There's no "wrong" month to visit Costa Rica — we drive guests year-round and every season has something good. But there's a right month for your trip depending on what you're after. Here's the local breakdown.
The two seasons (forget what you've heard)
Costa Rica has two climate seasons, not four:
- Dry season: mid-December to April. Sunny most days, dusty roads, browner landscape in Guanacaste. Tourist high season.
- Green season (locals' name) / rainy season (tourists' name): May to mid-December. Mornings usually sunny, afternoon showers (1–3 pm typically), greener everywhere, fewer tourists, lower prices.
The "rainy" season is not a constant downpour. It's a tropical pattern — wake up to blue sky, hike, eat lunch, get a 90-minute shower, blue sky again. October and November are the wettest months on the Pacific side.
Month-by-month
January
Peak dry season. Bright sun, no rain, low humidity. The country is packed with North American escape-the-cold tourists. Prices are at their highest. Book everything (hotels, shuttles, tours) at least 6 weeks ahead.
February
Same as January but a touch quieter after the Super Bowl weekend. Best month for whale watching on the South Pacific (Marino Ballena National Park, near Uvita). Humpbacks calve here December–April.
March
The driest month. Guanacaste is brown and dusty but the beaches are perfect. Easter Week ("Semana Santa") usually falls in March or April — see below.
April
End of dry season. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the one week of the year you should avoid unless you specifically want to be at the beach with every Costa Rican family. Hotels triple their prices, roads jam, restaurants run out of everything. Avoid the week before Easter Sunday.
After Semana Santa, prices drop significantly. Last 10 days of April are a sweet spot — still mostly dry, far less crowded.
May
Green season starts. Light showers most afternoons. Crowds drop dramatically. Best value month overall — pricing is low, weather is still mostly good, landscapes turning vivid green. Highly recommended for a first visit if you don't have kids on a school schedule.
June
Wetter mornings sometimes, but still plenty of dry windows. Best surf on the Pacific (consistent swell, smaller crowds). Olive Ridley turtle nesting starts on the Pacific Coast.
July
A weird outlier — there's a phenomenon called "veranillo de San Juan" where late July often goes 1–2 weeks with no rain. Locals call it "Indian summer." If you want green-season pricing with dry-season weather, gamble on mid-to-late July.
This is also the busiest month for European tourists (school holidays).
August
Wettest stretch in some regions. Leatherback turtle nesting peaks at Tortuguero on the Caribbean side. The Caribbean Coast generally has its own micro-climate — it's actually drier in August/September than the Pacific.
September
The Pacific gets its heaviest rains. But the Caribbean Coast (Puerto Viejo, Cahuita) is at its best — sunny, dry, smaller crowds. If you want the beach without the rain, head east this month.
October
Wettest month on the Pacific. Roads can flood. Not recommended for first-time visitors who want to see lots of regions. But if you want to be one of three guests in a luxury hotel, prices are at rock bottom.
November
The Pacific dries up around mid-November. Last 2 weeks of November are a sleeper hit — green landscapes, low prices, returning sun. Lots of locals consider this the best-kept-secret month.
December
Holiday week (December 22 to January 5) is the most expensive week of the year. Hotels are full. Shuttle availability tight. Book 3+ months ahead.
First 3 weeks of December (before the 22nd) are great — green-season pricing with dry-season weather starting.
Best month for each thing
| What you want | Best month(s) | |---|---| | Cheapest prices | October | | Best weather + low prices | mid-November, mid-May | | Sunny dry beaches | January–March | | Surf on the Pacific | May–September | | Whale watching | August–October and December–March | | Turtle nesting (Tortuguero) | July–October | | Cloud forest (Monteverde) | December–April | | Family trip during US school break | mid-June or last week of April | | Quiet, near-empty country | September–October |
Holiday weeks to plan around
- Semana Santa (Easter Week): Mar/Apr — avoid unless beach is your whole plan.
- Christmas-New Year (Dec 22 – Jan 5): book 3+ months out, prices peak.
- July 25 (Guanacaste Day): regional holiday, beach towns busy.
- September 15 (Independence Day): all Costa Ricans travel, hotels fill.
What about hurricanes?
Costa Rica is outside the Caribbean hurricane belt. Storms occasionally graze the Caribbean coast but the Pacific is rarely affected. The country is one of the safer Central American destinations during US hurricane season.
When we'd take our own trip
Honest local pick for a first visit: late November or mid-May. Both let you skip the high-season crowds and high prices while still getting mostly sunny weather. The country is greenest after the rains, hotels are happy to have you, and roads are quiet.
Whatever month you choose, the drive between the airport and your hotel is the start of your trip — we can make it part of the experience. See our private shuttle routes →