Last Updated: May 20, 2025
If you are like many families, then you want to travel during summer vacation months when it’s wet season in Costa Rica. If you’re worried about too much rain, this guide will help you understand how this might affect your travel, what to see, and what to skip. It will also give you a good idea of what to expect if you travel during popular holiday periods like Spring Break or Winter holidays.
No matter which season you go, you can follow my 7 day itinerary from Liberia Airport, or 7 day itinerary from San Jose. Rain won’t impact your travel plans or destinations by much, with only exception being September or October. On those months, consider visiting the Caribbean Coast and basing yourself in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca where it’s less rainy than elsewhere in the country. Also check out my Step-by-Step Guide to Costa Rica for Families for all the details you need to plan your trip.
In general, Costa Rica’s high season is from December to April when rainfall is at its lowest. But if you are considering traveling over the summer holidays when school is out for the year, then go for it. Don’t let the rain scare you away. Visiting during this time can even make your trip better in some ways. Ultimately the four main factors that you should think about when deciding when to go to Costa Rica are:
- How Rain will impact your travel plans
- Hotel prices in the high season
- Turtle Nesting Seasons (if this is important to you)
- Crowds during Easter Break, Spring Break and Christmas Holidays
How Rainy is Costa Rica?
As you can see, there is significantly less rain in Jan, February and March. This makes those three months high season for tourism. Most of the top destinations in Costa Rica follow this pattern except for one notable exception. On the Caribbean coast, (which is usually more of an off-the-beaten-path destination), it rains less in September and October than in other parts of the country. If you visit during these months, you should strongly consider adding the Caribbean coast to your itinerary instead of the more popular Pacific coast.
Also keep in mind that rain is unpredictable. You can be visiting in January and have non-stop rain for three days. Or you could visit in June and have several days of sunshine.
Why does the Weather Forecast always show Rain?
If you’ve been checking the weather forecast and it’s always showing rain every day, don’t worry. The forecast is pretty pointless because there is always a light rain somewhere in the area. That doesn’t mean it’s going to rain 24/7. Even in the rainy months, you will have stretches of sunshine, often in the mornings, followed by short stretches of rain, usually in the afternoons. You can plan to do one or two activities in the morning and have a more low-key afternoon, or choose rain-friendly activities. This slower pace of activities might be a better fit when you’re traveling with kids.
Five Reasons you should visit Costa Rica in the Rainy season
- Vibrant and Lush landscapes – A huge bonus of traveling in the rainy season is that all of the forests will be bursting with life and flowers. On the other hand, visiting during dry season means some forests, especially those near the popular northern beaches in Guanacaste near Liberia airport will look dry and brown.
- Fewer crowds – Because it’s low season, you will see fewer crowds at beaches, national parks and popular hikes. You will get better deals and availability at hotels.
- Rain-friendly activities – You can still keep busy even on rainy afternoons. Activities you can do include coffee and chocolate tours, cooking classes and relaxing in Hot Springs. If the rain is not too heavy, you can even do some outdoor activities like hiking the Hanging bridges in Monteverde or even ziplining. The rain can actually add to the appeal and magic of the moment.
- Waterfalls – Rivers and waterfalls will have more volume and power making them even more magnificent to experience.
- Turtle Nesting – In peak rainy season, you might have a chance to witness “Arribadas”, one of the most compelling wildlife phenomenon in the world where hundreds of thousands of sea turtles simultaneously come on shore to nest.
Five Reasons not to visit during Rainy Season
- Interruptions to your itinerary – You will have to stay flexible and adapt as needed if there is heavy rain. You may not be able to get as much done with your day.
- Arenal Volcano – If you want to see Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, your chances of seeing it are lower because it might be hidden behind cloud cover. Of course, this can even happen in the dry season. Even if you can’t see the Volcano, you can still enjoy the Hot Springs.
- Driving – You will need to be extra careful driving in the rainy season. Roads will be muddier and there is a risk of landslides. You will want to complete all your driving for the day in the morning before the rain starts as this can impact visibility.
- Rough waters – At beaches, waves can be choppier and more dangerous, especially for kids. Waterfalls like Rio Celeste, known for its bright blue color, may appear gray or muddy because of the run-off from the rain.
- Beach Time – If you’re hoping to spend most of your days sunbathing at the beach, then it’s best to wait until the dry season, when you are guaranteed hot sunny days.
Hotel Prices in the High Season vs Low Season
The biggest factors impacting hotel prices are going to be
- How early you book
- Which month you go
- If your visit coincides with popular local holidays
Booking early matters just as much as which month you book. Let’s take Lost Iguana Resort and Spa in La Fortuna for example. For the same hotel, you can see how prices vary based on when you book.
