Discover the Fusion of Culture, Art, and Entertainment in Costa Rica

Costa Rica offers a captivating blend of culture, art, and entertainment that promises an enriching experience. Immerse yourself in the enchanting rhythm of traditional music, where the echoes of the past harmonize with modern innovation. The visual landscape is equally mesmerizing, as artists bring to life a vivid tapestry of colors and shapes, showcased in both galleries and open-air exhibitions.

Click to explore this section of the interactive digital magazine:

In Memory of Walter Ferguson

In Memory of Walter Ferguson

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]How can you know so much about someone you've never met? The answer, surely, will be that there are people who seem to have fallen from astrolites — humans who seem to have an aura and a talent that radiates from the...

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The Lost Legacy of Costa Rica’s Railroads

The Lost Legacy of Costa Rica’s Railroads

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]One could argue that Costa Rica’s railroads birthed modern-day Central America. In the late 1800s, U.S. entrepreneur Henry Meigs signed a contract with the Costa Rican government to build a railroad from San José to the...

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Artist: Daniela Vargas Winiker

Artist: Daniela Vargas Winiker

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Howler’s Artist Spotlight series called "Making a Scene" is back this month featuring Costa Rican artist Daniela Vargas Winiker. "My purpose is to combine painting, sculpture and installation, achieving interactive spaces...

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The Lost Treasure of Lima

The Lost Treasure of Lima

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text]Tales of pirates and treasures have tickled the imaginations of millions. There’s something magical about the concept of brave and bold renegade pirates, driven by fortune and fame, setting out to capture, plunder and...

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Indigenous Cultures in Focus

Indigenous Cultures in Focus

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Howler is pleased once again to share some captivating historical images from Fotos Antiguas Indígenas de Costa Rica, a group created to honor Costa Rica’s rich indigenous legacy encompassing 24 territories. Images from...

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Donaldo Voelker

Donaldo Voelker

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Welcome back to our Artist Spotlight series called "Making a Scene." In every issue, we feature the selected works of a different artist, sharing personal insights into the inspiration and creative process behind each...

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Making the Scene: Milo Gonzalez

Making the Scene: Milo Gonzalez

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Howler’s "Making a Scene" series continues this month, with Milo Gonzalez giving us a personal glimpse at the inspiration behind four of his selected paintings.  As a child, the Costa Rican artist always showed skill in...

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Nothing Black and White in Amy Pink’s World

Nothing Black and White in Amy Pink’s World

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Colorful language takes on a totally different, literal meaning when artist Amy Pink talks about the passions and perspectives guiding her life story towards an ongoing Costa Rica chapter. “I see eye candy everywhere I...

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70 Interesting Facts About Costa Rica

70 Interesting Facts About Costa Rica

[vc_row css=".vc_custom_1671737684718{background-color: #ffffff !important;}"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] From northwest to southwest, Costa Rica measures only 285 miles (460 km.) and at its narrowest, it is only 74 miles (120 km.) wide. It is smaller than...

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Making a Scene: Susan Adams

Making a Scene: Susan Adams

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Welcome to Howler’s recently introduced Artist Spotlight series called "Making a Scene." In every issue, we’ll feature the selected works of a different artist, sharing personal insights into the inspiration and creative...

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Family Preserves Sugar Milling Legacy

Family Preserves Sugar Milling Legacy

[vc_row css=".vc_custom_1671815799611{background-color: #ffffff !important;}"][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]From treasured tradition to budding tourist attraction, the Agüero family trapiche (sugar cane mill) at Paso Agres, Turrubares, is an emblem of local...

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Costa Rica’s Viticulture Success Story

Costa Rica’s Viticulture Success Story

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Where there’s a will to grow wine, there must be a way — even in Costa Rica. Thus begins the remarkable success story of Virgilio Vidor Viticultura Tropical, a testament to where inspired scientific adventure can lead. ...

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Enjoying My Creative Space in Nosara

Enjoying My Creative Space in Nosara

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]When I moved 15 years ago to Nosara, Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula, it was still an undiscovered Pacific coast gem, and I started a blog to record the adventure of a lifetime. Nosara was then a quiet, year-round surf...

