2 min summary When to go Map & highlights Things to do Wildlife Beaches Multi activity Self drive Volunteering Families Advice Responsible tourism

Best time to visit Costa Rica

You can travel to Costa Rica at pretty much any time, but the best time to visit Costa Rica for the weather tends to be from December to April, when the weather is reliably warm, dry and sunny. Costa Rica’s climate varies – rainforests are rainy, mountains have changeable conditions and the Pacific is generally drier than the Caribbean coast – so read our guide below to find out more about the best time to visit Costa Rica.

Home\Central America\Costa Rica

Best time to visit Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a year-round destination, but happily the best weather coincides with Christmas, New Year, spring half term and the worst of the northern hemisphere winters.

The start of the year, in January and February, is considered one of the best times to go to Costa Rica. Late December to April is when the country is driest and sunniest and the northern Pacific experiences less rain. But this is still rainforest: bring waterproofs and quick-drying clothes regardless of the season. San Jose and the Central Valley are springlike year-round, while high peaks experience frost. Cool cloud forests meanwhile provide respite from the lowland heat. Despite its scale, Costa Rica’s mountains, rainforests, cloud forests and Pacific and Caribbean coasts mean that temperatures and rainfall vary wildly all year round.

Call us for the best time to go to Costa Rica

When to go to Costa Rica, month by month

January in Costa Rica

Peak season

Beach breaks

Warm, dry and sunny

Costa Rica in January is dreamy, with balmy, dry weather ideal for everything from hiking to snorkelling and sunbathing. Do expect to encounter high season prices and crowds, but also wildlife aplenty, and lots of local fiestas in small towns around the country. If there is any rain, it will affect the Caribbean coast but even that will be sporadic at best. Yes, January is a fantastic month to visit Costa Rica.

January is great for our combined activity and beach holiday

February in Costa Rica

Excellent weather

Whales, birds and turtles

Crowded national parks

February is a brilliant month to travel in Costa Rica, with fine sunny weather and little rain. Costa Rica in February is a wildlife watcher’s delight: humpback whales are migrating through; sea turtles are nesting and hatching along the Pacific coast, and many thousands of migratory birds arrive from North America seeking warm winter climes. As a result, Costa Rica’s national parks do get busy in February.

March in Costa Rica

Orchids

Trekking and surfing

Abundant wildlife

Visit Costa Rich in March and you’ll want to book nice and early. The dry season is the best time of year to visit Costa Rica, with fantastic wildlife-watching opportunities and perfect weather for activities such as surfing, cycling and rainforest trekking. Speaking of rainforests, they are liberally flecked with stunning orchids, and the capital, San Jose, hosts the National Orchid Show in March.

March is fab for our coast-to-coast cycling holiday

April in Costa Rica

Hottest month

End of dry season

Fab diving and snorkelling

April is the warmest month in Costa Rica, with average daytime temperatures around 36°C and sultry evenings. Dry season is tailing off in Costa Rica in April, and wildlife gathers around shrinking water sources. Off the Caribbean and Pacific coasts (which bask in glorious sunshine) the marine life is teeming – snorkellers and divers will find whales, dolphins, rays and countless fish species on display.

May in Costa Rica

Good trekking

Lower crowds and prices

Start of rainy season

If you’re looking for travel deals and don’t mind taking a chance on the weather, then May can be a good time to go to Costa Rica. This shoulder month marks the start of the rainy season, but it’s often more drizzle than downpour. Costa Rica in May sees temperatures rising but you can still enjoy excellent trekking in parks such as Corcovado and Manuel Antonio, with fewer crowds on popular trails.

June in Costa Rica

Turtles and crocodiles

Showers likely

Low season deals

Why travel to Costa Rica in June? This is the rainy season, but don’t be put off – it’s otherwise known as the green season. The rainforests are lush and fragrant, and you’ll still get plenty of sunny weather to soak up that famous pura vida – ideal for trekking though trails will be getting muddier. Leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles, and crocodiles, can be seen in June, while Costa Rica’s resident dolphins are often spotted off the coast.

Dry season from December-April is blue skies, sunshine and occasional showers. Families coming July-August will find wet afternoons and beautiful sunsets.

– Tenille Moore, from our Costa Rica specialists Geodyssey

July in Costa Rica

‘Secret summer’

Turtle nesting

Family getaways

While Costa Rica in July is rainy season, there’s often a ‘secret summer’ – a patch of dry, sunny weather mid-rainy season and one of the reasons why this month is so appealing to families. Kids on volunteer holidays can help monitor nesting green turtles in Tortuguero National Park, while activities such as rafting, trekking up volcanoes and bathing in steamy hot springs are not affected by a bit of rain.

July is great for our family volunteering with turtles holiday

August in Costa Rica

Lower prices

Rainy afternoons

Tortuguero National Park

August is an excellent time to visit Costa Rica, especially for families looking for adventurous summer holidays. Warmer and wetter weather continues across Costa Rica in August – trekking by now is becoming more difficult, but this is the peak nesting month for turtles in Tortuguero National Park, and you can find good low season deals. Rain mostly falls in the afternoons and evenings.

