Best time to visit Costa Rica: dry season, green season
Costa Rica has two main seasons: dry, from mid-December to late April, and green, from May to mid-December. The Caribbean coast runs on a different calendar. Pick a region to see its rain and cloud cover month by month.
Costa Rica weather by region and month
Example valuesBars: average rain per month. Choose a month for the details.
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Costa Rica rain month by month
Rain and cloud cover: NASA POWER averages for 2001–2025. Rated by rain alone: Best under 2.4 in, Good under 4.7 in, Fair under 7.9 in, Wet above.
The best time to visit Costa Rica: dry season and green season
Visit Costa Rica, the national tourism board, divides the year into two periods: the dry season, from mid-December to late April, and the green (or wet) season, from May to mid-December. In the green season rain comes in sporadic bursts. The Pacific coast has the clearest split between the two; altitude and distance from the sea change the details from valley to valley.
Guanacaste, the Pacific coast and the Central Valley
In Guanacaste, in the northwest, the dry season is very dry: in NASA’s 2001–2025 averages, January to March bring about 0.1 to 0.2 inch of rain a month, and cloud cover drops to 23% in February. Then the rains arrive in May (about 8.7 inches) and peak in October (about 14 inches). Costa Rica’s weather service, IMN, puts days in the Tempisque lowlands at about 90 °F and nights at about 72 °F, all year.
The Central Valley around San José follows the same pattern, a little less extreme: about an inch of rain in February and March, about 12 inches in October. Days average about 80 °F and nights 61 to 63 °F, warmest in March and April.
The Caribbean coast: a different calendar
The Caribbean side is wetter overall, about 3,300 mm (130 inches) a year, and it has no long dry season. Instead, IMN describes two less rainy spells: September to October, when the trade winds weaken, and February to March. The wettest months are December and January, when cold fronts arrive from the north, and July. So when the Pacific side is at its wettest, in September and October, the Caribbean coast is at one of its driest, which is why Visit Costa Rica calls it the best bet at that time of year.
Crowds and prices
The dry season is high season: Visit Costa Rica advises booking hotels, park visits and tours ahead from December to April, when spring break and Holy Week draw crowds (in 2027, Holy Week runs from March 21 to Easter Sunday, March 28). In the fall, the peak of the green season, it says to expect reduced rates and lighter crowds, though some hotels and attractions close, particularly in the south.
Whales and turtles
- Humpback whales: from the North Pacific in late December, and from the Southern Hemisphere from July, Visit Costa Rica says.
- Green turtles: nesting at Tortuguero, on the Caribbean coast, from June through November, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy.
More seasons around the world are in the Nature Calendar, and you can compare Costa Rica with Hawaii, Greece or Alaska in When to Go or read the best time to visit Hawaii.
Questions
What is the best time to visit Costa Rica?
For Guanacaste, the Pacific beaches and the Central Valley, the dry season, from mid-December to late April. For the Caribbean coast, September and October, its least rainy months, when the Pacific side is at its wettest.
When is the rainy season in Costa Rica?
The green season runs from May to mid-December, Visit Costa Rica says, with rain in sporadic bursts. On the Pacific side, September and October are the wettest months: about 12.5 and 14 inches of rain in Guanacaste on average.
What are the best and worst months to go to Costa Rica?
For dry weather, January to March on the Pacific side and in the Central Valley. September and October are the wettest there, and some hotels and attractions close, especially in the south, though rates are lower and crowds lighter. On the Caribbean coast it’s the other way round: September and October are among its driest months.
When is the cheapest time to visit Costa Rica?
The fall, the peak of the green season, when Visit Costa Rica says to expect reduced rates and light crowds; on the Pacific side September and October are also the wettest months. The dry season, and above all Holy Week (March 21 to 28 in 2027), is the busiest time.
When can you see whales and turtles in Costa Rica?
Humpback whales from the North Pacific arrive in late December, and humpbacks from the Southern Hemisphere from July, Visit Costa Rica says. Green turtles nest at Tortuguero from June through November, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy.