Costa Rica - Sept or Dec better?
 

I keep trying to plan a trip to CR but seems like some medical issues arise and I can't do it. Now I am thinkig of either 3rd week September or first week December. I have time off from scheduled for those times.

Which time of year is better weatherwise?

Hi Orangetravelcat,

The reply will differ depending on the part of CR you actually plan to visit.

If it happens to be the Caribbean side - like Puerto Viejo area, September and October are considered about the nicest months.

However, in pretty much all ofthe rest of the country, September is one of the rainiest months. By early December, the Green or rainy season is coming to an end. It is a better time to go. We spend our time mainly in the Manuel Antonio area, and early December is our favourite time. This year we were there for 2 weeks and had very little rain - hot and sunny weather. And you miss the Christmas rush.

raquel

Third week of September is less crowded but more rainy. First week of December is more crowded but less rainy. Of course, crowds and rain depend on where you are. Most Pacific beach locations, for instance, usually have just afternoon showers. Santa Rosa State Park is almost always dry but pretty desolate. Monteverde is rainy and damp quite a bit more than other places. In general, the higher elevations get the most rain. But any area where you travel that says "rainforest"... well ...

December is typically the end of the rainy season so rain may be tapering off in many areas. "Rainy season" is really not like 24 hour a day monsoons and it varies from area to area of the country. Mostly it is afternoon showers with some days that are cloudy all day with drizzle.

This is an El Nino year so the weather patterns are different - drier. I don't know what this will mean for next September or December.

After saying all this, I can tell you if I could accurately predict the weather in Costa Rica, I would be rich. You can check the Weather Underground where they have weather history for various locations and you can see what happened there last year or the year before.

www.weather2travel.com CR Climate guide

December the later the better best in all areas

Raquel and hsmithcr have it correct!

The questions you have to ask yourself are what are you planning to do when you get to Costa Rica? Where are you planning on staying?

October and November for the last few years have been the rainiest months where it the rain is torrential and for the majority of the day. It can be exciting watching the flowing rivers over the street with motorcyclists and other drivers maneuvering the roadways.

My husband and I live in Costa Rica full time and enjoy the weather year round (even the rainiest months)!

Leaning toward December, based on your comments. Thanks.

Hands down December would be a better time to visit if you plan on coming anywhere along the Pacific coast near Dominical and Uvita. Although another good plan if planning on visiting both coasts would be to come in September and travel the Caribbean side first then slowly work your way to the Pacific. Its worth noting that the worst months for rain on the Pacific side are Oct. and Nov.

For more information on whats happening on the South Pacific side near Dominical, visit this site as I find it quite informative. http://www.sellingcr.com

http://costa-rica-guide.com/Weather/WeatherMap.html is a good map to show you general weather patterns by area; just mouse over the area you're interested in. For the most part, I'd go with December.

Thanks, will start checking out airfares and decide if going is a viable option (in Dec).