The dry season in Costa Rica is considered to be the middle of December through March. This is a lovely time to visit Costa Rica.  The rain has stopped and the flowers are all in bloom because the sun shines all day long.  From around five thirty in the morning until five thirty in the afternoon, a full twelve hours.

It’s a great time to visit the beaches.  The water is warm and the skies are blue.

More tourist are in Costa Rica during these months and there is gaiety in the air, with a lot of activity in the best tourist destinations.

Also the dry season is when Costa Rica holds it’s best festivals.  The annual oxcart parade in the old town of San Antonio de Escazu, the first week of March is a “don’t miss festival”.  Also the horse parade or “tope in Alajuela” is held  around the first week of March with one thousand horses participating and the riders dress their best.
So if you are visiting at this time be sure to stop by Alajuela for this opportunity to see the Andalusian horses.

Many small towns have week end festivities such as bull fights and rodeos. In Costa Rica the bull is let loose in the ring and young men actually get into the ring with the bull.  The bull chases the young men around the ring.  Most of the time it’s a comical affair but occasionally the bull actually does harm to the participate.  That is why a ambulance is stationed just outside the bull ring.

The weather in December, January, and February is cool and breezy but by March is is getting very warm and by April it is actually hot, but then the rains come and cool everything off.

So my recommendation is to try to avoid vacationing in the central valley in these months of September and October.

NW Guanacaste Pacific Beach

The weather in Costa Rica is always a big dilemma for travelers. The months of December through March are considered the “dry” months which means that it rains less…and most of the time you will have the entire day sunny.  But this is the time that the hotels and travel companies charge more.  You can get significant discounts if you travel and vacation in Costa Rica in the months of May through November.  And these times are very nice.

The NW Pacific beaches gets less rain  and it is great to travel there  in the months of May through November.    This area of Costa Rica is arid and in the rainy season months you get sunny mornings and late afternoon showers.

I personally like to travel to Costa Rica May thorough November.  There are less tourist and all the prices are better.  I do my major outdoor activities in the morning when there is sunshine and if it rains in the afternoon, I just rest.

But if you are looking for sun all day long then plan your vacation December through March.  However there are areas of Costa Rica like the Arenal Volcano where  there is no dry or rainy season.  Here it rains a lot.  Get out early in the morning when the sun is shining and do your outdoor activities.

Exotic Fan Plant along the Tortuguero Canals

The weather at the Tortuguero Canals in  Costa Rica during the months of July and August is rainy, however you may experience some sunny mornings, even a full day of Sun.  I travel to Costa Rica to see the  the canals in August for three days and I had two days of full sun and on the third day it started raining around 1 p.m. and rained well into the night.  Since this area is located on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, it get a lot more rain than the rest of the country.  I suppose it has to do with the trade winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean bringing the rain clouds with them.  Therefore this area is lush and green with hundreds of different tropical plants and trees.

We did out tours of the Tortuguero Canals in the morning and when the rain came in the afternoon, I decided to go to my room and read my book, in bed.  A great afternoon!

This area of Costa Rica is one of my favorites.  It is so beautiful!  And remote.  Very few people live here because there are few roads so  the area is accessible by boat.

I encourage you on your vacation to Costa Rica to come here for a least two nights and three days.  Contact Ann for information on the best deals for these all inclusive packages from San Jose.

anncabezas23@gmail.com

These months you can get nice sunny mornings and rainy afternoon.  However I have been there in these months and experienced  a full day of sun.  You should get up very early, and do your outdoor activities in the morning.  Also you have a better chance of seeing the Arenal Volcano early in the morning since clouds cover it later in the morning.

We  like to stay at the Arenal Observatory Lodge since it has the best view of the volcano.  We  like photography and start around 9 p.m. photographing.  Sometimes earlier if the Volcano is fully visible.   We  rent a boat and so out on Lake Arenal where the possibilities for photography are very nice.  The view of Arenal from there is beautiful and many marine birds are active early in the morning.

The Arenal Volcano National Park has nice trails and I used to be able to hike to the old lava beds, but recently I was there and the park ranger said this part is closed because the volcano was very active that day.  This area of the old lava bed is great for photography.  The lava bed have hugh black lava rocks and you can hear the volcano huffing and puffing.

Around the Arenal Volcano Lodge are many beautiful  birds.  Early morning around 6-6:30 a.m. is the time to see these.  If you have a telephoto lens for your camera-well that even better to get close up of these gorgeous birds.

The Tabacon Hot springs has a wonderful botanical garden filled with flowering tropical plants, great for photography.

So don’t  let the weather hold you back from vacationing this unique place in Costa Rica.

White sand beaches at Manuel Antonio

Travel to Manuel Antonio National Park, located on Costa Rica’s mid-Pacific coast line, approximately three  and one half hours by car from the San Jose International Airport.  The months of June, July, and August fall within the rainy season here in Costa Rica.   The areas around Manuel Antonio will get a lot of rain during these months, however you could get many sunny mornings and around 2-3 p.m. in the afternoon a heavy thunderstorm.  These thunderstorms are exciting to watch if you have a nice view to the ocean.  The  lightening is like watching a fire works show  on the 4th of July.

So don’t let the weather stop you from coming on down to Manuel Antonio during the months of June, July, and August.  Plan to go down to the National Park early in the morning.  It opens at 7:30 a.m.  Anyway the animals and birds are out at that time of the day so take your binoculars.  The marine birds are flying high  along the edge of the beach.  Also the white face monkeys are more playful early in the morning.  The iguanas are scurrying under the trees and along the beach.  You may be luck and see the sloth which makes it’s home within the park.

