Best Time to Visit Costa Rica in 2026 (Month by Month)

The best time to visit Costa Rica is the dry season, mid-December to late April, says the country's tourism board (ICT). The cheapest time is the green season, May to mid-December. The Caribbean coast has its own pattern, with its driest months in September and October. This page uses ICT's own pages, the WMO climate normals for three airports and ports, and the Tortuguero park office, all read on 4 November 2026.

When is the dry season in Costa Rica?

Note: ICT: the dry season runs "mid-December to late April" and the green (wet) season "May through mid-December". The Caribbean coast "has a longer rainy period" (Visit Costa Rica, "When to visit", read 4 Nov 2026; the page shows no update date)

Note: ICT climate page, Pacific side: dry from December to March, with March the driest and hottest month. April is a transition month. Rain from May to October, with November as a transition. Rain dips in July and August, the "veranillo", when the trade winds get stronger. September and October are the rainiest months. Rain falls mostly in the afternoon and early evening (Visit Costa Rica, "Climate", read 4 Nov 2026)

The two ICT pages use slightly different edges for the seasons. This table puts them side by side.

The weather records agree. At San José airport (SJO), the WMO normals give 7.9 mm of rain in January, 10.4 mm in February and 17.3 mm in March. Then the total jumps to 80.6 mm in April and 261.9 mm in May.

So, on the Pacific side and around San José, plan a dry trip for mid-December to March.

What is the weather like in Costa Rica by month?

The tables below use the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) climate normals for 1991 to 2020, as published by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Three stations are in the set:

• San José airport (SJO), WMO station 78762: Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela, at 913 m above sea level. Use it for San José and the Central Valley.

• Liberia airport (LIR), WMO station 78774: Daniel Oduber International Airport in Guanacaste. Use it for the northern Pacific beaches.

• Puerto Limón, WMO station 78767: on the Caribbean coast. Use it for Limón, Cahuita and Puerto Viejo.

Each rain cell gives the average rain for the month and the average number of days with at least 1 mm of rain.

Each temperature cell gives the average daily high, then the average daily low.

The heat barely moves. San José airport's average high stays between 30.3°C and 33.1°C all year, and Puerto Limón's between 30.7°C and 32.8°C. Liberia is the hottest of the three, with an average high of 37.7°C (100°F) in April. The °F figures are converted from the °C values and rounded.

So rain, not temperature, is what changes from month to month.

When is the rainy season on the Caribbean side?

Note: ICT climate page, Caribbean side: no well-defined dry season, because rain stays between 100 and 200 mm in the driest months. Relatively dry periods are February to March and September to October. The strongest rainy period is November to January, with December the rainiest month. A second rainy period runs from May to August, with a peak in July. Cold fronts from the north affect the area from November to May. Rain falls mostly at night and in the morning (Visit Costa Rica, "Climate", read 4 Nov 2026)

The Puerto Limón normals match this. September (142.7 mm) and October (177.5 mm) are its two driest months. July (504.5 mm) and December (463.6 mm) are its two wettest. That is why a September beach week at Puerto Viejo or Cahuita is a normal plan, while the Pacific side gets its heaviest rain. ICT also says the Caribbean coast is your best bet in autumn for both weather and services.

Note: ICT, Northern Plains (the area around La Fortuna and Arenal): rainy all year, with a small drop in February, March and April. The rainy season starts in May and ends in December or January. The area gets over 3,200 mm of rain a year on average, the third wettest region after the South Pacific and the North Caribbean (Visit Costa Rica, Northern Plains climate, read 4 Nov 2026)

So for the Caribbean coast, go in September or October. For La Fortuna, February to April is the least rainy stretch.

When can you see turtles and whales in Costa Rica?

Hours: Tortuguero National Park: open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Cerro Tortuguero trail is open 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are sold online only, at SINAC's online services, not at the Cuatro Esquinas post (Tortuguero Conservation Area, visitor information, read 4 Nov 2026)

Price: Tortuguero National Park entry: US$16.95 for a foreign adult and US$5.65 for a foreign child (ages 2 to 12), tax included. The Cerro Tortuguero trail is US$2.26 for foreign adults and children (same page)

Note: Turtle nesting season at Tortuguero: 1 March to 31 October, on the Cuatro Esquinas and Barra de Tortuguero beaches. Night tours run 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. or 10 p.m. to midnight, with a licensed guide, in groups of up to 11 people including the guide. Up to 20 people may watch one turtle, in turns of 10. Nesting is not guaranteed. In the season the beach is closed to visitors from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., except on these tours. Camera flashes, phones and other lights are not allowed on the beach at night (same page)

The park office says Tortuguero has the largest green turtle population in the world, with an average of 22,500 female green turtles and about 100,000 nests a year along 25 km of beach (ACTO). Book a night tour through a guide or tour operator in Tortuguero village. The guide gets the beach sector and time after 5 p.m. on the day.

Note: Whales, from ICT: humpback whales are off the coast from December through March and from July through September. The northern whales arrive in late November and early December, from California, Canada and further north. The southern whales arrive from Antarctica in July (Visit Costa Rica, wildlife by sea, read 4 Nov 2026)

ICT's 2022 sea turtle chart, made with SINAC input, also lists Pacific beaches such as Ostional and Playa Grande. That chart was read on 14 October 2026 and not re-read for this update, so its months for the Pacific beaches are not repeated here.

So for turtles at Tortuguero, go between 1 March and 31 October. For whales, go from December to March or from July to September.

Which holidays make Costa Rica busy?

