Costa Rica Climate Patterns

Costa Rica's tropical location means temperature stays warm year-round nationwide, with elevation, not season, driving most of the real variation -- San José, sitting around 1,200 meters, stays notably cooler than the coasts.

The Pacific side follows a clear two-season pattern -- a dry season roughly December to April and a rainy "green season" from May to November -- while the Caribbean coast is wetter and less seasonal overall.

Guanacaste, in the country's northwest, is notably drier and hotter than the rest of the country, closer to a tropical savanna than the lush rainforest most visitors associate with Costa Rica.