If you’re visiting Costa Rica during rainy season, the most important thing about preparing for your trip is to pack properly.
Tropical weather is no joke and the rain can come suddenly and quickly so it is important to bring the proper gear to protect yourself and your gear.
Therefore, if you’re visiting Costa Rica during the rainy season, check our rainy season packing list post to see the essential items to bring.
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What’s rainy season like in Costa Rica?
First, rainy season for most of the country is from beginning of May to beginning of December.
However, it’s tropical weather so it can start/end a little sooner or a little later. Also, some places may rain more than others.
There are over 25 micro-climates in Costa Rica so the weather can vary quite a bit.
The peak rainy season months for most of the country is October. September is also fairly rainy as well, particularly during La Niña years.
However, on the Caribbean coast (Tortuguero, Limon and Puerto Viejo), October is their summer month due to their different climate pattern.
If you’re visiting mid April or mid December, still be aware that it may rain, especially for places up in the mountains or in the rainforest.
These are places like Vara Blanca, Poasito, San Vito, Bijagua, Dominical, Uvita, Monteverde, La Fortuna, Osa Peninsula and Bajos del Toro.
Read more about Costa Rica weather in our post.
Average Temperatures during Costa Rica’s Rainy Season
The average day time and night time temperatures during rainy season in Costa Rica does not vary greatly from dry season. It normally cools off just a few degrees.
On the coasts, average day time temperatures are around low to mid 80°s F (26° – 29° C). Average night time temperatures are around mid 70°s F (23 C).
In the mountains and in high elevation areas, temperatures are much lower.
In places like Irazu, San Gerardo de Dota, Poas, Vara Blanca, and San Isidro de Perez Zeledon, night time temperatures can go down to low 60°s F (15° C) and colder if it is very windy.
Day time temperatures are around low 70°s F (21° C).
What to Know About Costa Rica’s Rainy Season
The most important thing to know about rainy season is that it’s spontaneous – it is a tropical country after all!
It may be a beautiful sunny day out and then it’ll become dark and rainy in two seconds. Then it’ll stop raining and be super clear and sunny for an hour. And then start raining again a few hours later in the night.
Generally in rainy season, it’s sunny in the morning and rainy in the late afternoon and evening.
Rainy season in Costa Rica is not as if someone just turned the faucet on on May 1st. It is a gradual transition from dry to rainy with on and off, spontaneous random rains and then can get more constant rains in late afternoons and nights the further into rainy season it is.
If there is a tropical storm or hurricane in other parts of the world, it will also affect Costa Rica and mornings may be dark and rainy.
Rain in Costa Rica Video
You can get idea of how hard it rains in Costa Rica in this video. This was taken in Playas del Coco in Guanacaste in May.
This rain lasted about 20 minutes and then stopped.
It started back up again about an hour later which is typical rainy season weather. It’ll be super sunny one minute, pouring down the next, then sunny again.
Rainy season in different parts of Costa Rica
- Caribbean side (Puerto Viejo, Limon, Tortuguero): this area doesn’t follow the straight May-November rainy season in Costa Rica. It actually rains throughout the year with October being the driest month. June/July and November are usually the rainiest months.
- Guanacaste (Tamarindo, Papagayo Peninsula, Samara, Nosara, Liberia, La Cruz): this is is the driest area. In May, it starts getting super cloudy and humid. June can get more rainy in the afternoons and nights. Then in July it’ll get hot and dry for a few weeks due to a little summer phenomenom. In August, it’ll start getting more cloudy with few off and on showers. By September and October, it’ll start having more consistent rains, mostly in late afternoon, evenings and nights.
- Nicoya Peninsula Puntarenas (Montezuma, Tambor, Paquera, Santa Teresa, Mal Pais): Their weather is very similar to Guanacaste’s weather, very dry and hot in dry season.
- Central Pacific (Jaco, Manuel Antonio): Experiences typical rainy season days with sunny mornings and cloudy/rainy afternoons. Very humid. This area can quite hard August – beginning of December at night.
