Costa Rican Weather

From the desk of Chris Broscheck:

Where we moved from in Calgary Alberta Canada, one of our favorite sayings is "if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes". This was very true as the weather is so unpredictable there. It could be snowing in the morning when you leave home for the day and then be sunny by mid afternoon with you wishing that you had your shorts with you, I am not kidding.

Here in the Papagayo Region, which includes the beach communities of Panama, Hermosa, Coco and Octotal, it is a bit more predictable and a whole lot warmer than Calgary. For a small country, Costa Rica weather has a lot going for it. There are many microclimates across the country and the climate around Playas del Coco is downright beach-worthy.

Here is the low down on the weather patterns around the Papapgayo area. There are two seasons, summer (verano) and winter (invierno). These are more commonly known as the dry season (high season) and green (low season).

The Green Season

Costa Rica's Green Season goes from May-October. As you can imagine this is called the Green Season because it is the rainy season where everything grows like mad and is green and tropical. It is usually sunny with rain typically in the afternoons and/or evenings. The average temperature is 32C/89F. Although tourists may be put off by traveling in the green season, this is a particularly enjoyable time and many locals and returning travelers enjoy this time best as the rain is refreshing, there are cooler temperatures and often a bit of warm wind accompanying the rain to keep temperatures perfect. If you like thunderstorms then this is also the time of year to enjoy the "Rolling Thunder" where the evenings and nights are like a fireworks show with a symphony of thunder often over the ocean and lighting the entire sky. Truly something to be seen and heard to appreciate it.

Costa Rica's Dry Season (aka High Season) is not green. This season runs from November to April. Dry and hot. The average temperature is 34C/93F.

The temperatures noted above are average temperatures across the entire province of Guanacaste.  Here in Playas del Coco the temperatures are actually higher as we are protected by a mountain range that surrounds the beach communities of Ocotal, Coco, Hermosa and Panama.

Thanks in large part to the phenomenal weather in this area, the Government of Costa Rica has designated the Papagayo region as the Premier Tourist Destination in the country. Costa Rica has heavily invested in the region with the best infrastructure outside of San Jose.  Some of the world's finest resorts are also in this area as there is no better place for guests to enjoy the amazing weather at any time of the year. Included are the RIU, Hilton, Four Seasons, Occidental and soon the Sol Melia which will be completed in early 2014.

Forget the damp, dreary Coast, forget the cold snowy North and head South to our tropical paradise in Costa Rica and enjoy the best weather ANYWHERE!