Local Publications

Costa Rica has three major dailies. La Nación (www.nacion.co.cr) is an excellent newspaper, up to international standards, with broad-based coverage of national and international affairs. La República and La Prensa Libre are lesser alternatives. El Día and the mass-market Diario Extra are sensationalist rags serving the lumpenproletariat with reports on sex, mayhem, and gore.

The weekly English-language Tico Times (tel. 506/2258-1558, www.ticotimes.net) is more analytical than its Costa Rican peers and diligently covers environmental issues, tourism, and cultural events. It’s sold at newsstands and in hotels nationwide ($1). Costa Rica Traveler (tel. 506/2280-1837, www.crtraveler.com) is a glossy bimonthly focused on tourism. And the bimonthly Costa Rica Outdoors (tel. 506/2231-0306, www.costaricaoutdoors.com) is dedicated to fishing and outdoor sports. Nature Landings, the in-flight magazine of Nature Air, is full of fascinating articles.

International Publication

International newspapers and magazines are available at a few newsstands, bookstores, and upscale hotels. The Miami Herald’s Latin American edition is printed in Costa Rica as an English daily. Away from large towns you’ll be hard-pressed to find magazines and newspapers, Spanish-language or otherwise.