Costa Rica to Nicaragua with Kids: Border Crossings, Birthday Volcanoes, a $10 Machete, and What My Boys Learned From Street Kids in Granada In which we cross a militarized border, celebrate a second birthday on an island that sits inside a freshwater lake, buy a machete at a market, and I attempt to feed every street child in Granada. Results: mixed. Nicaragua is not Costa Rica. I say this not as a complaint but as a geographic and cultural observation that will hit you within approximately four minutes of clearing the border. Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948 and has been more or less radiantly peaceful ever since. Nicaragua has had a rather different 20th century, and the presence of soldiers with actual weapons at the crossing was something our boys processed in real time, out loud, in a sustained stream of questions that didn't stop until we were well into the country. It was, in its own way, one of the better history lessons we've ever had as a family — co...

Where to Live in Costa Rica? An Honest, Slightly Unhinged Region-by-Region Guide for Expats & Adventurous Families By the crew at Nomadventure · Updated April 2026 · 15-min read 📍 Jump to a Region Our Totally Rational Decision-Making Process San José & the Central Valley Guanacaste: The Dry, Sunny Playground The Southern Pacific: Dominical, Uvita & Ojochal The Caribbean Coast: Our Chosen Home Region Comparison Table The Final Verdict ``` After more research than any sane human being should conduct about a country roughly the size of West Virginia, we arrived at what we consider a bold, visionary, and deeply reasonable life plan: six months on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, six months back in Maine, USA. The logic is airtight. The six-month tourist stamp requires no paperwork beyond breathing. Maine summers are, against all odds, gen...