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Costa Rica Weather: When to Visit Costa Rica
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Costa Rica's high season for tourism runs from late November to late April, which coincides almost perfectly with the cold winter in Canada, United States, and Great Britain. The high season is also the dry season. If you want some unadulterated time on a tropical beach and a little less rain during your Costa Rica rainforest experience, this is the time to come. During this time of year, Costa Rica's tourism industry operates at full force -- prices are higher, attractions are more crowded, and reservations are needed in advance.

In recent years, local tourism operators have begun calling the tropical rainy season (May through mid-Nov) the "green season." The odjective is appropriate. At this time of year, even brown and barren Guanacaste province becomes lush and verdant. I personally love traveling around Costa Rica during the rainy season. Hotels and accommodations are cheaper, you don't fight the crowds and can get great deals everywhere! It's easy to find or at least negotiate reduced rates, there are far fewer fellow travelers, and the rain is often limited to a few hours each afternoon. On the down side: Some of Costa Rica's off the beaten path rugged roads become downright impassable without four-wheel-drive during the rainy season.

Costa Rica Climate

Costa Rica is a tropical country and has distinct wet and dry seasons. However, some areas & regions are rainy all year, while others are very dry and sunny for most of the year. Temperatures vary primarily with elevations, not with seasons: On the coasts it's hot all year, while up in the mountains, it can be cool at night any time of year. At the highest elevations such as mount Chirripo (3,000-3,600m/9,840-11,808 ft.), frost is common.

Generally, Costa Rica's rainy season (or "green season") is from May to mid-November. Costa Ricans call this wet time of year their winter. The dry season, considered summer by Costa Ricans, is from mid-November to April. In Guanacaste, the dry northwestern province, the dry season lasts several weeks longer than in other places. Even in the rainy season, most often days start off sunny, with rain falling in the afternoon and evening. On the Caribbean coast, especially south of Limon, areas like Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo, you can count on rain year-round, although this area gets less rain in September and October than the rest of Costa Rica.

In general, the best time of year to visit weather-wise is in December and January, when everything is still green from the rains, and the sky is clear.

Costa Rica Holidays

Because Costa Rica is a Roman Catholic country, most of its holidays are Church-related. The big holidays are Christmas, New Year's, and Easter, which are all celebrated for several days to a full week. Keep in mind that Holy Week (Easter week) is the biggest holiday time in Costa Rica, and many families head for the beach. Sale of alcoholic beverage is prohibited for the week so stock up if needed. This is the last holiday before the school starts back up. Keep in mind there is no public transportation on Holy Thursday or Good Friday. Government offices and banks are closed on official holidays, transportation services are reduced, and stores and markets might also close. Most tourist area stores have ignored this tradition because its also a very lucrative time of year.

Official holidays in Costa Rica include January 1 (New Year's Day), March 19 (St. Joseph's Day), Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, April 11 (Juan Santamaría's Day), May 1 (Labor Day), June 29 (St. Peter and St. Paul Day), July 25 (annexation of the province of Guanacaste), August 2 (Virgin of Los Angeles's Day), August 15 (Mother's Day), September 15 (Independence Day), October 12 (Discovery of America/Día de la Raza), December 8 (Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary), December 24 and 25 (Christmas), and December 31 (New Year's Eve).

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