Plan Your Trip
Get Inspired
Read
Tropical Nature: Life and Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America (Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata; 1987) Easy-to-digest natural-history essays on rainforest phenomena, written by two biologists.
There Never Was a Once Upon a Time (Carmen Naranjo; 1989) Ten stories, narrated by children and adolescents, by Costa Rica’s most widely translated novelist.
Costa Rica: A Traveler’s Literary Companion (Barbara Ras, foreword by Óscar Arias; 1994) A collection of stories reflecting distinct regions of Costa Rica.
Watch
El Regreso (The Return; 2011) Featuring a realistic, contemporary plot, this is the first Tico film to earn international acclaim. Hernán Jiménez wrote, directed, starred in and crowdfunded it.
Agua Fría de Mar (Cold Ocean Water; 2010) Directed by Paz Fábrega, this social commentary unfolds at a paradisiacal Pacific beach; the film won several international awards.
Caribe (Caribbean; 2004) The first Costa Rican film ever to be submitted for Oscar consideration; it’s a drama set in Limón.
Listen
Various Artists, SíSan José (2011) A collaboration between a WFMU engineer and nine of Costa Rica’s best indie rock acts.
Chavela Vargas, Coleccion Original RCA (1946) With the original long out of print, this 2011 re-issue from Costa Rican–born singer Vargas features hauntingly beautiful folk ballads.
Malpaís, Un Día Lejano (2009) Costa Rica’s innovative and now defunct rock band mixes calypso, jazz and Latin American balladry.
Various Artists, Calypsos: Afro-Limonese Music From Costa Rica (1991) A raucous collection that captured the heart of Costa Rico’s Afro-Caribbean folk scene.