Best time to visit Costa Rica

3 destinations in Costa Rica, each scored month by month, side by side.

Manuel Antonio — i

Photo by Matthias Bethke, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

February and April are the best months: each a sweet spot at 2 of these 3 places.

The destinations

Month by month

Place	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Costa Rica	26°	27°	28°	28°	28°	27°	27°	27°	28°	27°	26°	26°
Manuel Antonio	28°	29°	30°	29°	28°	28°	27°	27°	27°	27°	26°	27°
Tamarindo	32°	34°	34°	34°	31°	29°	31°	30°	30°	28°	29°	31°
Sweet spots	1	2	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

Place

Sweet spots

Sweet spot
Good
OK
Avoid
Busy

Each cell is that destination's own verdict for the month — sweet spot, ok or avoid — with its typical daily high, from the same ten years of climate readings its page is built from. A dot marks a busy month. The last row counts the sweet spots, and the best months are marked.

Before you go

Cost of living	cheap — prices run about 59% of the United States' (World Bank, 2025)
Currency	Costa rican colón
Languages	Spanish
Plugs	Type A and B, 120 V
Driving	On the right
Calling code	+506
Travel advice	No advice against travel — UK Foreign Office, updated 2026-05-19
Health	UK Foreign Office health advice

Facts from Wikidata (CC0), the UK Foreign Office (Open Government Licence) and the World Bank, refreshed 2026-10-08. The advisory is written for British travellers; entry rules depend on your passport.

On arrival

Apps — Rides: DiDi, Uber. Maps: Google Maps, Apple Maps. Messages: WhatsApp. Use official taxis, red (orange at the airport) with a yellow triangle, booked ahead rather than hailed, and make sure the driver uses the meter. Uber and DiDi also operate, though no law regulates them yet.
Paying — The colón is the currency, but US dollars and major credit cards are widely accepted. ATMs are found across the country, though some close from 11pm to 5am and they take only a 4-digit PIN; change money only at banks and approved exchange offices.
UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
Getting around Costa Rica — La Fortuna is about 2.5 hours by road from San José (Route 1, through San Ramón) and about 2.5 hours from Liberia (through Cañas and Tilarán), by hire car, private transfer or shuttle. Public buses also go there but take longer, and may need one or two changes.
Tipping — Restaurant and hotel prices already include 13% VAT and a 10% tip; leave more only if the service was exceptional.
Emergency — 911 (any emergency).
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.

Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 8 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.

Sources (15)

Every verdict here is the destination's own: ten years of climate readings, the public holidays that crowd it, and what the flight costs. Nothing is said about Costa Rica as a whole that was not first measured at each place in it.