Hostel Aldea Hostels Costa Rica Cheap hostel booking best value in san jose city, hostel bookers

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Fecha	26 / 12 / 11
Categoría	Retirement
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Moving to Costa Rica

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Background to Costa Rica

Officially known as the Republic of Costa Rica, the country is located in Central America and borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the east and south. The country is on the coastline with the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east. In many ways Costa Rica is perfectly situated for business, tourism and those looking to relocate to a different country.

It is no surprise that the country is currently very popular amongst American expats and their numbers are growing each and every year. A simple journey from America down to Central America where the cost of living is only a fraction of that in the US would appear to be one of the main attractions as well as the weather, location and opportunities for the future.

When you consider that Costa Rica is one of the top Latin American countries in the human development index, very high in the environmental performance index and number one in the happy planet index it is perhaps difficult to understand why there is not more comment on the area.

Costa Rican economy

The Costa Rican economy is somewhat underdeveloped when you compare this to other areas of Central America with low wages, high poverty and a lack of investment in the country’s infrastructure. There is also an issue with inflation which topped 9% in 2007 and approach nearly 14% in 2008, although it has to be said that the Costa Rican government are currently trying to reduce the impact of inflation. The economy itself is dominated by electronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development and there is also a very large exposure to the gambling arena, due in the main to the government’s attractive tax regulations.

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Tags:Moving to Costa Rica, retirement
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Fecha	29 / 11 / 11
Categoría	San Jose Costa Rica
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Travel 101: Addresses in Costa Rica

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

Many people visiting Costa Rica find themselves a little confused about the addresses or lack of them in Costa Rica. It takes a while to get used to, but they have a system that works for them.

Costa Rica is a country comprised of seven provinces: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas and San Jose. Just like in the United States, one may find cities named the same in different provinces. However, since Costa Rica is a small country, approximately the size of West Virginia, one doesn’t expect cities in different provinces with the same name.

One of the cities that causes the most confusion is Playa Hermosa. It isn’t surprising that there is more than one beach named this. The name translates to beautiful beach and almost all of the beaches in Costa Rica are beautiful. One is located in the Guanacaste province, in the northwest portion of the country. It is a lovely, protected beach that is ideal for families. The water is calm with little current. Another Playa Hermosa is located south of Jaco on the central Pacific coast, in the province of Puntarenas. This is where the 2009 Billabong ISA World Surf Games were held. This is another beautiful beach, but one with 4 – 8 foot waves. So it is always important to get the full information on where you are going.

While most individuals and businesses have a post office address, the physical address can be rather confusing. In San Jose proper, avenidas (avenues) run east and west and calles (streets) run north and south. Even here, exact addresses are a problem.

Many streets, particularly out of the center of San Jose, do not even have names. So the address is given by the distance to the nearest well known location. You will often see addresses given as 100 meters north of a hospital, 100 meters west of a bank or even 100 meters south of McDonalds. These distances are not exact, but more of an estimate. Normally 100 meters is the equivalent of a block. Occasionally, the address will reference something that no longer exists, but everyone in the country remembers. A good example of this is the Coca-Cola bottling plant. This is now the main bus station in San Jose and is a common landmark that is used. This confuses many tourists and newcomers.

United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express deliver packages and letters according to these addresses, although it is sometimes challenging to get the address to fit in the space allotted. Additionally, it can be a daunting task to convince a company to ship to this type of unconventional address.

GPS’s are available and do work especially in the main cities and tourist locations. Here again you search for a specific location, such as a hotel, as opposed to an address.

Tags:San Jose Costa Rica
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Fecha	23 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Costa Rica Environment
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Rainy season almost over in Central Valley, Guanacaste

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Ever wonder who’ll stop the rain?

John Fogerty and the rest of you – in the Central Valley at least – can rest easy because according to the National Meteorological Institute (IMN), the rainy season is starting to peter out.

“Now, across all of the Pacific slope and the Central Valley, we’re in a transition period,” said Juan Diego Naranjo, a meteorologist at IMN. “In these transition periods we’ll see rainy days alternating with days without rain.”

Naranjo said residents of the Central Valley and the northwestern province of Guanacaste can expect to see many more dry days starting between Nov. 24 and 29. For the Central Pacific and South Pacific regions the wait could be a little longer, until sometime between Dec. 2 and 15.

Meanwhile, Naranjo said, the Northern Zone and the Caribbean can look forward to “a considerable increase” in rains for the next three to four months. Some of those rains will occasionally reach out to splatter on the Central Valley, Naranjo said.

