Will I get tan?
 

O-M-G...I knew it would rain a lot during the green season but I didn't know it will only be like 75 degress their --- I think I might freeze. So I am about to leave for CR in the coming days and want to know, while their in July will I get tan LOL. Will I freeze at the beach???? Will be at: Arenal, Manuel Antonio, and San Jose.

:-) You will get tan. The strength of the sun is much stronger near the equator, so even if you are out in the sun a couple of hours a day you should get some nice color.

I didn't. Someone in my office said to me, "If you went to Costa Rica, why aren't you tan?" LOL! It was overcast a lot when we were there. I took my sunglasses when we went rafting and didn't even bother to put them on. Hopefully you'll get some sun.

MA was very hot when we were there. That's your best bet. I would definitely wear sunscreen there. It was about 90 when we went. San Jose was about 70 degrees when we were there, but the weather felt great.

well we will be in MA for most of the trip - second half, so I hope to get some sun their!!! But it says it will only be 75 - 80!

Volcanogirl - you mentioned in another post that after white water rafting you can change to dry clothes -- do you bring a back pack and they hold the bag for you??

Also do you pay cash and carry money with you while white water rafting? Like how would you buy photos that they take without having $ on you?

Really vgirl? I made sure to be out in the sun each day for a while at least because there was no way I was coming back to Seattle without a tan! Actually, near the beginning I got a sunburn that turned into a tan. I guess I also had 2 - 1/2 weeks though, so that helped.

Regarding rafting, you just leave everything in the bus and then they meet you at the end. It's all very professional, everything is safe. With us, we retrieved our packs before they sold the pics. Definitely take bills for tips though, otherwise you might be stuck buying something in the gift shop to make change.

We did the Sarapiqui, and hip did the Pacuare, but we had similar experiences. We also left all our stuff in the van, and they guaranteed it would be safe. We just brought a bag with clothes and towel in it, took showers, and changed and then had lunch. We had cash with us; they couldn't take credit cards for the photos.

jealous of your tan! In San Jose, it was so cold and rainy one night that they actually brought blankets out for all the diners in the open air restaurant.

We just spent several days in MA and the temps were great. NO RAIN. I was shocked--this time of year, that is almost unheard of there. I'm sure that didn't last.

I'm fair and have burned all my life, so use a lot of sunscreen. Even so, I came home with a very decent tan. We were there a few weeks, so the amount of time contributed, I'm sure.

You'll get a tan!

We were there last July and got a bit of a tan. But we weren't "laying" in the sun for a lot of the trip. We had a couple of beach days and a few pool hours. But my husband always complains that he goes to CR and comes home without a tan. He tans very easily and gets fairly dark and never gets tanner in CR. He doesn't really wear much sunscreen there, except his face and back and doesn't get much there.

It should be warmer in MA when you're there. I wouldn't have said it was unbearably hot in July, but it was comfortable beach weather.

I don't think I came home tan last year. It wasn't a trip that people would look at me when I came home and tell me I had a great tan afterwards.

Not sure where you are sourcing your weather info on Costa Rica but the local forecast for Manuel Antonio is low 73, high 90 for the coming week. No worries, you won't freeze :) It is generally sunny in the a.m., clouding up in the afternoon. Bring your sunscreen ...you'll definitely need it. Even in the "rainy season", I see many visitors with miserable sunburns. It's much stronger than you can imagine. Enjoy your vacation :)

Ohh Thank you! So excited. I must have looked at a wrong website! Glad I don't need to pack too many long pants and shirts!

I think you would be fine packing one pair of long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and a light rain jacket or poncho.

Lisa! How are you? I kept thinking we'd look you up while in MA last week (we had Isabelle with us for her yearly visit), but just never did. I was feeling kind of sick for part of the time and we didn't do much except hang out at the beach (Tulemar's) and the pool.