- Low season (May to November), booked 6 months in advance – $180 a night.
- High season (December to April), booked 6 months in advance – $280 a night.
- Low season, booked 2 months in advance – $280 a night
- High Season, booked 2 months in advance – $350 a night.
- Popular holiday week like Easter or Christmas – $450 a day.
Of course every hotel is different. Some hotels don’t use seasonal pricing so if you book well enough in advance, you could get a great deal even during a peak holiday week. If you like to shop around using a hotel comparison site like booking.com, then make sure to check out my Tips to find hotels in La Fortuna and Tips to find hotels in Monteverde.
Tours, transport and activities also don’t usually vary their pricing by season but be sure to book in advance as the best tours do get sold out. For ideas of activities you can do even in rain, see Best things to do in La Fortuna and Best things to do in Monteverde.
When to go if you want to see Turtle Nesting
Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world to witness sea turtle nesting. But it can only be experienced during certain seasons. To see this phenomenon, you must join a tour with a professional guide. Tours usually occur after dark and require a lot of patient waiting and searching, so it is not suitable for very young children.
There are several places in Costa Rica to witness the turtles. Important sites on the Pacific coastline are
- Playa Grande near Tamarindo – This is the easiest site to reach, especially if you fly out of Liberia Airport (about 2 hour drive). Leatherback turtles nest here from October to March.
- Ostional Wildlife Refuge in Nicoya Peninsula – This is the second easiest place to see them. It’s about 3 hours from Liberia airport. Olive Ridley turtles nest here from July to December. If you’re very lucky, you might see a phenomenon called “Arribadas”. During arribadas, hundreds of thousands of turtles come ashore simultaneously to lay eggs. This is one of very few places in the world to see this event. It lasts 3 – 7 days. The largest arribadas occur during peak rainy season (August-November). They typically happen during the dark nights around the third quarter moon phase. However it can very unpredictable and vary year to year.
- Tortuguero National Park – Here, you have the highest chance of seeing turtles. But this destination on the Caribbean coast is much harder to get to. You will have to add a day to get there and another to get back, or pay for domestic flights from San Jose. Peak nesting season here is July to October.
What to expect during Spring Break or Holy Week at Costa Rica
If you’re planning to travel to Costa Rica in March-April, it will be the tail end of the dry season. Roads are easier to drive and rain is less likely to disrupt your plans. On the coast, days will be hot and sunny. On the northern pacific beaches near Liberia Airport, the vegetation turns mostly brown and won’t have the lush green look except in a few spots. You will have more greenery if you visit the beaches south from San Jose, where there is some tropical rain year round. If your vision of Costa Rica is lush jungles framing the coastline like you see in many photos, plan to visit the beaches in the South, such as Manuel Antonio, that remain green year round.
Keep in mind that the week leading up to Easter is a holiday week in Costa Rica and many locals also travel at this time. That makes Holy week the single busiest week of the year. A lot of the crowds will be concentrated at popular beach destinations like Tamarindo. Having said that, there are so many beaches in Costa Rica, that it’s not hard to get away from the crowds. For example, Playa Hermosa, a family beach just 30 minutes from Liberia Airport, was pretty uncrowded even right in the middle of Easter week.
If you book about 3 – 6 months in advance, you can still find well-priced accommodation during this time. Make all your transport and tours reservations in advance. Usually, tours don’t have seasonal price changes, so it won’t impact your budget as much.
What to expect during Christmas Break in Costa Rica
December can still get a decent amount of rain but it will mostly likely start tapering off toward the end of the month. This is one of the best school breaks to visit Costa Rica. It is still the second busiest time of the year after Holy Week. The best part about visiting during this time is that the forests are still vibrant and green from the previous months of rain – best of both worlds.
If you book in advance, you should be able to score reasonable accommodation. Make all your transport, tour and activity reservations in advance. Usually tours don’t have seasonal price changes so it won’t impact your budget as much.
If you visit in December, you might also have the chance to spot turtles on the Pacific coast beaches like Playa Grande, which are much easier to get to than other locations.
Ready for the Next Step?
- Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Costa Rica for Families – Know everything you need about flights, food, currency, rental cars, accommodation and activities
- 7 Day Itinerary from San Jose Airport or 7 Day Itinerary from Liberia Airport
- Which Airport should I fly into?
- Download a Free Wildlife Spotting Guide and other Costa Rica Fun Facts for Kids by subscribing to my Newsletter.
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