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Learning Spanish: Love Is In The Air

Learning Spanish: Love Is In The Air

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]ahorcarse — “to hang yourself,” meaning to get married   chulo — in Costa Rica, a pimp, or a person who lives on borrowed money, or always wants other people to pay. In some countries, the word has a positive...

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Carlos Hiller

Carlos Hiller

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]I’m delighted to introduce Howler readers to a new Artist Spotlight series called Making a Scene. In every issue, we’ll feature the selected works of a different artist, sharing personal insights into the inspiration and...

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World Cup 2022

World Cup 2022

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/2"][vc_column_text] FIFA World Cup 2022 Costa Rica: Five players to watch Costa Rica booked their place at the finals after squeezing past New Zealand in the sides’ intercontinental play-off. This will be the Central Americans’ third...

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Costa Rica: Through the Lens 2022 #2

Costa Rica: Through the Lens 2022 #2

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It never ceases to amaze our Howler team when we consider all of our photographers and the variety of spectacular photography we receive. This is our third "Through the Lens" edition and you'll see the various dynamics of the beauty...

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Oubaïda Azzouz

Oubaïda Azzouz

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Born in Brussels and of Moroccan descent, artist Oubaïda Azzouz grew up in a culture of mixed influence and developed a pronounced taste for the Orient.     With a fascination for drawing and illustration and skills...

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Tony Putaggio

Tony Putaggio

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]I walked into a local restaurant three years ago and heard a sound coming from the stage of a meticulous tune being played with Spanish flair. It was my first introduction to Tony Putaggio.   Born in Castres, France,...

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A long, long time ago

A long, long time ago

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] We invite you to look back with us at some snapshots of Costa Rican history — timeless photographs that capture the people, culture, buildings, and events of long ago. Thanks to the history buffs who have generously...

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Costa Rica 2022: Through the Lens

Costa Rica 2022: Through the Lens

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]For all of the scenes, sensations and experiences that words can’t adequately describe, countless generations have relied on the universally understood language of pictures. Legacies of priceless paintings set the stage...

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Gardens with Wings

Gardens with Wings

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] "Psyche" — this is what Aristotle, with his interest in the metamorphosis of insects, named the butterfly in ancient Greece. Many other cultures also relate butterflies to the human soul. "Mysterious and symbolic,...

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Cabalgata

Cabalgata

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]More than 1.5 million tourists flock to Costa Rica each year to experience the créme de la créme of tropical paradise. Yet, tucked away in the hills above these emerald beaches littered with surfers and honeymooners, a...

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Costa Rica’s Flag: Proudly Waved, Carried and Worn

Costa Rica’s Flag: Proudly Waved, Carried and Worn

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text] Costa Rica's Flag: Proudly Waved, Carried and Worn.  There is nothing more symbolic of a country’s heritage than its national flag. The flag represents a cultural identity that unites all the people and values it stands...

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Museum Frida Kahlo

Museum Frida Kahlo

An hour before closing time, culminating my whirlwind one-day art tour focusing on Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, I arrived at La Casa Azul in Mexico City's lovely barrio of Coyoacán. Casa Azul, home of the Frida Kahlo Museum, is appropriately named, the outside a...

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Salt Farms

Salt Farms

The Salt of the Earth Las Salinas Salt Pans in Lepanto, Guanacaste   Story and photos by Sean Davis When you buy sea salt, you may not realize how this process has worked for millenia. The seawater is let into the perfectly manicured flat pans during a very high...

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Costa Rican Culture: A Rich Blend of Tradition, Family, and ‘Pura Vida’

Costa Rica, though small in size, boasts a culture that’s vibrant, warm, and deeply rooted in both indigenous heritage and Spanish colonial influence. Whether you’re strolling through a lively town during a festival or enjoying a home-cooked casado meal, Costa Rican...

American Crocodile

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] American Costa Rica Crocodile: Visitors in Costa Rica can view the American crocodile at one of several prime spots, about 50 miles (85 km) west of San José, on the Tarcoles River. Here, they can be seen in abundance from the...

What Circle Of Hell Is This?

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text The circle of life so lovingly narrated on nature documentaries plays out daily in Costa Rica. Toucans raid nests like feathered burglars. Iguanas—those smug, sunbathing “vegetarians”—will absolutely nibble the wrong...

