What is the dry season like in Costa Rica in 2026?

Pacific Guanacaste towns such as Tamarindo and inland Liberia usually show the sharpest December-to-April dry stretch, with sunny weeks that draw high-season rents and beach calendars: Living in Tamarindo and Beach culture. Heat often peaks late in that window before May rains return: Summer heat. Central and southern Pacific belts such as Manuel Antonio keep a shorter or wetter dry window than Guanacaste savanna.

San José, Escazú, and Atenas share the Pacific-facing dry calendar with milder valley temperatures: Living in San José and Living in Atenas. Mornings stay bright; green-season afternoons later flip to thunderstorms: Rain. Caribbean Limón and Puerto Viejo stay wetter year-round. Relative quieter Caribbean windows do not match the Pacific dry map, so do not shortlist the Caribbean for a Tamarindo-style dry season.

During the rainy half, Pacific and Central Valley zones often see a mid-summer drought (veranillo or canícula) around July and August when trade winds and the Caribbean Low-Level Jet briefly suppress showers. It is a lull inside green season, not a second December. Plan outdoor weeks around it, then expect September and October heaviness to return on many Pacific slopes. Track outlooks through the Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) rather than a tourism brochure alone.

Dry months raise beach and Escazú short-stay demand, AC bills on the coast, and dust on unpaved Guanacaste roads. Green months raise mud, afternoon timing, and occasional flood friction while softening some tourism prices. Altitude still decides whether dry air feels mild or hot: Altitude and climate and Best climate. Outdoor weekends stretch further in dry weeks: Outdoor recreation.