Think you know the best time to visit Costa Rica? Hold off on booking those (pricier) dry season tickets. This already beautiful destination gets an annual glow-up starting each May, when the gentle rains begin a green season—May to November—that brings out Costa Rican pura vida at its best.
It’s the Costa Rica We Love, Amplified
Everything visitors love about Costa Rica is at its best during the green season. Waterfalls reach peak volume, refreshing the surrounding rainforest and showing off the power of Costa Rica’s waterways. Anyone with an eye on white-water rafting will definitely want to visit during this season. Most all the activities people enjoy in Costa Rica are available year-round, including zip-lining, treetop trekking, canyoneering, and, of course, spotting incredible wildlife. The wildlife is often more active during this time of year, showing off its most vivid colours alongside an incredible range of wild flora.
Fewer Crowds & Lower Prices
While the dry season is still a great time to visit Costa Rica, it means more demand and higher prices on accommodation, excursions, and adventure activities. The green season offers a respite, allowing you to experience a more natural, local side of Costa Rica at a lower price. Even some of the more exclusive and remote parks like Corcovado offer better deals during the green season, and lighter crowds and fewer tour groups will make all the difference to your wildlife viewing.
Discover Costa Rica Through Its Culture & Festivals
Visiting Costa Rica in the green season offers more opportunity to immerse yourself in local culture than during peak tourist season. You can visit anIndigenous community to learn about Costa Rica’s pre-colonial history or join in the celebrations at festivals such as the Limón Carnival in October, or the Osa Peninsula’s Annual Whale and Dolphin Festival in early September. Costa Rica is one of the few places on earth you can enjoy whale watching year-round, since different species migrate at different times of year. Most whale watching takes place along the Pacific Coast, but the Caribbean side sees its share of whales too.
How to Skip the Rain in the Green Season
From May to August, affectionately known as little summer, the rains through most of Costa Rica are a daily shower lasting an hour or two in the late afternoon. It’s an ideal time to take a break, enjoy a cocktail, and recover from the day’s adventures. Costa Rica’s more of an early rise destination than a late night one, so don’t worry about not having enough time in your day. September and October are usually the rainiest months, but the northern Caribbean coast is an exception. During this time, it offers clear sunny skies over destinations like Tortuguero, where turtles nest during the green season.
Christian’s first globetrotting adventure saw him get lost exploring the streets of Saigon. Following his nose to Asia’s best coffee, two lifelong addictions were born. A freelance writer and novelist, Christian’s travels have since taken him around his native Australia, Asia, Europe, and much of North America. His favourite trips have been through Japan, Spain, and Brazil, though with a love of off-beat, artsy cities, he’ll seize any opportunity to return to Paris, New York, or Berlin.
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