The Tigrillo (oncilla) of Costa Rica: A Secretive Wild Cat You’ll Rarely See

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Costa Rica creature feature oncilla: Oncilla, often referred to as the little spotted cat, or in Costa Rica as the tigrillo. This Costa Rica cat is the smallest species of wildcat in this country. Living in the mountain forests at...

Costa Rica Whitewater Rafting Guide: Which River Should You Choose (and When)?

“During high water, the ‘Aye, mami!’ rapids become ‘Oh, crap!’ rapids,” my guide informed me — and honestly, that’s the most accurate river forecast you’ll ever get in Costa Rica. Whitewater rafting here is a beautiful contradiction. One minute you’re folded into the...

Protecting One Species at a Time

Protecting One Species at a Time.  The theme of Earth Day 2019 is “Protect our Species.” With over 500,000 wildlife species in Costa Rica, it is vital to keep the biodiversity alive and thriving in this Central American isthmus.  Thanks to the preservation efforts of...

What Brings People to Live In Costa Rica

Costa Rica living – what draws people to this country? Let’s look at just a few of the many things that make people decide Costa Rica is where they want to call home. 1. Sand and sea Because the country is so small, you’re never too terribly far from one of its...

Chasing Costa Rica’s Green Flash: The One-Second Sunset Secret

[vc_row][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]   What is the green flash? The green flash is a brief burst of green light that can appear on the very top edge of the sun for roughly one to three seconds as it meets the horizon. It’s most often spotted at sunset over...

Costa Rica Cacao and Dark Chocolate: A Local Story With Global Flavour (and Real Health Perks)

Cacao in Costa Rica isn’t just “the ingredient before chocolate” — it’s a living thread that runs through rainforest ecology, Indigenous heritage, smallholder livelihoods, and the modern obsession with seriously good dark chocolate. If you’ve ever snapped a square of...

Stand-Up Paddle Surfing: From Ancient Watercraft to Modern Wave-Riding

...historically, humans have regarded paddling small watercraft while standing up as an efficient and ergonomic way to fish and travel in the ocean... Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) looks modern, but the idea is ancient: humans have been standing to paddle small craft...

Diamante Eco Adventure Park: Ziplining, Wildlife and 10% Off With Code HOWLER

Planning a trip to Guanacaste or staying near Liberia, Coco, Hermosa or the Riu hotels? Diamante Eco Adventure Park is the one place where you can tick off Costa Rica adrenaline, wildlife, beach time and proper food in a single day – and when you book directly or pay...

Torunes: Founded by Fatigue, Fueled by Coffee, Haunted by Excellence

(and Now Buzzing with Bees, Beans, and Global Bragging Rights) Let’s rewind to 1897, when a man named Jacinto Avila Araya decided to climb a hill in Palmares so steep even the local goats looked up and said, “Hard pass.” After dragging himself up from the...

Explore the digital magazine in full screen:

February’s Howler Real Escapes is Costa Rica as it’s actually lived: a “quick drive” that turns into a roadside saga near Liberia—smoke, standstills, single-lane bridges, and the choice to honk…or help. We walk Rohrmoser’s layered story from coffee fields to 1960s planning to today’s high-rise rhythm, then head to Palmares for Torunes Farms—volcanic Arabica, stubborn founders, and Melipona bees turning blossoms into liquid gold. Cacao takes the spotlight too, linking sacred traditions and Caribbean resilience to modern fine-flavour chocolate and smarter bar choices.

Adventure runs through every page: SUP history and beginner-proof tips, ziplining and wildlife at Diamante Eco Adventure Park (code HOWLER saves 10%), and rafting picks from Río Pacuare to Río Tenorio by region, season, and nerve. Surfers get plain-English swell angle, the Galápagos energy effect, and Papagayo winds that can polish waves—or steal your towel. Practical life guides cover ATM mishaps, verdurería shopping, packing kids, fiesta-season style, epiphanies, decluttering, and self-respect that doesn’t feel cheesy. Business and real estate get clarity on RTBF filing changes, who powers the economy, beachfront rules, and financing paths. Food and wildlife round it out: micheladas, mamón chino ceviche, special-diet travel, the elusive oncilla, American crocodiles, and conservation inside private reserves. Plus: brass coffee fichas, telenovelas, Lake Arenal Condos, organic shrimp, and the green flash

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