Best time to visit Costa Rica: dry & green season

Costa Rica is warm all year – what changes is the rain. On the Pacific side and in the Central Valley around the capital San José there is a clear dry season from about December to April and a rainy season, locally called the green season, from May to November. The Caribbean coast in the east follows a different pattern, with rain spread over the whole year. According to Costa Rica's national weather service IMN, only the Pacific side and the Central Valley have a defined dry season. We analysed the weather from 2015 to 2024 at four places.

The short answer

• Best time: December to April. Dry season on the Pacific coast and in the Central Valley, sunny days, good for beaches, volcanoes and wildlife.
• Driest region: Guanacaste in the north-west, with 1 to 13 mm of rain a month from January to March in Liberia.
• Green season (May to November): sunny mornings and heavy afternoon rain; landscapes are lush and there are fewer visitors. October is the wettest month.
• Caribbean coast: no real dry season. February, March and September are the less wet months.

Costa Rica's climate: all 12 months

Temperature and rain: monthly averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded. Manuel Antonio = grid cell at Quepos, Caribbean coast = grid cell at Puerto Viejo. A grid cell is about 25 km wide; in a mountainous tropical country, rain totals in such a model are only a rough guide – the seasonal pattern is more reliable than the exact millimetres.

The temperature hardly matters for planning: San José, at around 1,150 m, has 24 to 27 °C by day and 16 to 17 °C at night all year. On the coast it is hot, with 29 to 35 °C by day in Guanacaste. The rain is what decides: in San José it rises from 34 mm in March to 537 mm in October.

The Caribbean coast does not follow this pattern. Rain falls in every month, with peaks in July and from November to January; the months with the least rain are February, March and September – exactly when the Pacific side is either dry or at its wettest.

Costa Rica month by month

December to April: dry season

The main travel season. On the Pacific coast and in Guanacaste it is sunny and dry, the beaches of Tamarindo and the Nicoya Peninsula are at their best, and the views of Arenal Volcano are often clear. Around Christmas, New Year and Easter, hotels and hire cars are in high demand. In March and April Guanacaste gets very hot at 34 to 35 °C by day, and the landscape there turns dry and brown.

May to November: green season

Typical days begin sunny and end with heavy rain in the afternoon or evening. Rainforests and cloud forests such as Monteverde are at their greenest, and there are fewer visitors. In many years there is a short drier spell in July on the Pacific side – in the data, Liberia's rain falls from 416 mm in June to 225 mm in July. September and October are the wettest months; some unpaved roads can then become difficult. According to the UK travel advice, June to November is also the peak rainy season and the Atlantic hurricane season, with a risk of flooding and landslides.

The Caribbean side

Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Tortuguero on the Caribbean coast are worth combining with the Pacific in September and October, when the west is at its wettest and the east has its relatively drier months. In December and January it rains a lot on the Caribbean side, while the Pacific is dry.

A classic route

Many first trips go from San José to La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano, on to Monteverde, and then either north-west to the beaches of Guanacaste or south to Manuel Antonio. In the dry season this works on the Pacific side without major weather risks. In the green season, plan activities for the morning and drives for midday, before the heaviest rain. A hire car^* gives you the most flexibility; for some roads, a 4x4 is the better choice. For tours around Arenal^*, such as hanging bridges or hot springs, the morning slots are usually the driest. Comparing other Central American destinations? See the best time to visit Mexico.

How YesTrip helps with this trip

In YesTrip you plan San José, Arenal, Monteverde and the coast day by day on one map, so you can see how long the drives between them are. In the green season, the forecast for your travel days shows when the rain is likely to set in, so you can schedule a volcano hike or a canopy tour for the morning. The packing list suggests rain gear, light clothes and a warmer layer for Monteverde. Travelling as a group, you share the trip and log shared expenses like the hire car and guided tours.

Before you go

• Entry: Check the current entry rules for British citizens on gov.uk before you travel.
• Flight: From London a direct flight to San José takes approx. 11 hours. Costa Rica is 6 hours behind the UK in winter and 7 in summer.
• Power: 120 volts and US flat-pin plugs (type A/B). From the UK you need an adapter; check that your chargers accept 120 volts.
• Mobile data: a travel eSIM^* is usually much cheaper than roaming.

More destinations by month: Best time to visit: where to go when.

How to use the dry season on a trip from the Caribbean to the Pacific is covered in our 2-week Costa Rica itinerary.

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