the capacity to better serve its passengers and airlines and become an important transportation hub in Central America.”
These works included a terminal extension to permanently house security, immigration and customs processing, additional hold rooms, renovation of existing and new boarding bridges, remote stands for buses and an additional remote parking positions, and reconstruction of the apron and one of the taxiways, among other investments.
Posted on 25 October 2011 by Paul Clayton
Stuck with an aching tooth and very little cash, Brennan Mulligan was faced with a painful dilemma:
Wait weeks to get a dental procedure in the city that he couldn’t afford or fly off to see an unfamiliar dentist in a foreign country at a fraction of the cost.
Mulligan, a 23-year-old uninsured Manhattan bartender, chose the latter.
Within five days, he was inside a gleaming dental office in Costa Rica. His severely damaged tooth was extracted and replaced with a metal implant for $1,500. He said New York dentists told him the same procedure would have cost more than $7,500 in the city.
“Everybody was saying, ‘You’re going to this shack in thejungle in Costa Rica and there’sgoing to be a witch doctor there,’” said Mulligan, who had the work done outside thecapital city of San Jose in mid-July.
“I got there and it looked like the Starship Enterprise. It was beautiful … and the dentist was probably the best dentist I had ever been to.”
Mulligan is part of a rapidly growing wave of Americans who have gone overseas for medical treatment.
Less than 10 years ago, “medical tourism” was considered a dirty word in U.S. medical circles. The phrase conjured images of shady doctors performing unregulated procedures in dingy back alleys.
Now, lured by cheaper costs and top-class facilities and doctors, hundreds of thousands of Americans are opting to get their teeth fixed, hips replaced and eggs fertilized overseas each year.
Posted on 22 October 2011 by krich
Tourists have come to associate Costa Rica with breathtaking views of the likes of Arenal, Irazu, Poas and Turrialba; lush rainforests, beautiful, exotic beaches, great surfing, and a love of nature that is embodied in both the land and its people. The diverse collection of avians-both those that visit during their migrations north and south and those that call Costa Rica “homenest” have attracted observers from the world over to view and experience these feathered explorers up close and personal.
Yet there is another group of unique and compelling creatures that may not come to mind at first blush but which are as essential and important to the essence of Pura Vida as the land itself-the four groups of monkeys who call the rainforests home and whose diversity, antics and abilities underscore just how special these simian spectators are to Ticos, tourists, and ex-pats alike.
You can find monkeys in the many national parks throughout Costa Rica as well in many unusual places-such as in the trees of resorts near Tamarindo, off-road trails in the Nicoya Peninsula, and near the restaurants and roadways around Quepos and Manuel Antonio. To see all four groups at the same time, visit the Corcovado National Park located on the Osa Peninsula.
Found in abundance near Manuel Antonio National Park (among other places) is the most interactive and, perhaps, intelligent of the four monkey groups-the white-faced capuchin (named because the white face and black “hood” resembled the Capuchin Friars) monkey. Called cara Blanca in Spanish because of it’s white face, this lithe and inquisitive creature will think nothing of “visiting” backpacks and other bags or containers to see what goodies its human relatives may have left for the taking. The capuchin is also part handyman-using sticks or other convenient items to assist them in navigating the curious containers of humanity.
The most colorful of the four is the orange and gold squirrel monkey. Known to Ticos and non-Ticos alike as “titi” these small, active beings live in the lower, scrub woodlands and will come to visit (at least at a safe distance) if you happen to be close to their territory. From personal experience, I can tell you that they are not camera shy and are eager to “pose” for photographs. (See picture attached).
The most elusive and one of the largest of the four types is the Spider Monkey. With the official name of Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey (a name almost as long as the arms and legs of this furry acrobat), called mono colorado in Spanish, it can be seen navigating the treetops of the rainforest canopy almost as if suspended with wires from some invisible source. The fact that the spider is large -males coming in at a “robust” 18 lbs-doesn’t seem to have affect its aerial skills or mobility.
Last, but by no means least, is the Howler. Known as congo to the those who live here in this lush paradise (and to many who want to make the land of Pura Vida their home), the Howler’s impressive vocal abilities can carry several kilometers at dawn or dusk. Being woken up by “Howler Alarm Clock” –while jolting at first, soon becomes a welcome part of the start of another day in the land of Pura Vida. It is a toss-up as to whether the Howler or the Spider is the largest-different authorities credit one or the other as being “top monkey”. Regardless, both are impressive in different and wonderful ways.
These special simians have also made homes with their human cousins as pets. The spider, squirrel and capuchin can all be found throughout Costa Rica with those who care for them. The howler, although the least numbered in captivity is, ironically, the greatest numbered in the wild and is most likely the first of the monkey clan that will be encountered.
Four types of monkeys-different sizes, traits, colors and, yes personalities. Whether you are a first time visitor, a returning traveler, ex-pat, or Tico, keep your eyes open and enjoy observing these Pura Vida primates as they open their world to any and all who wish to be a part of a very special piece of Costa Rica.