Naranjo said this year’s rainy season has been “very irregular” because September, generally a wet month, saw very little rain while rains in October were heavier than usual.

Tags:climate, costa rica
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Fecha	21 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Traveling in Costa Rica
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Nature Air’s air pass helps you explore Costa Rica

Monday, November 21st, 2011

If you want to explore Costa Rica without taking endless bus trips that all seem to route through San José, consider getting an air pass that will let you fly just about anywhere in the country instead.

Okay, so the flights all still go through the central hub of the capital city, San José, but with a Nature Air weekly air pass, you can board unlimited flights throughout Costa Rica.

You can hop between Quepos on the Pacific Coast and Tortuguero on the Atlantic side or head up to the volcano of Arenal in the north or zip south to Puérto Jiminez. All told, the airline flies to 13 airports in Costa Rica as well as two in Nicaragua and to the Bocas del toro islands in Panama.

A one-week air pass for Costa Rican flights is an affordable $282 U.S. For two weeks, the price rises to $499 and those prices include taxes.

If you want to add one round-trip international flight to Nicaragua or Panama to the pass, it bumps the price up to $432 and the two-week pass with the international add-on is $649. Not included in that price are any international fees you may have to pay.

In keeping with the ecotourism motif that was virtually invented by Costa Rica, Nature Air prides itself on claiming the title as the world’s first carbon-neutral airline.

To find out more about where Nature Air flies or to learn more about their air passes, check out their website at natureair.com.

Tags:costa rica, Flights, Nature Air
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Fecha	21 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Events
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MEGADETH Drummer Announces Costa Rica In-Store Appearance

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover is confirmed for an in-store appearance in San Jose, Costa Rica on December 2nd at 4 PM local time. Visit ddrumnews.blogspot.com for more info. Here are the details:

Store Name: Bansbach San José
Address: 11th Street, 1st Avenue, San José Downtown
Time: 16:00 hours (4:00 p.m local CR time)

Map

View Bansbach in a larger map

Tags:concert, costa rica, Megadeth, san jose, Shawn Drover
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Fecha	17 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Costa Rica Nature
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“Vegetarian” spider lives in Costa Rican forests

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

The first “vegetarian” spider known to the world lives in the forests of Costa Rica. This fact was revealed in a study by US biologists from Villanova University and Brandeis University in the newest edition of the periodical, Current Biology.

According to scientists Christopher Meehan and Eric Olsen, it is an unusual jumping spider that feeds only on wild bush leaves.

Of the 40,000 spider species known today, 39,999 of them feed on insects smaller than them and not on plants. Given the name Bagheera kiplingi, the new species has a reddish color and is a little less than 5 centimeters in length.

According to researchers, this species lives here, in Mexico, and South America and feeds specifically on plant leaves called acacias, especially those where ants also feed.

The spiders rob the food from the ants that protect the plant against invaders.

There are other interesting things about the “vegetarian” spider. For example, it doesn’t eat insects, so it has no need to spin a web to trap its prey. This allows them to fully concentrate their energy on building homes for their families or nests that the mothers use to raise their young.

If that weren’t enough, scientists have also found out that the females of this species have the habit of eating their mates after the act of love-making.

Tags:Animals, costa rica, Spiders
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Fecha	17 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Costa Rica Environment
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Limon to host Costa Rica’s first carbon neutrality centre

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

San José Costa Rica. The Experimental Station “Los Diamantes”, in Limon, will soon be declared to be the first Government owned farm to reach a net zero carbon footprint. Its main objective is to reproduce the model in other farmlands throughout the country.

“Los Diamantes is the best experimental station owned by the agricultural public sector, not only because of its extension, but also because of its own richness and biodiversity. That is why we are certain that it will be the first experimental station in the country to become and get certified as carbon neutral”, said Tania López, Vice-minister of Agriculture.
The centre has an extension of 890 hectares and is located in a transition area between the tropical wet forest, the tropical moist forest, and the tropical rainforest.
The farm also constitutes a valuable biodiversity reservoir, contributing to the region’s sustainability. Its resources include a wide variety of plants and animals (vertebrates and invertebrates); and germplasm banks, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
To declare Los Diamantes as carbon neutral, scientists will measure Greenhouse Gas (GHG), nitrous oxide, methane and carbon emissions per year.
“The station is a benchmark for environmental investigation, and education, as well as for scientific tourism, and other eco-systematic services in the country and around the world,” said José Rafael Corrales, Executive Director of the National Institute for Agricultural Technology Exchange (INTA).
Corrales also confirmed that the station’s environmental benefits will be promoted, through a communication strategy, in the surrounding areas, to raise awareness among people, organizations and institutions.
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Tags:carbon, environment, limon, neutral
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Fecha	15 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Photography
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Costa Rica Photography Tips

