Best areas in CR to visit in August?
 

Hi! I am trying to piece together a two week trip to CR in August, but we've never been there. What areas typically have the best wether at that time of year? North, South, Pacific, Carribean, Central Valley, etc. Thanks!

Hi LA: The west coast and Guanacaste region will have the best weather generally but dont be afraid to go anywhere but the most remote regions. It usually rains in the late PM and evening; it rarely rains all day, just showers, warm and drizzly. I have not been to the east coast, so cant say much there but it is supposed to be wetter. Dont miss the Arenal area - volcanos, waterfalls & hot springs. Go for some beach time on the west coast - Tamarindo area, Jaco/Playa Hermosa, or Quepos/Manuel Antonio. There is really NO bad time to visit CR! Good luck and have fun! DNC from Oxnard, CA

Dear LA FadeAway,
It is rainy everywhere in Costa Rica in August, but more so on the Caribbean side. The good news is that usually, it rains only a couple of hours a day, and until mid day it is sunny. I personally prefer the rainy season, and I live here! You shouldn't be too concerned about where to go, the only thing I can say is that you should try to avoid areas that are hard to get to in the wet season (some parts in the south of the Nicoya Peninsula, parts of the Caribbean side, and perhaps Monteverde). If you are renting a car, you should definitely take a 4x4. You can look for a post called "Thoughts about planning a trip to Costa Rica" which you may find helpful in planning a trip, especially since you are a first time visitor.
Please, feel free to write directly to my email if you need any more help or information.
Pura Vida,
Neta Talmor

We visited Costa Rica 3 times and all of our trips were in August. We visited most of the touristy areas (except for Monteverde and the Caribbean coast) and here are my observations on the weather:
- Osa Penninsula - very humid, occassional storms and rain, mostly at night
- Central Valley - comfortable temperatures during the day, pleasantly chilly at night, occassional rain, again, mostly at night
- Manuel Antonio - mostly sunny and hot, infrequent rain
- Nicoya Penninsula/Guanacaste - mostly sunny, hot and dry, infrequent rain storms, mostly in the evening or at night
- Arenal area - chilly and mostly cloudy and rainy (on our first visit we did not even glimpse the volcano!)

I wouldn't hesitate to go in August again. Everything is green and lush and just beautiful.

Thanks for all the info everyone. This really helps!

I agree with Iza - I've been in all seasons including hot, dry April and spent all of Aug. there in Tamarindo - lush,green, late thunderstorms, tennis everyday and even took guests up to the volcano and we saw it. In July you have a mini summer for about 2 weeks. Late Sept. and Oct. are very rainy. I wouldn't want to be there then as some of the storms are horrific.

Guanacaste is just a great place to be during August because, as everyone as mentioned, it is so lush and green. One area I would recommend (and it is often overlooked) is the Rincon de la Vieja area north of Liberia. There are several tour companies offering neat day trips into this area of tropical dry forest. My experience has been with Swiss Travel, and we enjoyed two different excursions to this volcanic area--a very enjoyable horseback tour through the forest for viewing wildlife and a canopy tour which included a wonderful hot mudbath and hot and cold springs area. As for Arenal, seeing it in August would be an exception, not a rule! I'd wait and plan that trip for sometime in Feb., March, or April!
I, too, would enjoy any part of Costa Rica at any time. But, if you particular want to lessen your chances of rain, plan most of your time in Guanacaste. Driest part of the country, except, as mentioned, in September and October. Between the area I mentioned above and the beaches (all the all-inclusives are located here)as well as great towns to visit like Tamarindo, you could easily spend two weeks just basking in this one great part of Costa Rica! Hotels I'd recommend: Flamingo Beach Resort (great beach location, great price); Paradisus Playa Conchal (very opulent and lovely and HUGE all-inclusive--also with a very nice beach location, but not as good as Flamingo); Allegro Papagayo (very nice and less expensive all-inclusive--closer to Liberia and the Rincon de la Vieja area--also close to Playa Hermosa and Playa del Coco). Hotel PasaTiempo (Tamarindo)--inexpensive, but well kept and pleasant atmosphere.

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