Posted on 13 October 2011 by Paul Clayton
The picture above was taken in 1916 from atop Cacique Point looking to Playa Hermosa on the right and across Culebra Bay and the Four Seasons Hotel at Peninsula Papagayo.
The Costa Rican Government has always taken a keen interest in what we Gringos call the “Papagayo” area. This area was championed by the former Costa Rican President (1974-1978) Daniel Oduber Quiros so much so that the Liberia International Airport (LIR) was named after him. The key step in attracting tourism to the Papagayo area was to build the Liberia airport.
After many years as a domestic airport and international Charter flight destination from North America and Europe, the Liberia Airport, in 2004, opened to International commercial direct flights that spurred growth in the region tremendously. In November 2011 a brand new Passenger Terminal will be christened which will harken the start of a new era of growth in the region.
In spite of the new terminal not yet being open – International arrivals into the Liberia Airport are up over 20% through July 2011 even though 2010 was a record year for total international arrivals.
Some other pieces to the puzzle are also falling into place this year with the opening of the CIMA Hospital just 10 minutes from the Airport and 10 minutes from Playa Hermosa and the announcement of various new hotel and resort projects to come in the region – Bulgari Hotels and Resorts in the Peninsula Papagayo, Sol Melia Papagayo Bay just North of Villas Sol Playa Hermosa and the Manadarin Oriental next to the Allegro Papagayo.
We in the industry feel that the next wave of activity is going to bring sustained, steady growth in development and tourism activity leading us to believe that any wise investment in real estate made now will pay off big over the next 5-10 years. Our core business philosophy is to provide our clients the best opportunity to achieve their goals – whether it is buying or selling property or trying to navigate life and business in Costa Rica. Joining ReMax gives my clients a superior advantage towards achieving their goals here in Costa Rica.
Posted on 04 October 2011 by Paul Clayton
We just learned about the top places in Costa Rica that make the most sense for expats to live, to rent, buy real estate, become part of a community and have access to all the amenities that make life comfortable and enjoyable (at International Living’s Live and Invest in Costa Rica Seminar 2011, taking place in San Jose).
This has been such an eventful day with so much information shared…that despite an incredible desire to go out in the Costa Rican sunshine…no one could tear themselves away from this conference.
Here’s something you may be interested in—an area along the country’s Caribbean coast that’s just been designated for an $11 billion investment. Looking for opportunity? You’ll find it here, says international real estate expert Margaret Summerfield. In this new destination—that Margaret told us all about—Disney is now running wildlife tours…and new boutique hotels and eco-lodges are being built.
Want to live in a lush Pacific Coast region where you can buy a lot overlooking the Pacific or in the jungle a stone’s throw from the beach? We learned where to find the best deals.
We also discovered:
Of course, you can, too.
Everything You Need to Know About Renting in Costa Rica
Rent before you buy. That’s our mantra here at IL, and we had an entire session today on rental properties. Local expert Hannah Rico Fletcher explained what you need to know if you’re going to rent a home or apartment in Costa Rica and what you need to know if you’re going to be an absentee owner and rent your property when you’re not here. The laws are a little different so you need to be sure to understand your rights and obligations.
A good portion of today’s discussions were about real estate. And nope, no one was trying to sell anything. This morning’s speakers were explaining how to go about properly and safely buying property in Costa Rica—where, what, how much, and how.
(By the way, despite what you might think based on current economic conditions, investment advisor Barry Potekin recommends that in today’s murky financial environment, “the best thing is to own stuff…not paper or currencies, but real estate, cars, gold…stuff.”)
And thankfully, with all the ways we discovered to make (and save) money today, international tax expert Nick Hodges explained what to do to keep ourselves out of trouble with the tax man.
“I teach avoidance rather than evasion,” he said. “Evasion gets you free room and board. I can help you avoid paying taxes. ” And explain how, he did.
Also on the financial train, Jeff Schneider shared how to use your IRA to buy international property—and importantly, how to use it to make money tax-free!
As I mentioned, we talked a lot about real estate today. Margaret Summerfield took the stage three times—first to offer up an insider’s overview of the Costa Rica real estate market (including the many places to get bargain-priced opportunities right now) and then to share her hard-earned tips and strategies for protecting your real estate investment.
Margaret has been living and working in Latin America for years now…and she’s been keeping her eagle… see and read more
Posted on 01 October 2011 by puravida
(CNN) — The rainy season is a good time to go to Costa Rica. It’s a lot cheaper and there are far fewer tourists. My visit was from July 22 to 31. Even if there is a lot of rain, chances are that it will come down during your afternoon nap and clear up just in time for cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m.
Getting in and around Costa Rica
The trip began with my flight into the San Jose area, which is where my Costa Rican host and friend, Jose, lives.
Another friend visiting from the States picked me up and immediately, on the short trip from the airport to their home, we were confronted by the strange, small, bad roads and terrible driving that would be a theme for the entire trip. Jose made us wonderful ceviche — also a theme — when we arrived, and we chatted about how Congress or President Obama would solve the debt deadline.