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Whether you are an avid photographer or an average tourist carrying a one-touch instamatic camera, few tourist destinations offer the varied photographic opportunities of Costa Rica. Volcanoes, monkeys, birds, waterfalls, museums, sunsets, and churches are just a few of the photographic possibilities as you travel throughout Costa Rica. The varied terrain and extreme temperature conditions require responsible care of your camera gear. The warm, humid, tropical climate often creates problems for inexpensive camera equipment. Fogged camera lenses and jammed shutter release button are quite common. For this reason, you should take the proper precautions as well as the proper equipment to ensure the best photographic opportunities. Below, we have listed some gear along with suggestions pertaining to their use. We hope that it proves beneficial.
Camera Bag

A sturdy, water repellent camera bag is highly recommended. The tropics, while always hot and humid, often bring unexpected downpours. Costa Rica’s climate provides a distinct dry and rainy season, however in certain portions of the country, rain is possible at any time. For this reason, we suggest placing your camera gear in a plastic bag, within your camera bag, while not in use. Also, small, inexpensive moisture packs are advisable as they will absorb the surrounding moisture, preventing equipment problems.

Film
Generally speaking, the slowest speed films will produce the most professional results. The speed of your film will be determined by the speed of your lenses and the lighting conditions present. The jungle, even at midday, provides surprisingly little in the way of ambient light. Depending on your camera gear, we recommend film speeds no slower than 100 ASA; assuming your lenses are F 4.0 or faster. For most tourists using instamatic cameras, this film speed will be insufficient, therefore, we recommend a minimum film speed of at least 200 ASA (400 ASA is a better choice). Tripods and flashes would certainly help reduce the need for higher speed films (see below: tripods and flashes). Bring more than you think you will need as purchasing film in Costa Rica is prohibitively expensive. Also, we recommend placing your film in a lead pouch when traveling, in order to protect them from any possible damage resulting from airport X-ray machines.

Flash
Your flash will be either built into your camera or one that mounts externally to its exterior. While flashes are always beneficial to have, they sometimes prove inefficient, and at times a hindrance. When using your flash, make sure you recognize its limitations, i.e. power, range, coverage, etc., and use it accordingly. Photographing a howler monkey, 60 ft. up in a densely covered rainforest will not deliver adequate results. Also, keep in mind that certain animal, insects, birds, etc. may react negatively to your flashes.

Tripod
Depending on your skill level, expectations, and health, a tripod is a worthwhile companion. While a bit cumbersome, it is at times essential in order to get the desired photographs. Costa Rica’s rugged landscape presents challenging lighting conditions, i.e. taking an evening photograph of the Arenal Volcano, or that of an orchid under the rain forest’s canopy. Hand held cameras, more often than not, will not provide the stability necessary to capture the image properly.

Lenses
If the camera body you bring accommodates several lenses, you will have much more flexibility than those with instamatic cameras. The varied landscape of Costa Rica requires several lenses to fully capture its natural beauty. For wide angle photographs, a 24 or 28 mm lenses will be sufficient. A macro lens of 60 mm is ideal for butterflies, insects, orchids, etc. A zoom lens of 70-210 mm is perfect for general landscape photography, as well as people photographs. One long lens of 200+ mm is essential, in order to get any pleasing photographs of animals in their natural habitat. Anything less will make your animal photographs appear more like landscape photographs. For bird photography, a minimum of 300 mm is necessary, as most birds remain situated high atop the trees.

Film Development
Fuji, Kodak and Agfa have large photographic film processing labs in Costa Rica, particularly in downtown San Jose; in addition to most other large cities, i.e. Heredia and Alejuela. Most photographic services and products are available at any location. Photo prints are usually processed the same day they are dropped off, while slide film normally requires an additional 3-4 days for development.

