Climate

Two basic seasons dominate the year: the dry and the wet. The dry season, referred to as ‘summer’ by the locals, runs from December through April; the wet season, also known as the ‘green’ season, and referred to as ‘winter’ by the locals, lasts from May through November. Thanks to the variety of micro environments, in one day you can travel from the chilly Chirripo Mountain down to the balmy Central Valley, and from steamy rainforest foothills down to the sun-baked beaches of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. Seasoned travelers adapt to these micro climates by packing layered clothing that can be removed or put on throughout the day, light enough for the coastal heat and warm enough for the cool evenings of the Central Valley, and during the transitional period between dry and green seasons, clothing to shield one from unexpected showers. When rainy season takes off, you can expect sunny morning turning into rainy afternoon on most days, except on the Caribbean coast where rain can be notoriously torrential and persistent, sometimes lasting for days on end, even though statistically the region enjoys more hours of sunshine than the rest of the country.