Best Time to Visit Costa Rica

Every time I think about going on vacation to a different country my inter-child seems to believe that the universe will create the perfect weather conditions for me to enjoy the vacation I am planning as if it was out of a post card; have you ever experience a little bit of that feeling?
Well, I think it is normal because the mind sees a picture and tends to use it as a background for the rest of the related thoughts.
What I want to do this time in this blog is give you some pictures of the different months of the year in the southern pacific coast of Costa Rica, that way you can decide when is the best time for you to visit this beautiful part of the Country.

Let's start by saying that Costa Rica unlike many other countries in the world only has two seasons:
Summer/ Verano/ Dry Season. - It runs from December 15 to May 15
The summer is considered as the High Season; therefore, the airfares tend to be a little higher.

Winter/Invierno/Rainy Season. - It runs from May 15 to December 15
The winter is considered as the Low Season, therefore, airfares tend to be cheaper, and you will be able to find very nice packages.

It is somewhat funny to hear the Ticos taking about the winter while standing in front of a fan and wearing shorts and flip-flops.

So, when you hear about the winter in Costa Rica don’t let your mind go to the ski slope, (I still do that after 6 years of living here), think instead that is more like a beautiful spring time with some showers.

These showers seem to be under schedule as well as progressive length. In the beginning of the season (mid May) the showers start at night for few hours and start moving counter clock wise as the season moves, keeping the same schedule for periods of weeks.
In this sense, mother nature seems to be sympathetic and cooperative with the outdoor lovers, that way we can organize our daily activities

During the months of May, Jun and July it rains from 3 to 5 days a week usually for a couple of hours of evening rain. That leaves the whole morning to do all the outdoor activities, then enjoy a nice time at home having some cocktails by the pool.

Surfing is definitely one of the activities that you can practice all year round. With or without rain you can enjoy it all you need is a surfboard and a tide table.  If you are a consummate surfer and have your own board, well, you might like to travel with it, if you prefer to rent it locally, places like the Flutterby House in Uvita offers board rental and lessons. They also rent boogie boards.

http://www.flutterbyhouse.com/activities.html

If you like fishing, due to the deep waters and the migration patterns of the pelagic fish, in Costa Rica we are very fortunate to be able to catch All Year Round species like Sailfish, Marlin, Roosterfish, Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna.

Of Course, there are months when some of the species are in bigger numbers and bigger sizes.

For example, from May to November Yellowfin Tuna, and Snapper are everywhere and they are good eating.
http://www.costaricafishingreport.com/drake.shtml
Also during the same period from May to November, the catch and release of Blue Marlin and Sailfish may not be the best but it can be Very Good.
http://www.anywherecostarica.com/destinations/uvita-costa-rica/tours/sport-fishing-trip

August and September are month with a little heavier rain, sometimes is normal to wake up with the peculiar sound of the rain drops, these kind of days are lovely because the early morning brings some clean and fresh air. Usually the morning rain stops by mid morning and still gives the opportunity of going out for a nice lunch outdoors or some shopping.

During these months when the rain falls during the morning hours, the chances of having a beautiful sunset are good, and an activity that can be enjoyable and memorable is horseback riding.
Imagine riding a horse on the sandy beach of Uvita, around eight miles north of Ojochal.
Rancho La Merced offers beautiful sunset tours; they will make sure you have the time of your life.
http://www.rancholamerced.com/#!__english

October and November are the rainiest months of the year and the last of the Winter Season, even though the winter usually ends by December 15, those 2 weeks on December you can notice the volume of rain starts diminishing and finally stops, almost like if somebody had turn the faucet off.

During the months of December, January, February, March, April, May we start to dry out from the rainy months, the humidity drops and the sun shines from sunrise to sunset. It is gorgeous, the rain from the summer has help the forest to grow greener bigger and stronger, the creatures in the wild start having babies, they are everywhere, you can hear a great variety of birds singing songs you have never heard before, some of them are lovely, some of them have a piercing quality.

It is a great time to go for a Canopy Tour at Hacienda Barú  http://www.haciendabaru.com/

I like it because it is a great and exciting way to see the flora and fauna. There are many places offering canopy tours, and Even though the summer time is the best time for this kind of tour, rainy months from June to September are perfectly suitable for it, if it is not raining hard.


Personally, I think is more enjoyable if the day is partially cloudy, but, once again, it is a matter of preference.


El Congo Tour (506) 8881-9348 and 2743-8951 offers mountain tours in one of the primary forest in the Osa Peninsula, only a few miles from Ojochal where you will be able to see the great variety of birds, monkeys, iguanas, trees, flowers, plants and many other four legged friends living in the jungle as well as a variety of migratory species.

I cannot tell you when the best time for you to visit Costa Rica is.  If it is true that each person has his or her own specific needs and preferences; then it is also true that this country offers a wide range of weather for almost anybody who wants to avoid the cold and freezing weather of other parts of the world.

Visit Costa Rica Any Time of the Year.