The next morning we set off. We rented a car for the week, a Toyota Yaris, which we immediately noted had pretty bad brakes and a clutch that seemed to have little life left in it.
We headed out of the city to Arenal Volcano, one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions for its activity and nearby hot springs. We stopped at La Cascada for lunch in the tourist town La Fortuna, which is at the base of the road around Arenal. Then we continued around Arenal.
The volcano, as it often is, was obscured by clouds. Usually at night one can see the glowing lava, which sounded pretty cool. We thought of stopping for the evening in one of the resorts lining the base of the volcano, some of which are luxurious, but we decided to push on to the west coast.
We stopped briefly at the seemingly out of place German/Swiss chalet Los Heroes, which is a hotel and fondue restaurant, but our timing was off for either lunch or dinner.
Experiencing the coast
We explored Coco Beach quickly but found it to be a little too noisy and busy. So we went one beach up to Hermosa and quickly found the Villa Acacia, which had clean, spacious villas, beautiful grounds and a nice small round pool.
It seemed to be frequented mostly by Costa Rican families. Hermosa Beach lived up to its namesake (beautiful) the next morning.
The water was calm, warm and clean. This was some of the best swimming we had the entire visit. Just swimming casually we saw a skate shark and a puffer fish.
Couple escapes it all for ‘paradise’ in Costa Rica
The next day we spent driving a considerable distance to Playa Carmen, on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. This drive was not for the faint of heart and had it been rainy, it could have been a dangerous, life-threatening drive.
There were times when the going was steep and rocky. There were times when the driver was screaming in terror.
The wear and tear on the car’s brakes and clutch were starting to make a lot of sense. Even traveling fairly short distances in Costa Rica should be considered carefully, because sometimes — and by sometimes, I mean often or always — there is a bridge out, necessitating a long, slow reroute. Sometimes potholes are so omnipresent that you have to travel at 10 mph for hours, even in a rental car. Unless you know the condition of a road, you can assume that you can make about 20 miles in an hour.
But the difficulty is worth it. Playa Carmen was beautiful and full of young, fun people from all over the world. There’s excellent surfing there. We saw the most amazing sunset from Carmen, one of those where the sun dips into the water at an alarming speed.
From Carmen we spent the next day traveling to Playa Samara, where we spent four nights in the wonderful and small Fenix Hotel, which had its own spot right on the beach. Innkeeper Bill was friendly without being intrusive or obsequious. He keeps a lame squirrel as a pet, so you know his heart is in the right place.
The six-unit hotel has a small pool, beach furniture and clean, comfortable suites with kitchens — including high-quality Osterizer blenders. They know what they’re doing there. Also, a highlight was the rare Mercedes Unimog that Bill has parked out front. We were very excited to see that and on the last day, Bill let us play with it.
Zip lines and hatching turtles
Another highlight was the amazing Wingnuts Canopy Tour, which I would highly recommend. We swept between peaks on zip lines to see views of the ocean. We heard a variety of birds and saw a blue-crowned motmot, one of the most amazing birds I’ve ever seen.
Our guides, brothers Manu and Yasha, were warm, smart people who loved nature. They also set us up with… see & read more
Posted on 28 September 2011 by krich
Global Health Voyager Inc., a full service Web-based medical tourism company, has signed an agreement with the oldest private hospital in Costa Rica, Clinica Biblica. GHV’s Ali Moussavi, the company CEO, had high praise for his new partner.
“Hospital Clinica Biblica utilizes state-of-the-art ‘smart operating rooms’ offering equipment found only in the most sophisticated health care facilities and advanced instrumentation that provides efficiency and positive patient outcomes,” Moussavi added.
Growth of medical tourism in this country has been one of its most unalloyed success stories. Beginning decades ago with a few pioneering bilingual cosmetic surgeons, treatment of foreign patients has expanded into the most technical areas of treatment.
Clinica Biblica has been at the forefront of this trend for decades and the establishment of other private medical operations has reinforced what has become an industry in its own right. The GHV press release, for example, pointed out that many of the hospital’s physicians are U.S.-trained and that it offers “a desirable nurse-to-patient ratio.”
Clinical Biblica is one of the first hospitals certified by Blue Cross/Blue Shield a number of years ago and has since been recognized by several more international health and medical organizations.
As the fame of the country’s medical quality has grown, so has confidence in its own home-grown medical training in public universities as well as in such private facilities as Universidad Latina. At the heart of the growth is, of course, that patient costs for first-class care have remained stable and low.
This has been important in industrialized nations such as the United States where, in recent years, prices have skyrocketed. Add to this the uncertainty and political turmoil surrounding the U.S. health insurance issue in the United States and one has the formula for continued growth in this field here.
The tourism facet is also attractive to foreign patients. Not only is Costa Rica a prime tourism destination, in recent years allied recovery facilities have made post treatment more pleasant. that is an advantage of which few industrialized countries can boast.
