Best Time of Year to Visit Guanacaste Costa Rica

Find out the best time to travel to Guanacaste, Costa Rica along with information about what you can do there.

So, you want to know when the best time to visit Guanacaste, Costa Rica is? Well, you’re in the right place. I spent a few months in the country exploring all over including this region.

Known for its beautiful beaches along the Pacific coast, Guanacaste is one of the most popular destinations within Costa Rica. However, to truly make the most of your time there, you’ll want to visit when the weather suits your plans.

Read on to learn about Guanacaste’s weather patterns and the things you can do there to help you plan your trip.

Where is Guanacaste?

Guanacaste is 1 of Costa Rica’s 7 provinces. It occupies a fair chunk of the north-western part of the country, extending from the border with Nicaragua down towards the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula.

A map of Costa Rica highlighting Guanacaste Province. — Guanacaste Province is outlined in red

The Nicoya Peninsula is where you’ll find the majority of the destinations that people visit within this region and travelers usually head one of the plethora of Pacific coast beach towns.

Getting to Guanacaste is pretty easy. Pulmitan offers a direct bus from San José to Liberia—the capital city of Guanacaste—that takes roughly 6 h.

When is the best time to visit Guanacaste?

Generally, the best time to visit Guanacaste is during Costa Rica’s Dry season. This runs from late November to early May and brings the best weather for being outdoors, especially at the beach.

Average temperatures during this period are around 27°C – 31°C and rainfall is minimal. The driest month is usually January and April is normally the hottest.

The best month to visit Guanacaste is probably January. Little rainfall and temperatures on the cooler side of dry season heat make it an ideal time for a trip.

However, the dry season is also the peak season for tourism in Costa Rica. Expect higher prices and larger crowds, especially in Guanacaste beach towns. The hotter temperatures are also something to consider. You’ll need to drink plenty of water and load up on sunscreen.

Things to do in Guanacaste

While hanging out at beach towns is the main draw to Guanacaste, it’s just one of several things to do there.

Surfing

Along with natural beauty, the majority of Guanacaste beaches have something else in common; they are great places to surf. The Pacific Ocean brings good waves all along the coast and you can surf year-round.

The best time of year to surf in Guanacaste is between May – August. Keep in mind though that this will also be the period when most surfers are in the area.

A man surfing. There are large hills in the background.

Spot turtles

If you love sea turtles then you have to check out Ostional Wildlife Refuge. It’s located at Ostional beach, a 1 h drive from Samara.

The refuge was established in 1984 and acts as a year-round nesting haven for olive-ridley turtles. The turtles build their nests on a 1-mile stretch of the beach and the main nesting event (arribada) takes place once a month during the rainy season.

During an arribada thousands and thousands of turtles come ashore to lay their eggs over a period of 3 to 4 days.

Large numbers of tourists disrupting the turtles have been an issue in the past, so you’ll need to book a tour with a guide in advance to see an arribada. You can find out more information on the Ostional Wildlife Refuge website.

Check out different beaches

There are beach towns dotted along the coast of the Nicoya Peninsula each boasting paradisiacal sands and their own vibe.

More developed and touristy spots such as Tamarindo are known for their nightlife, while lesser-known beaches, such as Playa Mina, are great for enjoying the pristine, non-crowded, white sands and blue water.

sunset picture at a beach. Water climbs the beach. — Suset at Playa Sámara

Other great beaches to visit include Playa Rajada, Playa Pelada, Playa San Juanillo, Playa Real, Playa Ostional, Playa Danta and Playa Samara.

I have a complete guide to Playa Samara here—check that out to get an idea of what Guanacaste’s beach towns have in store.

Explore national parks

The province of Guanacaste is home to several national parks which are interesting alternatives for nature lovers if you fancy a day away from the beach.

Barra Honda National Park – discover caves which you can tour and dry forests where you can tackle hiking trails that reward you with viewpoints of the Nicoya Peninsula
Rincon de la Vieja – one of the better-known national parks in Guanacaste; you can hike to see volcanic mud pots and waterfalls
Las Baulas National Park – this national park was set up to protect leatherback turtles nesting on Playa Grande. Mangrove boat tours are available to spot wildlife in the park
Palo Verde National Park – arguably the best place in Guanacaste for bird watching. The park protects the Tempisque River and valley where thousands of migratory birds live
Santa Rosa National Park – surfers love this national park as its home to Witch’s Rock (Roca Bruja), one of the best surfing spots in Guanacaste. There’s also a good spot for scuba diving and snorkelling in Santa Rosa called Bat Islands (Islas Murciélagos). This is in the marine sector of the park

Scuba dive/snorkel

Bat Islands isn’t the only place to scuba/snorkel in Guanacaste. The Catalina Islands is another brilliant spot for watching sea life including eagle rays, turtles and sharks. If you’re keen to get some diving experience under your belt, then you could do a PADI certification at the Catalina Islands.

Llanos de Cortes Waterfall

Considered the most impressive waterfall in the province, Llanos de Cortes Waterfall is just 30 minutes south of Liberia. The water falls from a height of 21 m into a pool below that you can swim in. You’ll need to pay a $7 US entry fee to visit this gem.

Whale watching

You probably didn’t know this, but Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world to spot humpback whales. This is because it has the longest humpback whale watching season out of any country, spanning 6 months.

The times of year to get a glimpse of these amazing creatures are December – mid March and late July – mid October. Your best bet for spotting humpback whales in Guanacaste is at The Gulf of Papagayo.

Hot springs

There are few better ways to relax and recover during an adventurous trip than by taking a dip in a hot spring or a mud bath. Well, if you head up into the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano area, you can do just that. Many of the accommodations in the area have their own springs/mud baths.

Rainy season is still fun

The dry months make up one portion of Costa Rica’s overall tropical climate, the other period being the wet season. This runs from mid May – late November and these months see heavy rains. The wettest month is usually September and average temperatures typically range between 25°C-28°C.

The sun sets behind a row of palm trees. The sun is reflected in water below the trees.

Although the best time to visit Guanacaste, Costa Rica is during the dry season, I wouldn’t completely rule out heading to the province outside of this time of year.

During the rainy season, the days usually follow a pattern of dry mornings and rainy afternoons. This means that if you plan your days to head out early, you can still do things before the skies turn grey.

A group of people play football on a beach after sunset.

The rainy season is also the low season tourism-wise. Prices will be lower and there are fewer crowds. It’s a great time to explore Guanacaste if you want to save a little money and don’t mind risking getting wet.

So, when is the best time to visit Guanacaste, Costa Rica?

It has to be the dry season, but now you know that the rainy season shouldn’t completely put a stop to your plans.

More Costa Rica travel guides on A World Over

If you found this guide helpful, then let me know in the comments. Also, feel free to leave a comment if you think I missed out anything important. For more Costa Rica travel advice, check out the following guides.

When is the Best Time to Visit Guanacaste, Costa Rica?