Camera Repair & Parts
The best chance you have in Costa Rica is with the Canon Camera repair department, located just north of San Jose, on avenida 3, between calle 3-5. While they are an authorized Canon dealer, they do repair cameras of other manufacturers, in addition to video camera equipment. Expect to conduct most of your business in Spanish.
For those who need special items, such as filters, lens cloth, cables, etc., there is a camera store, just beside Kodak (along side of the Plaza de la Cultura), that carries the most complete supply of camera related products.
Source: www.worlheadquarters.com

Tags:costa rica, Photography, san jose, Tips
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Fecha	10 / 11 / 11
Categoría	Costa Rica Tours and Hostels
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Nice and warm Weather in Costa Rica

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

This wonderful climate lends itself to truly unique experiences and breath-taking views of the beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls and rivers that interweave through the country’s rain and cloud forests.

Regardless of your location on the Caribbean or Pacific side, Costa Rica is sure to deliver a priceless, harsh-winter escape.

Paired together with some of the best airline deals ever offered during the holiday season, there has never been a better time to experience Costa Rica, its pristine, natural beauty, rich culture and kind, welcoming people.

Why Costa Rica?

The Happiest Country in the World, as reported by the New Economics Foundation, continues reporting growth in the number of international tourist arrivals, and for a good reason. Costa Rica’s proximity to major hubs in the United States and the multitude of flight options makes it easy for travelers to vacation there. It is a two and half hour flight from Miami, a five-hour flight from New York, a four-hour flight from Dallas and a six-hour flight from Los Angeles.

Costa Rica’s 32 environmentally protected national parks, which include tens of thousands of acres of rain and cloud forests, active volcanoes, beaches and waterfalls, allow visitors to experience nature in its most pristine state through activities like hiking, rafting, canyoning, canopy tours, rock climbing and surfing. If scuba diving is what the traveler seeks, Costa Rica offers miles of coastline on the Caribbean and Pacific coast that are ideal for the avid scuba diver.

The traits that make Costa Rica one of the most sought-after eco-destinations are the quality of its tourism services and the people who make the experience so exceptional. No where on Earth will a traveler find people with the knowledge and expertise that are sure to turn visitor’s vacation into the experience of a lifetime. Wherever the traveler decides to go and no matter how long they stay, Costa Rica offers them the ultimate ecological and educational experience – all rolled into one.

About Costa Rica

Costa Rica is located in Central America, nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, and bordered on the east by the Caribbean Sea and the west by the Pacific Ocean. This small country represents only .05 per cent of the planet’s surface yet its land shelters 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity and its waters are home to 4 percent of the planet’s marine life. It has given priority to the conservation of its natural resources, protecting 26 percent of its national territory through the creation of National Parks and other natural areas.

The country also offers world-class eco-tourism and adventure travel. The options are unlimited for any discriminating traveler: horseback riding on a secluded beach; hiking through the lush whispering greenery of a rainforest; having an exhilarating experience on a white-water rafting trip, observing the tropical forests from a canopy tour; surfing the blue waves of either coast; experiencing a quiet, close encounter with different species of birds and wildlife; and enjoying the diverse culture and hospitality of the Ticos.

Tags:climate, costa rica, ehater, vacations
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Fecha	04 / 11 / 11
Categoría	travel guide costa rica
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Costa Rica: a little guide for beginners

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Chris Moss offers a guide to Costa Rica, ahead of this year’s celebrations to mark the bicentenary of Latin America’s fight for independence.

South America’s Switzerland – peaceful, army-less, sometimes a bit dull. Costa Rica won independence from Spain on September 15 1821. Hitherto the country had functioned apart from the Capitanía General of Guatemala for some time and Costa Rica was used to a degree of autonomy; it still is.

Top five attractions

White-water rafting at Turrialba; the surfing scene on the Nicoya peninsula; Rincón de la Vieja national park for riding and volcanoes; the Monteverde cloud forest; and, if you can visit in May, watching the arrival of the Olive Ridley sea turtles on the beaches of the Pacific Coast.

Best city

Try the cowboy town of Liberia, in Guanacaste province.

Tour: Costa Rica Highlights

Starting in San José, take a 13-night tour of some of the most beautiful national parks. Visit the Corcovado National Park and hike the Casa Corcovado trails, tour the Arenal Volcano Park and Monteverde cloud forest. Can be done as a fly-drive.

Price: from £2,330 per person, including accommodation, guiding, transfers, escorted tour, admissions, transport, breakfast and full board at Corcovado. No flights included. Contact: 020 8742 1556; windowsonthewild.com

Souvenir to buy

Costa Rican coffee is among the best in the world.

Quirky Costa Rica

Instead of hola (hello), Costa Ricans say “Pura vida” (pure life) or “Que tuanes”, which is of obscure provenance, but may be a corruption of the English “Get-to-our-knees” – in other words, I like you so much I am genuflecting.

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