Are you trying to decide when to visit Costa Rica? If so, this page is dedicated to you as this can be a complex decision with many variables! Simply put, the weather in Costa Rica is as varied as its wildlife, geography and activities! Although Costa Rica is approximately the size of West Virginia, there are many different climates zones within the country. To make it a little easier for you we have created the this page so you know what to expect during each month.
If you were planning a trip to West Virginia in January, you would simply check the weather and be fairly safe in assuming that it would be pretty much the same for the whole state. This is not true for weather in Costa Rica! For that same month of January, you could check the weather in the Guanacaste region and find that it is the dry season with high temperatures and very little rainfall. Yet travel a mere 100 miles east to the Northern Caribbean region and you will find it is their wet season.
You would need to pack very differently for these two regions that are separated by less than 100 miles! Costa Rica has a tropical climate and therefore the temperature does not vary by much in any region during the year. The temperature varies by elevation and coast rather than season. You will always experience higher temperatures in the lower elevations and cooler temperatures in the mountainous regions.
Another contributing factor to Costa Rica weather is the fact that the country is located close to the equator. Most destinations in Costa Rica have two primary weather seasons, the Dry Season and the Green Season. This varies considerably dependent on the location due to mountainous terrain and the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Many savvy tourists plan to experience the nice weather and lushness of the in-between seasons while saving money with Green Season pricing.
Of course, this section is not only about weather. We have also included festivals and ceremonies for each month and what to expect for reservations and general costs.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Unsure of what to do? Let us make you a free custom trip plan!