Costa Rica Geography & Climate

Costa Rica sits on the narrow isthmus of Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, with coastlines on both the Pacific and the Caribbean -- under 200 kilometers apart at the country's narrowest point.

A volcanic mountain spine runs the length of the country, home to several active volcanoes (Arenal, Poás, Irazú) and Costa Rica's highest peak, Cerro Chirripó, tall enough to see both oceans from its summit on a clear day.

The Pacific side is defined by the Nicoya and Osa Peninsulas, both major biodiversity hotspots with markedly drier climates than the Caribbean coast, which is flatter and covered in dense lowland rainforest reaching the sea at places like Tortuguero.

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.