Note: ICT: hotels, restaurants and park tours can get busy in the dry season, so plan ahead. Spring break is popular with families. Holy Week (Semana Santa) "is a significant holiday that draws joyful crowds". The Fiestas de Zapote in San José happen at the end of December. Carnaval del Limón runs in the second full week of October (Visit Costa Rica, "When to visit", read 4 Nov 2026)

Note: Costa Rica's Ministry of Labor (MTSS) listed Holy Thursday (2 April 2026), Good Friday (3 April 2026) and Juan Santamaría Day (Saturday 11 April 2026) as paid national holidays that could not be moved (MTSS release 005-2026, read 4 Nov 2026). Independence Day, Tuesday 15 September 2026, was also a paid holiday (MTSS release 019-2026)

Note: Christmas Day (25 December) and New Year's Day (1 January) are paid holidays under Article 148 of the Labor Code, and the MTSS said in 2024 that neither moves to another day (MTSS release 061-2024, read 4 Nov 2026)

Easter Sunday in 2027 is 28 March, so Holy Thursday is 25 March 2027 and Good Friday is 26 March 2027. That date comes from the calendar. The MTSS had not posted its 2027 holiday notice by 4 November 2026. For the December weeks, see the Christmas page linked above.

So book early for the weeks around 25 December and 1 January, and for Holy Week, 21 to 28 March 2027.

When is the off season in Costa Rica?

The off season in Costa Rica is the green season, May to mid-December, and its quietest, wettest stretch is September and October. San José airport averages 261.9 mm of rain in May, 320.0 mm in September and 317.0 mm in October, against 7.9 mm in January (WMO normals, 1991 to 2020, in the table above). It is also the cheapest time to go, because ICT says that in autumn you can expect reduced rates and light crowds. It also says some hotels and attractions may be closed completely, mostly in the south of the country. In summer (June to August), it says crowds are lighter, but families travel in school breaks. ICT gives no prices, and live hotel or flight prices were not checked for this page.

Off-season rain has a pattern. On the Pacific side, ICT says the rain falls mostly in the afternoon and early evening, and that July and August bring a dip in rain called the veranillo ("little summer"). San José airport averages 167.2 mm in July, against 235.4 mm in June. So off-season tours and hikes go best in the morning.

This table puts ICT's crowd notes next to the rain at San José airport.

So the cheapest weeks are likely in September and October, which are also the wettest at San José and Liberia.

What is the worst time to visit Costa Rica?

For most trips, the worst time to visit Costa Rica is September and October. These are the rainiest months on the Pacific side and in the Central Valley, says ICT. The Caribbean coast is the exception, with its worst rain in July and in November to January.

The worst months by region, from the WMO normals (1991 to 2020) and ICT's climate page:

• San José and the Central Valley: September (320.0 mm, 22.0 rain days) and October (317.0 mm, 20.5 rain days) at San José airport.

• Guanacaste and the north Pacific beaches: September (370.8 mm, 18.6 rain days) and October (371.3 mm, 17.0 rain days) at Liberia airport.

• The south of the country: autumn, when ICT says some hotels and attractions may close completely.

• The Caribbean coast: July (504.5 mm, 20.6 rain days) and December (463.6 mm, 18.4 rain days) at Puerto Limón. ICT says cold fronts from the north bring the rain from November to January.

• Crowds and prices: the Christmas and New Year weeks and Holy Week (21 to 28 March 2027), from ICT's notes on busy times.

Note: ICT: on the Pacific side, "the rainiest month are September and October". On the Caribbean side, "The rainiest month is December", with cold fronts from the Northern Hemisphere most felt from November to March (Visit Costa Rica, "Climate", read 7 Nov 2026)

Note: ICT, autumn: "Some hotels and attractions may be closed completely, particularly on the southern end of Costa Rica." It also says "The Caribbean coastline is your best bet during this time of year in terms of both weather and services" (Visit Costa Rica, "When to visit", read 7 Nov 2026)

ICT does not call any month the worst, and it lists green-season activities in every region, such as white-water rafting and turtle watching. If your dates fall in September or October, spend them on the Caribbean coast, where those are the two driest months.

So, skip September and October on the Pacific side, and skip July and December on the Caribbean side.

Which month is best for which trip?

Here is how the official data lines up with the most common trips:

• Pacific beaches in Guanacaste: January to March. Liberia airport averages under 4 mm of rain in each of those months.

• San José and the Central Valley: December to March. SJO averages 31.0 mm or less in each of those months.

• Caribbean beaches: September and October, Puerto Limón's two driest months.

• La Fortuna and Arenal: February to April, the small drop in rain that ICT names.

• Turtles at Tortuguero: 1 March to 31 October, the park's nesting season.

• Whales: December to March, or July to September.

• Lower prices: the green season, May to mid-December, with tours in the morning.

So pick your coast first, then pick the month.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 4 November 2026, and the two ICT season pages re-read on 7 November 2026 for the off-season and worst-time sections:

• ICT's When to visit page (no update date shown): season dates, crowds, rates, Holy Week, Zapote and Carnaval.

• ICT's Climate page and its Northern Plains page: Pacific and Caribbean patterns, La Fortuna area rain.

• ICT's wildlife by sea page: whale months.

• The WMO 1991 to 2020 climate normals from NOAA NCEI, station files for Juan Santamaría airport (78762), Daniel Oduber airport (78774) and Puerto Limón (78767). The San José rain figures cover 29 years, the rest 30 years.

• The Tortuguero Conservation Area's visitor information page: hours, fees, nesting season and night tour rules.

• The MTSS releases 005-2026, 019-2026 and 061-2024: holiday dates.

Not confirmed: the official 2027 holiday list, live hotel, flight and tour prices, Pacific turtle months (from ICT's 2022 chart, read 14 October 2026), and rain at La Fortuna by month (no WMO station there). The normals are averages, and any one year can be wetter or drier. Check the IMN forecast before a rain-sensitive trip.