Best Time to Visit Costa Rica

Dry season and green season

Costa Rica has two main seasons. The dry season runs roughly from December to April. The green season, when it rains most afternoons, covers the rest of the year. Most visitors come in the dry months, and it's easy to see why. Mornings are bright, roads are drier and views from the volcanoes are clearer.

For San Jose, February and March are the best months. Skies are mostly clear and you can plan day trips to Poás Volcano or the coffee farms around Heredia without worrying about rain. April is the hottest month at 28°C, so it feels warm in the city but never fierce.

Rain, and where it falls

October is the wettest month in San Jose, with 342 mm. Expect heavy downpours, often after lunch. Mornings can still be fine, so do your sightseeing early and save the National Theatre or the Gold Museum for the afternoon.

The country doesn't share one weather pattern, though. The Pacific coast, including Guanacaste, is much drier in the dry season. The Caribbean side, around Puerto Viejo and Tortuguero, gets rain at different times and can be good when the Pacific is soggy. Our page covers San Jose, so check the coast before you book beach days.

Holidays and crowds

High season matches the dry months. Christmas and New Year are the busiest and priciest weeks. Semana Santa, the Holy Week before Easter, is the big local holiday. Many Costa Ricans head to the beaches, so coastal buses and hotels fill up. Banks and many shops close on Thursday and Friday, and some bus services stop.

Other dates to know are Independence Day on 15 September, when towns hold evening lantern parades, and Guanacaste Annexation Day on 25 July. Travelling with kids? Local school holidays fall in December and January, so beaches are busier then.

If you hate crowds, try May to early July or the weeks just after the October rains. Prices drop, the hills are lush and you'll often have trails to yourself.