Costa Rica does not really have four seasons. It has two, they are called dry and green, and which one suits you depends entirely on what you want out of the trip.
The short version: February for guaranteed sun and peak crowds. Late November, early December or May for the best trade-off of weather, price and green landscape. September and October for the quietest and cheapest, and for finding out what living here is actually like.
The two seasons
| Dry season | Green season | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Mid December to April | May to November |
| Weather | Sun, little rain | Bright mornings, afternoon downpours |
| Landscape | Guanacaste browns off | Everything intensely green |
| Crowds | High, peaking at Christmas and Easter | Low |
| Prices | Highest | Substantially lower |
| Wildlife | Concentrated around water | Everywhere |
The important caveat: this is a Pacific side description. The Caribbean runs on its own pattern and often has its best weather when the Pacific is at its wettest.
Month by month
January. Peak dry season. Reliable sun, especially in Guanacaste, which is the driest part of the country. Busy and expensive. If you want a guaranteed beach week, this is it.
February. The most reliable month of the year for sun. Also busy. Everything is open, everything is full.
March. Still dry, getting noticeably hot. Guanacaste is browning off. Crowds thin after the first weeks.
April. Hot, dry, dusty. Easter week is a national holiday and the country moves to the beach, so avoid it unless that is the point. The last few weeks of April are the hardest of the year in Guanacaste, and the most honest test of whether you could live there.
May. The first rains. The landscape turns green in about two weeks and it is startling. Prices drop, crowds go. One of the best value months of the year.
June. Regular afternoon rain, green, quiet, cheap. Good for wildlife.
July. The veranillo usually arrives mid month: a short dry spell of a week or two when the sun comes back, most noticeable on the northern Pacific coast. A quietly great time to be here.
August. Warm, green, rain returns. Still quiet.
September. The wettest month on the Pacific, and the cheapest. Also, and this is the useful bit, the best time on the Caribbean coast. If you want September, go to Puerto Viejo.
October. Wettest of all on the Pacific. Some tourist-dependent businesses close for a few weeks. The Caribbean is still good.
November. The rain tapers off and the country is at its greenest before high season starts. Many residents’ favourite month, and my pick for the best all round time to come.
December. Dry season returns, landscape still green, and the first half of the month is genuinely lovely before the Christmas rush arrives.
Mid to late November, or the first two weeks of May. You get sun, the country is green rather than brown, prices are still low and nobody is queueing. Everyone books February, which is a fine choice and about forty percent more expensive for a landscape that is starting to look tired.
It depends where you go
Costa Rica is small and its regions have genuinely different climates. The national tourism board breaks the country into regions for exactly this reason, and the meteorological institute publishes the rainfall data behind it.
Guanacaste and the north Pacific. The driest region, with the most reliable dry season and the most pronounced brown-to-green swing. Best December to April for sun, wonderful in May and November. More detail in what green season is really like here.
The Central Valley. Spring-like all year, in the seventies. Rain comes in afternoons during green season. There is no bad time.
The southern Pacific. Wetter and greener than Guanacaste year round. Whale watching seasons draw people in specific months.
The Caribbean. Its own pattern entirely. Often driest in September and October, which is precisely when the Pacific is at its worst. Genuinely useful to know.
Choosing by what you want
Guaranteed sun on a beach: January or February, on the Guanacaste coast.
Best value: May, or late November.
Wildlife: green season, when everything is active and the forest is awake.
Surf: varies by break and coast. Pacific swells are generally bigger in green season.
Fewest people: September and October.
Working out whether you could live here: September or October, without question. Anyone can enjoy this country in February. The green season tells you what is actually open, who is actually around, and how you feel about the rain. That case is made properly in the green season guide, and if you are seriously scouting, what to know before moving is the one to read next.
Practical booking notes
- Christmas, New Year and Easter week are the three genuine crunch periods. Book months out or avoid.
- Green season is not a washout, but plan activities for mornings.
- Roads change in green season, which affects where you can get to. See driving in Costa Rica.
- Pack for the season you are actually getting. The packing list splits it by time of year.
And if you are coming to look at towns
Come in the wet half of the year, rent something ordinary rather than a resort, and spend the time in one or two places rather than touring. The area guides cover which Guanacaste towns suit which kind of person, and if you want the shortcut, book a call and I will tell you where to spend your week.
