Costa Rica does not have the standard four seasons that we have in North America.  Instead they have two seasons which are defined primarily by the amount of rain fall.   The dry season or Summer occurs from December to April.  We euphemistically call the rainy season the “green season” because the rain makes every thing so green.  This green season is also the Winter season and occurs from May to November.   Winter corresponds roughly to the hurricane season in the Atlantic.

While the dry season is more popular and often more expensive, some people prefer to visit Costa Rica in the green season as it is even more lush.  Plus it rarely rains all day.  Most days it rains for a few hours in the morning, or afternoon or even during the night.  Bargains are often available during the green season.

Many people that I talk to in the United States assume that it is very hot in Costa Rica because it is located between 8 to 12 degrees north of the equator.  However their assumption is incorrect.

Costa Rica has many microclimates depending on elevation, rainfall, topography and the geography of a particular region.

Where I live in Nuevo Arenal, our temperature is in the mid 70s  year round.  Nuevo Arenal is 1,700 feet above sea level. This elevation gives us year round comfortable spring like temperatures.  During the entire year our temperatures reach a high in the low to mid 80′s and a low in the 60′s.  In the summer there is  limited rainfall and in the winter we often have rain in the late afternoon to early evening.  Although it can occur at any time.

The majority of the population is located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica near the capital of San Jose.  San Jose has an altitude of 3,809 ft.  The temperature in San Jose ranges between 59 to  86 °F.  

The beaches are warmer.  They range from an average high of 91 °F in April and May to a low of 85 °F in November.   The province of Guanacaste in the Northwest region of the country is the driest area and the Caribbean is the rainiest.

In 1993, a National Geographic study declared Atenas, a city in the Central Valley of Costa Rica, to have the best climate in the world.  The average temperature is 74 °F and ranges from 65 °F at night to 80 °F  during the day most of the time, with spikes occasionally up to 85 °F.

Many people come to Costa Rica and even move to Costa Rica because of the fantastic weather year round.