Best time to visit Costa Rica for beach weather
When is beach season in Costa Rica? Warmest sea temperatures, best sunshine, and most reliable conditions for swimming and water activities.
Best month
February
The driest month on the Pacific — and the Monteverde Music Festival makes the cloud forest worth the trip.
↑February is statistically Costa Rica's driest month on the Pacific coast: 5mm is virtually nothing, and Guanacaste's beaches are as reliably sunny as anywhere in the Americas
↑Monteverde Music Festival (mid-February) brings classical and world-music performances to one of the country's most atmospheric settings — cloud forest by day, concerts by night
↑Quetzal sightings are at their most reliable in cloud forests; February is nesting season for the resplendent quetzal, making it the best single month to see them
All months ranked — Beach weather
Best match
The driest month on the Pacific — and the Monteverde Music Festival makes the cloud forest worth the trip.
#1 for beach weather
Best match
Hot, dry Pacific coast with spring break arrivals — excellent conditions but prices stay high.
#2 for beach weather
Best match
Humpback whales arrive off the Pacific coast and sea turtles begin nesting at Tortuguero.
#3 for beach weather
Best match
Pacific coast at its absolute driest — Guanacaste beaches are perfect, but expect peak crowds and prices.
#4 for beach weather
Strong option
Green season opens — prices drop 30–50%, Pacific surf improves, and the lush transformation begins.
#5 for beach weather
Strong option
The transition month — Pacific rains ease significantly and the dry season approach brings improving conditions.
#6 for beach weather
Strong option
Dry season returns to the Pacific — Christmas week is the single most crowded and expensive period in Costa Rica.
#7 for beach weather
Strong option
Pacific coast transitioning — still largely dry, Holy Week brings Costa Ricans to the beach en masse.
#8 for beach weather
Strong option
Quietest month of the year — budget prices, almost no other tourists, and the rainforest at its most dramatic.
#9 for beach weather
Strong option
Green season in full swing — whale watching continues, turtles peak at Tortuguero, and the jungle is impossibly lush.
#10 for beach weather
Strong option
The wettest month on the Pacific — but the Caribbean coast enters its mini-dry season, and prices are at their lowest.
#11 for beach weather
Strong option
Still the wet season on the Pacific, but whale watching peaks and the Caribbean coast is at its driest.
#12 for beach weather