September in Costa Rica

Caribbean coast

Peak rainy season

Tricky driving

You can find low accommodation and flight prices, but Costa Rica in September is not much fun – the wet weather makes overland travel difficult in many areas, particularly those that are more rural, and self-drive holidays are inadvisable. While the western Pacific coast soaks up heavy rain in September, Costa Rica’s eastern Caribbean coast enjoys much drier, sunnier weather.

October in Costa Rica

Head east

Coffee harvest

Migratory birds

At first glance Costa Rica in October may not seem an appealing prospect: it’s very wet, and though hurricanes are rare, if they do hit then it’s likely to be in October. But the eastern Caribbean coast continues to enjoy dry weather. More importantly, Costa Rica in October sees the aromatic start of the coffee harvest, and crowds of migratory birds, including falcons and warblers, arrive to plunder the country’s almond trees.

November in Costa Rica

Unpredictable weather

Lush rainforests

Chillier nights

November is a shoulder month in Costa Rica. The rainy season is tapering out, temperatures are dropping a little (you may find you want a light jacket in the evenings at higher elevations), and the greens of the forest vegetation are vivid. Animal encounters are as prolific as always in Costa Rica in November – turtles and dolphins especially, and you’ll also find plenty of migratory birds.

December in Costa Rica

Start of the dry season

Crowds return

Festival of Lights

December is a really good time of year to visit Costa Rica. The rains are drying up, leaving behind forests, coasts and mountains washed fresh and clean. Towards the end of the month it gets busy – Costa Rica in December is popular for Christmas and New Year getaways. The streets of San Jose are beautifully illuminated for the Festival of Lights, with floats, marching bands and dancers parading through the capital.

December is perfect for our family activity break

Costa Rica Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

233

JUN

286

JUL

185

AUG

255

SEP

356

OCT

362

NOV

119

DEC

Contact Us

Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.

01273 823 700 01273 823 700

Call us until 6pm

Calling from outside the UK

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Best times to visit Costa Rica for festivals & events

National Orchid Show (February or March)

Costa Rica boasts no fewer than 1,400 species of orchid, which proliferate mostly in the mountainous reaches of the country. The National Orchid Show takes place in either late February or early March just outside the capital, San Jose, and sees hundreds of beautiful blooms on display in a riot of colour and fragrance. The show also serves an educational purpose, showing visitors not only how to care for their own orchids, but the role they play in Costa Rica’s ecosystems and how many species are threatened by the climate crisis.

Culture Day & Limon Festival (October)

Taking place on the Caribbean coast, the Limon Festival is a week-long affair that incorporates Culture Day on 12 October. This was formerly Columbus Day, but the event now celebrates the culture of Costa Rica’s Indigenous Peoples including the Bribri and the Cabécar. Expect drumming workshops, displays of traditional arts and crafts such as weaving, lip-smackingly good street food and vibrant parades set to Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

Coffee Harvest Festival (November)

Coffee is one of Costa Rica’s biggest imports, The harvest begins in October as the rainy season comes to a close. You can visit plantations at any time to learn about the processes involved and to enjoy a tasting, but January sees the small town of Frailes, 30km south of San Jose, host a harvest festival. Enjoy sampling beans and coffee drinks from across the region, as well as concerts, folk dances and talks on coffee from growers and enthusiasts, at this fun community-led event.

Festival of Lights (December)

The Festival of Lights marks the beginning of the Christmas season and is one of the most anticipated events in the Costa Rican calendar, usually taking place on the second Saturday in December. Come dusk, the streets of the capital, San Jose, are brilliantly lit with illuminations, while a parade of floats is followed by masked dancers, musicians, stilt-walkers and more. Fireworks follow, and parties go on through the night.

Our travellers also ask…

What is the best month to go to Costa Rica?

January and February are the best months to go to Costa Rica, at the peak of the dry season with abundant wildlife on display. Of course, that’s not a secret, so you can expect to find that beaches, trekking trails and boat cruises are very busy. July is a good month for families, often seeing a brief dry and sunny spell mid-rainy season, with turtles nesting in Tortuguero National Park.

What is the rainy season in Costa Rica?

The rainy season in Costa Rica is usually from May through to November. Don’t let this put you off though – it’s also called the ‘green season’, with lush foliage, gushing waterfalls, and blooming flowers including orchids. Showers mainly affect the afternoons and evenings. September and October, when the rains are at their peak, can affect access in some rural areas, making self-drive travel more complicated.

What is the hottest month in Costa Rica?

April is the hottest month in Costa Rica – expect daytime temperatures around 36°C and afternoon showers later in the month as the rains arrive. Highland areas tend to be a little cooler. This can be a very good month for wildlife-watching; animals congregate around diminishing water sources making them easier to see.

What time of year is cheapest in Costa Rica?

The rainy, or ‘green’ season between May and November tends to be the cheapest time to visit Costa Rica with good deals on flights and accommodation. If you’re budget conscious then look at May, June and November – the weather is usually perfectly fine for activities and getting around so long as you’re prepared for the odd downpour in the afternoons and evenings.

What month is hurricane season in Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is rarely affected by hurricanes, but when they do occur it’s usually in October or November. The Caribbean hurricane season broadly corresponds with Costa Rica’s rainy season between June and November, and in the unlikely event of a hurricane striking it will normally affect the north of the country.