- South Pacific (Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal): this area is hot and humid and can rain even in the dry season months. We visited Dominical in February where it poured for almost a week straight.
- Osa Peninsula: very humid and when it rains, it pours in the Osa. Mostly at night in rainy season but during September – November it can rain quite a bit, usually afternoons and nights.
- Central Valley: This area follows the May-December rainy season and it rains hard in the city. It usually starts raining mid to end of April.
- La Fortuna: Follows a typical weather season but can rain in April. Rains hard July – November and can on and off during the rain.
- Monteverde: This area is up in the cloud forests at nearly 2000 meters in elevation. Clouds roll in and out all throughout the year with constant spring showers in dry season.
Best Packing List for Rainy Season in Costa Rica
Many of these tips come from personal experience as we know first hand what it’s like to backpack the country in the rainiest month and hike up a volcano in the middle of a thunderstorm.
Add these items to your normal packing list so you can have a safe and fun time in Costa Rica.
You can check out our complete packing list for Costa Rica or read on for our suggestions for packing for rainy season in Costa Rica.
The Beach (both Pacific and Caribbean)
If you’re visiting the beach, still pack summer clothes such as swimsuits, flip flops, tank tops, and shorts.
It doesn’t get cold at night but it won’t hurt to throw in a pair of long pants or a light jacket as mosquitoes are very bad on the coasts during rainy season.
I still wear my normal dry season clothes everyday (shorts and tank tops) in the rainy season.
The South Pacific and Caribbean side are much more humid than the North Pacific, so bring some clothes that dry fast like Nike dri-fit.
It’s difficult to hang dry clothes when it’s 90% humidity outside! I avoid jeans as it takes forever to dry.
The Mountains and Cloud/Rain Forest
If you’re visiting the mountains or cloud forests, you will need to bring long sleeve shirts, a sweater or warm jacket, closed toe shoes, socks and long pants.
It gets quite chilly at night and when it rains so you’ll want to come prepared.
The coldest temperatures in Costa Rica have been recorded at -9°C (15° F) at Chirripo National Park in the Talamanca Mountain Range!
Make sure to bring a warm jacket, socks, warm hat and long warm pants.
Other mountain areas that get cold are up in Bijagua, the mountain area around Turrialba like Santa Cruz, San Isidro de Perez Zeledon, San Gerardo de Dota, Cerro de la Muerte, Poas and Nuevo Arenal.
The City (Central Valley like San Jose, Alajuela, Cartago and Heredia)
The city doesn’t get as cold as in the high mountains but it can get fairly cool. Bring long pants, a sweater, socks and closed toe shoes.
The Central Valley area has a pretty comfortable climate all year long and at night, you can snuggle up with a blanket and cup of hot chocolate or tea.
If you go up in the mountains of the Central Valley like the Poas or Irazu area, it gets very cold as you’re higher in elevation.
If you’re up in the mountains of Grecia, San Ramon, Zarcero, Atenas, a sweatshirt is a must!
Packing for Rainy Season in Costa Rica: Important Items to Bring
In addition to your standard Costa Rica packing list, here are some very important items to add to your rainy season packing list for Costa Rica.
This will help keep all your electronics and personal items from getting ruined especially if you are caught in a rainstorm.
Waterproof Backpack and bags
I can’t stress enough how important it is to bring waterproof equipment.
We lost a brand new Canon camera when we got caught in a rainstorm while hiking with a supposedly waterproof backpack.
After that, we got a real waterproof backpack, one from Aqua Quest.
We also have these Rain Covers and we both also have this IDRYBAG dry bag backpack which has been awesome for boating and hiking.
If you are doing any aquatic outdoor activities like boating, snorkeling, fishing, or waterfall hikes, then you should bring waterproof bags or dry bags to protect your stuff.
Plastic bags, ziploc bag
Extremely useful when you need to wrap up dirty shoes, collect dirty or wet clothes or wrap your backpack or bag.
I like to bring the big white garbage bags that have a drawstring and the normal grocery market bags for dirty clothes.
Ziploc bags are a quick and easy way to protect your stuff from sand and water. Can never bring too many!
