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What to wear?
When it comes about the right clothing, it is important to review Costa Rica's climate, and hyperbole flows as thick and as fast as the waterfalls that cascade in ribbons of quicksilver down through the forest-clad mountains. English 19th-century novelist Anthony Trollope was among the first to wax lyrical: "No climate can, I imagine, be more favorable to fertility and to man's comfort at the same time than that of the interior of Costa Rica". And he was right about that.
Most regions have a rainy season (May-November) and a dry season (December-April). And the rainfall almost everywhere follows a predictable schedule. In general, highland ridges are wet, and windward sides always the wettest.
When planning your trip, don't be misled by the terms "summer" and "winter," which Ticos use to designate their dry and rainy seasons. Since the Tico "summer"--which in broad terms lasts December through April--occurs in what are winter months elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere (and vice versa) it can be confusing. Don't be put off by the term "rainy season." Costa Rica promotes it as the "green season", and it's a splendid time to travel, generally.
Even in the rainy season, days often start out warm and sunny, although "temporales" (morning rainfall) are not uncommon. As in many tropical destinations worldwide, only newly arrived gringos go out without an umbrella after noon during the wet season. In the highlands, rainy season usually brings an hour or two of rain mid afternoon. Still, be prepared: 23 hours of a given day may be dry and pleasant; during the 24th, the rain can come down with the force of a waterfall. The sudden onset of a relatively dry period, called veranillo (little summer), sometimes occurs July-August or August-September, particularly along the Pacific coast.
Rarely do hurricanes strike Costa Rica, although Hurricane Cesar came ashore on 27 July 1996, killing 41 people and trashing the Pacific southwest in the nation's worst national disaster in a decade. Large-scale deforestation in the region contributed to massive flooding.
So it is important to carry an umbrella, because, since Costa Rica is a tropical country, you never know when is it going to rain; a sweater and shoes that can sustain a changing weather, and depending whether you rather a warm place or a cooler one in the mountains, always carry a suntan or sun block lotion, a bathing suit, and comfortable, walking pants!
Most regions have a rainy season (May-November) and a dry season (December-April). And the rainfall almost everywhere follows a predictable schedule. In general, highland ridges are wet, and windward sides always the wettest.
When planning your trip, don't be misled by the terms "summer" and "winter," which Ticos use to designate their dry and rainy seasons. Since the Tico "summer"--which in broad terms lasts December through April--occurs in what are winter months elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere (and vice versa) it can be confusing. Don't be put off by the term "rainy season." Costa Rica promotes it as the "green season", and it's a splendid time to travel, generally.
Even in the rainy season, days often start out warm and sunny, although "temporales" (morning rainfall) are not uncommon. As in many tropical destinations worldwide, only newly arrived gringos go out without an umbrella after noon during the wet season. In the highlands, rainy season usually brings an hour or two of rain mid afternoon. Still, be prepared: 23 hours of a given day may be dry and pleasant; during the 24th, the rain can come down with the force of a waterfall. The sudden onset of a relatively dry period, called veranillo (little summer), sometimes occurs July-August or August-September, particularly along the Pacific coast.
Rarely do hurricanes strike Costa Rica, although Hurricane Cesar came ashore on 27 July 1996, killing 41 people and trashing the Pacific southwest in the nation's worst national disaster in a decade. Large-scale deforestation in the region contributed to massive flooding.
So it is important to carry an umbrella, because, since Costa Rica is a tropical country, you never know when is it going to rain; a sweater and shoes that can sustain a changing weather, and depending whether you rather a warm place or a cooler one in the mountains, always carry a suntan or sun block lotion, a bathing suit, and comfortable, walking pants!