You have 365 times — 12 months — to decide from when determining when to stop by Costa Rica. How does anyone pick? Even though some tourists could possibly have a lot more versatility, numerous depend on what their function or school holiday vacation time makes it possible for. The best time to go to Costa Rica, while, is dependent on what you hope to do there, weather conditions permitting.
This guidebook will give you an concept of what you can assume for distinct situations of the year, such as insights on temperature and crowds, and the professionals and downsides of each and every time.
Dry Season (December to April)
There are only two seasons in Costa Rica: dry and moist. The dry period starts in December and finishes in April, characterized by a lot of sunshine and only the occasional afternoon rainstorm. Taking into consideration the splendid climate ailments, it is no shock that peak tourism happens in the course of this period.
Professionals of going to through the dry season
The finest perk of traveling to Costa Rica through the dry season is that there’s not as substantially rain, which can unquestionably set a damper on your vacation if you are not ready for it. Taking into consideration that the shorelines in Costa Rica are this sort of a major attraction, the dry period is great for individuals who want to spend as a lot time as attainable on the coasts.
Rainfall is lowest in most of the region throughout the months of February and March, with the mildest temperatures in December and January. Thinking of that a lot of Costa Rica experiences large temperatures with incredible stages of humidity, several travelers purpose to check out when the heat is considerably less extreme.
Also, when the climate is dry in Costa Rica, some animals are less difficult to location. For case in point, the elusive and stunning quetzal birds are considerably a lot more energetic all through dry period, as are humpback whales off the Osa Peninsula in December and January.
Drawbacks of visiting during the dry time
The greatest con of viewing Costa Rica all through the dry year is that it is the peak for tourism. With crowds it brings, you also get larger selling prices on flights and lodging, so this is not a excellent time for funds travelers to visit.
The busiest months are March, additional especially for the duration of spring split, and December. It’s not surprising that these two months also see massive spikes in hotel area charges and flight prices. There’s also a fantastic chance that motor vehicle rental fees will boost significantly for the duration of this time, and there will be much less cars out there, indicating you could close up with a much more pricey product than you hoped for.
One more issue to take into account if you are dead-set on viewing Costa Rica in the course of this time is that there can nonetheless be the occasional storm, so you should really continue to put together for rain. Especially if you check out the interior rainforests, there is rainfall all yr round — it’s just additional prolonged through the wet year.
Wet Season (May possibly to November)
I visited Costa Rica in July, in the middle of the damp time. It rained often, commonly in the afternoons, and the climate was quite humid. Even so, I still appreciated ordinarily sunny mornings, neat evenings, and fairly smaller sized crowds.
Below are my execs and negatives of visiting Costa Rica during the damp time:
Professionals of browsing in the course of the soaked year
The major pro of traveling to for the duration of the wet time for me was cheaper flights and lodging. The most effective bargains are normally through the months of Might, September, and October. (Hold in intellect that October usually means the most rainfall of the total year in most of the region.)
A different massive furthermore for visiting in the moist period between July and September is that it’s turtle-nesting time on the Caribbean facet. I went to Tortuguero towards the end of July and bought to see a massive environmentally friendly sea turtle lay her eggs and then make her journey from the shore to the sea. It was an unforgettable expertise and surely well worth dealing with the rain.
Drawbacks of checking out in the course of the damp period
Of course, the major con of browsing Costa Rica throughout the soaked period is the major rainfall. A lot of excursions organizations are rather flexible about shifting the working day of your tour if you wake up to a rainstorm, but not all of them. On a single tour I took to the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, there was a downpour midway through, and the fog was so thick that there was zero visibility of the volcano and bordering region. In actuality, I only got a glimpse of the volcano at the time through my four days there, mainly because it rained the entire time.
A different likely con if you pay a visit to in June, July, or August is that some quite touristy spots like Manuel Antonio could possibly be just as packed with readers as they are through superior season. Looking at that this is summer holiday for lots of, it can make sense. Having said that, it might make it pointless to visit throughout this time if escaping the crowds is what you’re immediately after.
Exceptions to the Seasons
The Caribbean coastline has a various dry year
As Costa Rica sits on a continental divide (which you can essentially straddle in Monteverde), there are some months of the calendar year when the local weather is fully unique on the Caribbean coast than it is on the Pacific coast or even the interior of the country.
That indicates that whereas most of Costa Rica ordeals its heaviest rains in September and Oct, the Caribbean coastline is at its driest. If you are tremendous energized about turtle nesting and hatching seasons, check out to stop by in September, which sees an overlap involving the two. That indicates that at night you can see turtles nesting, and in the early morning several hours you can see the little one turtles hatching and building their way to the sea.
Ultimate Verdict: The Absolute Ideal Time to Go to Costa Rica
Up coming time I take a look at Costa Rica, I will most likely purpose to go to in April, May, or September. April and May possibly are somewhat very low in tourism quantities and have some of the best weather of the year. September is coffee harvesting year and sees an overlap in environmentally friendly sea turtle nesting and hatching, which is cause adequate to visit throughout that time.
Your respond to to this query may possibly be diverse, centered on what you are hoping to get out of your experience to Costa Rica. If you are all about being outside as a great deal as doable, you may have to deal with crowds and visit for the duration of the dry time. If you don’t thoughts the rain and probably lacking out on some attractions simply because of it, wet time could be truly worth it to have some awesome places to yourself.
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Whichever time you opt for to go to Costa Rica, you’re bound to have an extraordinary time. Check out out my Costa Rica packing checklist for thoughts on how to prepare for the weather for any period, so you can pack like a pro.
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