We travelled Costa Rica in August, mainly to suit the school holidays but also because it is a great time to visit the country. It’s mating season for a lot of wildlife, particularly whales and turtles. Plus, the weather is generally ok, despite it technically still being wet season.
Now, it would be wrong for me to give the impression wet season doesn’t bring concern – you are not guaranteed dry weather by any means. It’s in the name. But, I think most people conjure up constant heavy downpours when they hear the words wet season, and the truth is, tropical destinations get downpours throughout the year – even in dry season. They are often short lived.
We travelled from Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast to its Pacific coast and I think we experienced every combination of weather as we drove from East to West. Admittedly, I booked this holiday expecting some wet weather and hoping it wouldn’t affect us too much. The honest picture post-trip is it didn’t. The weather was generally dry; we did hit a few pockets of proper tropical rain, and it didn’t cost us a single activity. Here’s how it went, stop by stop.
One caveat before we start: this is one trip in one year, and tropical weather does what it likes. Treat this as a first-hand account, not a forecast. For the most reliable weather, November to April is the season to aim for.
Tortuguero: our one proper soaking
Tortuguero was where we got the most rain. From late afternoon on day two, through to the following morning (our departure day) it poured down. Constantly. We were based in the rainforest, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to see rain and I do want to stress – we didn’t miss anything because of it.
We’d had blue skies all morning but the rain hit mid afternoon, during our visit to Tortuguero Village, which gave us the perfect excuse to grab a drink at a local bar and wait it out. The bulk of the poor weather then hit overnight and was still going strong as we left that morning. We boarded our boat out of the rainforest with the downpour at full strength but by the time we were back at our coach pick up, the sun was shining.
The heavy rain did mean the car park was flooded – which my youngest thought was great – but the slightly longer wait for our onward journey was really the only effect it had on us overall.
If you plan to visit Tortuguero, a good rain coat is not optional (more on that below).
La Fortuna: clear
Our three nights in La Fortuna were clear of rain really. A very short shower hit as we had lunch one day but apart from that, nothing. A few stormy skies threatened more rain, but nothing came of them.
Our ATV activity, the volcano hike, the white water rafting and the hot springs all went ahead as planned.
Monteverde: short bursts, one amazing show
We hit a few short bursts of rain in Monteverde, it is a tropical forest after all, but again nothing stopped the fun.
The worst of it came late afternoon on our first day there, as we headed out for food. We watched the rain as we ate pizza in the warmth. A quick dash to the car was all we actually felt of the rain and by the time we’d completed the short drive to our hotel, thunder and lightning arrived. I love a lightning storm and tropical destinations provide some of the best light shows I’ve seen. I pulled up a chair on the balcony and sat for a little while watching the storm light up the cloud forest – an amazing sight.
Sámara: stunning throughout
There isn’t too much to say about the weather in Sámara – it was stunning the entire time. The perfect beach and pool weather from start to finish, which really helped us to truly slow the pace of the trip.
What I’d pack for August
A few key pieces that are a must in my opinion:
- A lightweight but heavy-duty rain coat. It earned its place in Tortuguero and Monteverde
- Waterproof walking boots – there’s nothing worse than wet feet and if you don’t want the rain to impact your visit too much, these definitely help.
- A waterproof phone case. Useful for the wet days as well as the water activities.
The full list, including what we didn’t need, is in my Costa Rica packing guide.
An August bonus
August is nesting season on the Caribbean coast for green turtles – we actually saw them up close and personal on a conservation tour laying their eggs. It’s an amazing sight.
On the Pacific coast we also saw whales, dolphins and green turtles, all of which were off the coast to mate – this explains why our whale watching trip from Sámara was so busy. More on that in my Sámara post.
So, is August worth it?
For us, yes. The rain was an occasional inconvenience rather than a problem. And, I’d say we’re quite a robust family so there was no way a little rain was going to stop us. I can imagine some of our activities would have hit differently had the rain interfered, so we were lucky it didn’t. But, honestly, there are so many plus points to travelling this destination during the summer months, and it’s a risk I’d take again, particularly given you can never rule out rain in tropical destinations.
I should also say, there were plenty of other Brits travelling at this time too, so it’s not like we were out of season per se. Costa Rica is still a well-travelled destination during the summer months
My biggest tip – short and simple – pack for wet weather. If you’re prepared, the wet weather has less impact.
Keep planning your trip:
- The Costa Rica Itinerary That Actually Works: Caribbean to Pacific
- What to Pack for Costa Rica (and What We Didn’t Need)
- Costa Rica: What We’d Do Differently
- Self-Driving Costa Rica: What You Need to Know
Keep exploring:
- Tortuguero National Park: Sloths, Turtles, and a Rainforest That Never Goes Quiet
- La Fortuna, Costa Rica: Frogs After Dark, ATVs Through the Jungle, a Volcano Hike and Hot Springs to Finish
- Monteverde: Zip Lines, Chocolate, and a Cloud Forest at 4,500 Feet
- Costa Rica Wildlife: What We Actually Saw and Where
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