Why this guide: about 14,800 people a month search Google for “best time to visit costa rica” (US, DataForSEO Labs, September 2026). This is the answer we would give a client, written to be booked from.
The short answer
- Best overallMid-December to April (Pacific dry season); September–October for the Caribbean coast
- CheapestMay–June and September–November ('green season')
- AvoidChristmas–New Year and Easter week for prices and crowds; October on the Pacific for the heaviest rain
Dry season (December–April): the classic
On the Pacific side and in the Central Valley, the rain stops in December and the country turns golden — literally, in Guanacaste, where the dry forest drops its leaves. Beaches at Tamarindo, Nosara and Manuel Antonio see day after day of sun, the roads are at their best, and Arenal's volcano is most likely to be cloud-free in the early morning. It is also high season: rooms at the popular lodges book out for Christmas, New Year and Semana Santa (Easter week) months ahead.
Green season (May–November): cheaper and greener
Rain arrives in May as afternoon showers with sunny mornings — the pattern holds through August, which is why Costa Ricans call it the green season rather than the wet one. Lodges discount 20–40%, waterfalls run full, and the cloud forest at Monteverde is at its most atmospheric. September and October are the wettest months on the Pacific, with all-day rain possible in the south (Osa Peninsula); some smaller lodges close.
The Caribbean runs on its own clock
Tortuguero, Puerto Viejo and Cahuita are wet most of the year but have their driest, sunniest stretch in September and October — exactly when the Pacific is drowning. Green sea turtles nest at Tortuguero from July to October, with August–September the peak; leatherbacks come in March–May.
Wildlife calendars
Humpback whales from the southern hemisphere fill Marino Ballena National Park at Uvita from late July to October, and a smaller northern group visits December–March. Resplendent quetzals are easiest to see in Monteverde and the Los Quetzales area during nesting season, March–June. Scarlet macaws are year-round on the central Pacific coast.
Getting there and around
San José (SJO) serves the Central Valley, Arenal and the Caribbean; Liberia (LIR) is the airport for Guanacaste's beaches. A 4×4 rental is sensible for the green season (see our Costa Rica car-rental guide); a chauffeured transfer from SJO to La Fortuna (about three hours) or from LIR to Tamarindo (an hour) is the calm alternative after a long flight.
Three things to get right
- Two coasts, two seasons: Pacific in the dry season, Caribbean in September–October.
- Green season mornings are usually sunny — plan activities before 1 p.m.
- Book Christmas, New Year and Easter lodges by September.