Water shoes/sandals
If you are doing light outdoor activities, closed toed hiking sandals or waterproof trail running shoes are the best shoes in the rainy season.
Yeison and I both have a pair of KEEN sandals that are excellent for tubing and rafting. The sandals let your feet breathe and say goodbye to nasty soggy socks! For hikes, we both love our Salomon waterproof trail running shoes. These shoes are amazing!
For more advice, check our post on best shoes for Costa Rica.
Rain jacket
A must have item. And a real, waterproof rain jacket. The best one is a shell because it is very humid in Costa Rica.
A shell is light and usually have the armpit vents to lets air flowers through. Yeison and I both use North Face Venture shells.
Poncho
I would recommend a heavy duty poncho if you are hardcore photographer so that way the poncho can cover your backpack for more protection.
However, a poncho is not really necessary if you are already bringing a rain jacket.
Quick dry travel towel
I love love love my micro-fiber towel. It’s incredibly useful for tropical weather. When you get caught in rainstorms, use it to dry off when under cover.
Or if you’re hiking in the national parks, use it to wipe the sweat off. So many uses for a microfiber travel towel.
A flashlight
During rainy season, it is common for the power to go out. Sometimes for a minute, sometimes for longer.
However, many streets do not have street lamps or are very very dimly lit, this is especially apparent in rural areas.
Bring a small powerful flashlight just in case. A headlamp is also super handy.
Remember, it gets dark by 6 PM everyday.
Any waterproof/water resistant clothing
I bought a pair of water resistant Columbia hiking pants and am obsessed with them.
Yeison saw how much I liked them and he bought himself a similar pair for men, more cargo pant style.
I also have a pair of Arc’teryx water resistant pants (Parapet or the Gore Tex) that are fantastic and very light.
It’s helpful to bring clothes that are quick dry or water resistant because many local laundromats in Costa Rica don’t use dryers.
Furthermore, it is very humid in Costa Rica all year long so you will sweat a LOT.
Pro tip: If you don’t have access to a laundromat, bring some dryer sheets so that your dirty clothes don’t stink up your luggage too bad.
Some optional items
- Travel umbrella: Get a small travel umbrella to save space.
- Extra battery pack: This is particularly useful because the power can go out occasionally during rainy season in rural areas. A extra battery pack will make sure your phone will have plenty of battery.
- Travel organizing cubes. So helpful!
- A travel hair dryer. Hostels/cheap hotels and vacation rentals don’t always offer hair dryers. In rainy season, a folding travel hair dryer is useful especially when visiting colder destinations.
And don’t forget your sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
You will still need to protect yourself from the sun even if it’s cloudy out and mosquitoes are worse in rainy season.
Make sure you cover up or apply mosquito repellent or sunscreen often during rainy season!
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels and our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Beth says
Hi, we have a trip booked for next week to a beach resort near Tamarindo. It looks like there are going to be scattered thunderstorms all day, every day. We are worried that we will be stuck inside the hotel. Are the adventure tours cancelled in thunderstorms? We don’t mind some rain, but being stuck in the hotel for a week would drive us crazy. We can cancel our trip. Am I over-reacting?
Sammi says
Typically May to November though the Caribbean sides rains throughout the year. You can read more about weather here: Costa Rica weather
daisy says
when is rainy season typically?
Shante says
Wow- I just stumbled upon this websoite and how super helpful. My husband and I are traveling to CR from Sept 3-first week in October, are we screwed with only rain? We are staying in Playa Bueno
Sammi says
Hi Shante! Unfortunately October is the worst month of the year for rain so yes, be prepared for lots of rain!
Adrenaline Romance says
Great tips to stay dry! These tips are also useful for visitors traveling to other tropical countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.
Sammi says
Thanks! Yeah definitely, any tropical country or place that experiences the dry/wet seasons.
Sharon Zayne says
All beautiful tropical countries!!
Yes thanks for this great blog.
