Why Costa Rica’s ‘green season’ is the best time to visit.

The Benefits of Traveling during the Costa Rican Green Season

If Costa Rica is on your bucket list, but you don’t want to fight crowds, don’t want to miss out on your first choice in accommodations and don’t want to pay more than you need to, the green season is the perfect time to visit this breathtaking country.

With epic surf, rainforest eco-adventures, romantic getaways, and more, only one question remains: when should you go to Costa Rica? The dry months are certainly popular with tourists, but the rainy season can be a great time to go—think beaches all to yourself, cooler temps, brilliant vegetation, and lower prices.

Most are aware of Costa Rica's tropical climate due to its location in Central America, near to the equator. Many might also know that, because of this environment, Costa Rica enjoys just two seasons annually as opposed to four. The dry season lasts from mid-November through April, and the rainy season lasts from May to mid-November. The latter is also referred to as the "green" season due to the brilliant vegetation that thrives during this period.

Many people worry that their trip will be a washout when traveling between May and November because of rain, but that’s not the case. Depending on the region, clouds usually drift by in the afternoons, dropping rain for a couple of hours. It cools down, and everything springs back to life! Nature flourishes, animals awake, birds sing, monkeys howler, frogs croak, and you…you find yourself in the midst of the real tropics! Simply sit down in a rocking chair or relax in your hammock and enjoy the sounds, scents, and colorful sights you are surrounded by.

If you’re putting off traveling to Costa Rica during the “green season,” you’re missing out on the best time to visit this tropical paradise. Not only is the country lush, vibrant and energized, but there are many other benefits to traveling during this time, which many travelers shy away from.

Green season in Costa Rica in a nutshell: enjoy tours in the morning, and in the afternoon experience the cooling tropical showers, wildlife sounds and bird songs, pleasant smells, and vibrant views from your private porch. A real tropical experience for a bargain!

Apart from all this tropical beauty, another great benefit awaits you when visiting outside the high season (December-May): Fewer tourists! This consequently means better chances of finding deserted white sand beaches, shorter or no waiting times at all for tours, more choices in lodges and the best of all: low season specials for hotels and entire vacation packages!

Benefits of Visiting During Green Season

The most obvious reason to visit Costa Rica during the rainy season is that it's cheaper. You're going to pay much less for accommodations than you will in the high season.

And of course, there are fewer people to contend with during the green season. Low tourist numbers means you get more of the natural beauty to yourself. You're likely to get a few days of sun during your stay, and if that coincides with your beach time, you'll be happy that the sands won't be overcrowded.

Guanacaste Province is located on the northwest Pacific side of the country. It's home to the famous Gold Coast, a section of beaches on the Nicoya Peninsula that include the tourist-heavy surf villages of Nosara and Tamarindo. This is an area of the country that remains reliably hot and dry all year—there's very little rainfall even in the rainy season. So if you want to beat the crowds while avoiding the heat of the dry months, come during the green season.

You can enjoy certain activities, like waterfall hikes and canopy tours, in Costa Rica all year. Some, such as surfing and beach activities, are ideal during the high season. Then there are others, like rafting and turtle spotting, that are best experienced during Costa Rica's green season.