The waters of the Pacific seem to be a deeper blue color early in the morning and is great fun to take a dip, then leisurely lie on the warm sand and take in the tropical sunshine.  Watch your backpack.  The white face monkeys love to grab it and run!

We usually take a sack lunch  and bottled water  (in our back pack) with us and spend the entire morning, hiking,  swimming, and just laying on the beach relaxing and watching the monkeys and birds.

Within Manuel Antonio National park there is no place to purchase food or bottled water, so take it with you.

Before lunch we decided to hike up to Cathedral Point,  (a hiking trail within the park) quite a long hike and it’s going up all the way.  The view of the ocean from there is lovely. By the time we got back down we decided we had had our work out for the day.  Took us about one hours to go the entire route.

I highly recommend  if you are taking a vacation in Costa Rica to visit Manuel Antonio, at least for a couple days.  Very nice place to relax and enjoy the sandy being-white beaches and blue water of the Pacific.  We at costaricalearn.com  strive to make your vacation a more relaxing one by providing you with travel tips which help you plan your vacation time here in Costa Rica.

So contact us if you have any specific questions, just click on no comments at end of this article and write to us in the reply column.

Rainy season -from around mid April through around December 10th.   Exceptions are on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica the rainfall in much heavier and there is really not a dry season and a rainy season.   Seems to rain there less in October and November  (but that too varies)

NW Pacific Guanacaste beaches  is where there is the least rainfall in Costa Rica- even in the rainy season- this part of Costa Rica gets sunny mornings and late afternoon showers.

South Pacific of Costa Rica-this includes the Osa Peninsula.  Very rainy here.  Even in the dry season, rains a lot here. But in dry season usually sunny mornings and afternoon showers.

When traveling to Costa Rica you will admire how beautiful and green everything is.  That’s because of the rain,  the rich volcanic soil, and the warm tropical sunshine.

I invite you to read here on costaricalearn.com more about the weather patterns in Costa Rica.  Go to category weather patterns in the most popular touris destinations.

Hacienda Pinilla Beach, NW Pacific Guanacaste

I am planning a vacation  to Costa Rica’s Northwest Pacific beaches in July.  What is the weather like in Guanacaste’s Northwest Beaches in the rainy season?  I hear it rains a lot at that time of the year.

Answer:  No it does not rain a lot.  Guanacaste is Costa Rica’s driest province.  During the rainy season in Costa Rica which is May through November,  Guanacaste receives much less rain fall than the other areas of Costa Rica.

So what should I expect?  In the mornings you will get the beautiful tropical sunshine.  And in the afternoons a thunder storm which is great to watch.  The bolts of lightening light up the sky like fireworks on the fourth of July.  But these thunder storms are brief and in a sense they are welcomed to cool the air.

What is the temperature like?  It is warm.  And can get to 80F in mid day when the sun is overhead, but the afternoon showers  ,although brief-cool things down.  And the nights are very pleasant.  Hotels on the NW Pacific beaches have air conditioning.

So you recommend the NW Pacific Beaches in the rainy season.   Yes I recommend them.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Please send me your short story of your special  beach vacation on the  NW Pacific beaches in the rainy season.  I would love to share it.    Or simply send your comments.   click on comment at the end of the post or click on reply.

Arenal Volcano

If you are planning a vacation to the Arenal Volcano National Park,  Costa Rica  and surrounding area in June, July, or August, then you need to know the weather patterns in those months.

The area in generally  is a rainy area (more than the central valley or Guanacaste)  That is why it is so incredible beautiful, all green with crops of papaya, pineapples,  yucca, and ornamental flower farms.  The rain is very unpredictable here most all the time year round.  However, in the month of March the rainfall is less.

So should I go there anyway on my vacation?  Yes, you should go.  Get up early  in the a.m.  Sun rises at 5:30.  This is best time to see the Arenal Volcano summit and its massive gulps of smoke and fiery red rock rolling down it’s side.  Cloud cover which tends to hover over the top of the volcano does not appear most of the time until later in the morning. Also this is best time to see all the colorful tropical birds and hear the howler monkeys out there in the  rain forest.  So pack your rain jacket and umbrella and have yourself a great vacation here at Arenal Volcano National Park!

If you have a good story about your visit to Arenal Volcano National Park  and La Fortuna  in  June, July, or August I’d love to share it with my readers.  It’s fun and educational for them to read other tourist stories.   just click on comment or click on reply at the end of the post.

P.S. The hundreds of colorful tropical flowering plants you see in this area are here because of  the weather heavy rainfall, rich soil, and strong tropical sunshine.

My advice is if you are planning to visit the area of the Arenal Volcano, go ahead and go and don’t think about rain or shine.  Because if you get up very early in the morning around 5:30 a.m. when the sun is just coming up you have a very good chance of seeing the summit of the volcano with its frequent eruptions.  Also if you plan your activities in the morning chances are you will get at least some sun in the morning hours.

The jungle lushness of this area of Costa Rica is simply because of the heavy rainfall.  You will see the agricultural areas in the region and see how well the crops thrive.  There is papaya, pineapple, bananas,  coconut, and yucca.  And you will see many farms which grow ornamental plants which are exported to the US, Canada, and Europe.

The weather around the Arenal volcano and the lush rainforest  forms a perfect habitat for  hundreds of species of tropical birds.  You will see many toucans flying free in the rain forest canopy.