Costa Rica · Costa Rica
February
The driest month on the Pacific — and the Monteverde Music Festival makes the cloud forest worth the trip.
Strong option
#6 of 12 months
There are better months for Costa Rica — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
26°C
Low
16°C
Rain
5mm
Sun
8.2hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How February scores in Costa Rica
Weather
Perfect
Value
Low
Crowds
Low
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in February
- ↑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
What you sacrifice
- ↓The most expensive month of the year alongside December: hotels in Tamarindo, Manuel Antonio, and Arenal area require significant budgets and advance booking
- ↓Main tourist sites are at capacity — the hanging bridges at Monteverde and the Manuel Antonio beach trail can feel crowded by mid-morning
- ↓Pacific surf is at its calmest (good for swimming, poor for surfers); if you came to surf, the green season is your better bet
How February compares to July (best month)
| Factor | February | July ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 10 | 5 |
| Value | 2 | 8 |
| Crowds | 2 | 8 |
February in other destinations
Lisbon (14.3°C)Barcelona (14°C)Tokyo (10.4°C)Bali (30.1°C)Santorini (13.2°C)Paris (8°C)New York (4.5°C)Marrakech (19.1°C)Amsterdam (6°C)Maldives (30.2°C)Rome (11.9°C)Bangkok (33°C)Istanbul (8.6°C)Vienna (4.9°C)Seoul (4°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (31°C)Kyoto (10.1°C)Phuket (32.1°C)Cape Town (26.9°C)Prague (4°C)Amalfi Coast (13°C)Mexico City (23°C)Medellín (29°C)Fiji (31°C)London (9°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (3°C)Tulum (29°C)Dubai (26°C)Singapore (31°C)Hoi An (26°C)Chiang Mai (31.5°C)Miami (24.8°C)Florence (11.4°C)Queenstown (22.2°C)Madrid (11.2°C)Porto (15°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (6°C)Kraków (4°C)Tbilisi (8°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (19°C)Osaka (10°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (29°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Costa Rica, not across destinations. Methodology →