Heather says
Thank you so much for all of the helpful information. We are looking at an extremely last minute trip out tomorrow through 6/23 but the weather looks awful. It’s a little intimidating to travel from the States and put out the money with worry of rain all day every day. Would you say it’s worth it and are you still able to enjoy the outside activities? Arenal and Tamarindo or Arenal & Manuel Antonio areas are where we are looking to go.
Sammi says
Hi Heather, the weather in Guanacaste where we are (close to Tamarindo) has been hot in the mornings and afternoons and rainy in the evenings and nights a few days here and there. I know tourists don’t want any rain on their vacation but it’s actually a unique experience and it gives you a different perspective. BUT if you don’t want to run into rain at all, then you should wait until it’s dry season because it is now officially rainy season and it’s impossible to predict what the weather will be except that you will run into rain somewhere along the way. Arenal is the rainier area out of all of those, we’ve visited that area in June before and it poured most of the time we were there. We were able to do all of the outside activities like hiking, the waterfall and things like that, just in the rain. So it really depends on what you want but you can still do all the outside activities except if there is a lightning storm since that’s not safe.
Heather says
Hi Sammi,
I really appreciate the prompt response! It’s nice to know that the outdoor activities can still be done in the rain. I prefer to travel in off seasons and don’t mind the rain so long as it does not completely hinder experiencing the scenery and especially if we get to enjoy the sight of more animals and vegetation.
Best,
Heather
Sammi says
You’re welcome. Actually the rain makes everything much more beautiful, it’s so green and lush now. And the animals come out because of the rain so you will still see plenty of wildlife!
Duke Stewart says
Rainy season and those 26 micro-climates seem challenging at best! I loved this post, Sammi and Yeison! I’ve always heard such wonderful things about Costa Rica and never began to realize just how diverse the climate can be there.
The extremes of that mountain weather are just… wow. This guide was pretty cool because it’s kind of preparing me for my upcoming trip through SE Asia, and the extremes that will come with that☺ Do you find them similar, CR and SE Asia?
I love that picture you took from the top of that mountain. Such a gorgeous view there. Are the hikes there super difficult?
One note/question about the battery pack: I’ve been told by some people that it’s not cool to pack one because airports find them pretty suspect. Have you ever had any bad experiences traveling with them?
Thanks for sharing this wonderfully-informative post☺ Can’t wait to read more of your awesome blog!
Sammi says
Hi Duke!
The climate is really crazy here, it’s not a very big country but the weather changes even 30 minutes driving. I definitely felt like the weather in Se Asia and CR were similar, though SE Asia was WAY more humid. It doesn’t get very humid here in Costa Rica (Nicaragua is another story).
Hiking here is not that hard and it’s not as prolific. Id it’s more like walking through the forest, nothing crazy, no bouldering or climbing. There are a couple that are tough but on the whole, hiking here is fairly easy.
And yes, be very careful about the battery packs in Asia. They don’t cause a problem in North and Central America, but when we were in Asia you had to make sure your battery packs were in your carry on and not your check in. I accidentally left a battery pack in my check in and they went through my luggage and took it. You also see signs for it everywhere when you’re in the airport about items you can’t put in your check in and battery packs are one of them.
Thanks for reading Duke! Hope you can visit one day 🙂
grace says
does it still get sunny during the rainy season? Like is it sunny in the mornings and then pours down in the afternoons or is it constant rain?
Sammi says
Hi Grace, right now in the Guanacaste province it is sunny in the morning and afternoons. it has been raining in the late afternoons and evenings, sometimes all night. In the Central Valley it has been raining pretty hard and constant.
Donovan says
Great tips Sammi! Thanks for this post!
Piggybacking on your last point, you can also buy small, flexible solar panels in lieu of lugging around extra battery packs. I’ve seen decent ones on Amazon.com for around $50. Something to consider.
Sammi says
That’s also a great idea! You can let them charge in the early hours when it is sunny. I need to get myself some solar panels!
Ben says
Great tips guys. You seriously don’t want to visit Costa Rica during the rainy season without rain coat and other proper rain gear. Those downpours, though usually short, are crazy.
Sammi says
Thanks Ben! Yep the downpours can get pretty intense and it has been raining pretty hard the past few days! Always want to come prepared