The best time to visit Costa Rica, month by month and region by region

Dry season vs green season: what they actually mean

Costa Rica doesn't have summer and winter in the way most visitors are used to. It has a drier half of the year and a wetter half, and temperatures change far more with altitude than with the calendar. The beach is hot in every month. The mountains are mild in every month.

Dry season (December to April) is what most guidebooks mean by the best time to visit Costa Rica. Skies are reliable on the Pacific side, roads are dusty rather than muddy, and the landscape in Guanacaste turns gold by March. It's also high season: the most visitors, the highest rates and the earliest booking deadlines.

Green season (May to November) is the name locals and tourism businesses use for the rainy months. On most days the morning is clear, clouds build after lunch, and a heavy shower arrives in the afternoon or evening. Plan outdoor things before noon and the rain costs you very little. Rivers and waterfalls run full, the hills are bright green, and prices come down.

Bella Vista's hosts have written a whole piece on what living through the wet months is like on their mountain: Costa Rica's rainy season, from the people who live there. This guide stays on the bigger question: which months suit which part of the country, and what that means when you're moving a group between them.

How the seasons differ by region

The three regions where our estates sit are a useful map of the country's main climates. Pick a region in the chart to see a typical year. It's a guide to patterns, not a forecast: individual years run early, late, wet or dry.

Guanacaste beaches (Johnny's at Playa Avellanas)

The northwest Pacific coast is the driest part of the country. From December to April it barely rains, and that's when Tamarindo, Avellanas and the rest of the Guanacaste coast are busiest. Rain starts in May, eases off in July, then builds to its peak in September and October. The surf at Avellanas tends to be bigger in the green season, which is why surf groups often prefer those months. Turtle nesting on this coast runs roughly July to December.

Central mountains (Bella Vista)

The mountains west of the Central Valley follow a similar pattern to the Pacific coast, just a little wetter in the green season and noticeably cooler all year. December to April is dry and clear. From May the afternoons turn showery, with September and October the wettest. Because the air stays mild, this is the most comfortable region for older relatives and young kids in any month.

Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna (The Majestic Lodge)

Arenal sits where Pacific and Caribbean weather meet, so its rain is spread across more of the year. There's no truly dry month and no month to avoid. February to April tends to be the clearest stretch for volcano views. The part that surprises people: in a typical year, September and October at Arenal are lighter than on the Pacific coast, while November through January can be wetter there than at the beach. The Majestic Lodge's team covers the volcano's own weather in detail in their La Fortuna weather guide.

The best time to visit Costa Rica, month by month

The table summarizes a typical year for each region (Dry, Mixed or Rainy afternoons), with what each month means for a group.

Typical-year pattern from our hosts' experience at each estate. Weather varies year to year; check a forecast before you travel.

Costa Rica in December

December is the turn of the season. Early in the month the Pacific side can still catch a late shower; by the middle of the month the dry season has usually settled in, with clear skies on the coast and in the mountains. Arenal is still in one of its wetter stretches, so plan volcano activities for the mornings.

For groups, December is mostly a question of dates, not weather. The weeks of Christmas and New Year are the most requested of the whole year at every estate, and many families book them a year ahead. The first two weeks of December are a different story: dry-season weather, fewer travelers, and more choice of dates. If your group can travel before about December 15, you get most of the holiday-season benefits without competing for the same week as everyone else.

A December plan we like: start at the volcano while the beach is still drying out, then finish at the beach for the clear, hot days around the holidays. If you're celebrating Christmas as a group, an estate with a cook and a long table beats a restaurant booking for 25 on December 24.

Costa Rica in July

July is the green-season month that behaves most like dry season. On the Pacific side the rain usually eases for a few weeks (the veranillo, or "little summer"), so the beach and the central mountains often have long sunny stretches. Arenal usually gets its own drier spell around late June and July, so it's one of the better green-season months there too.

That combination, plus US school holidays, makes July one of the most popular months for family reunions. The landscape is green, the crowds are smaller than in March, and the ocean is warm. Turtle season on the Guanacaste coast begins around July too. If your group wants both volcano and beach in July, it's one of the easiest green-season months to do both.

Holidays and peak booking windows

For groups of 15 or more, the real constraint is finding a property big enough on the dates you want. These are the windows that fill first:

• Christmas and New Year: the busiest two weeks of the year. Book a year ahead if you can.
• January to March: peak dry season. Six to nine months ahead is normal for a whole-property booking.
• Easter week (Semana Santa): a major holiday week in Costa Rica, falling in March or April. Beaches and roads are busy with local travelers as well as visitors.
• Late June to mid-August: US summer break. The most popular green-season weeks for families and reunions.
• Thanksgiving week: a common choice for US families, with green-season rates and the rain usually easing on the Pacific side.

Outside those windows you usually have far more flexibility. Wedding couples in particular have more choice of dates in May, June and November. Bella Vista's team has a separate guide on the best time for a Costa Rica wedding.

When is Costa Rica cheapest?

Green season is cheaper almost everywhere, but how much cheaper depends on the property. At our estates:

At Bella Vista that's a $300-a-night difference. Over a week for 28 people, that's $2,100 off the lodging bill, or $75 per person. September is usually the best-value month overall because it's the wettest month on the coast and at Arenal, so demand is at its lowest. Our group trip cost guide shows the full per-person math.

What the seasons mean for a multi-stop group trip

Because the three regions don't peak at the same time, the order of stops matters as much as the month. Some rules we use when planning with groups:

• December to April: any order works. Most groups fly into San José, start in the mountains or at the volcano, and finish on the beach.
• May to August: plan the volcano's big outdoor days for the mornings and give the beach the extra nights, especially in July.
• September and October: it rains everywhere, mostly in the afternoons. Plan outdoor days for the mornings, lean on covered spaces, and take the savings. Surf is at its best on the Pacific.
• November: the Pacific dries out before Arenal does. Do the volcano first and end on the coast.

The group itineraries lay out 5, 7, 10 and 14-day routes, and the getting-around guide has the drive times between each stop. Rain matters on the road too: big transfers are best done in the morning, before the afternoon showers.

Ocean · Johnny'sPlaya Avellanas through the yearThe beach, the surf and what each season is like at Johnny's.

Open →

Volcano · Majestic LodgeWeather in La Fortuna, month by monthVolcano views, rain patterns and when to plan outdoor days at Arenal.

Open →

Mountains · Bella VistaThe green season on Bella Vista's mountainWhat the wet months are really like, and why many guests prefer them.

Open →