Our favorite time to travel is when it’s cold up north and many of our “Best Trips Ever” were in the first part of the year.  The tropical beaches are a sure cure for cabin fever!

April Weather in Costa Rica

April is the end of the Costa Rican dry season. The western and central regions of Costa Rica have nearly no rain and mostly sunny weather.  What little rain falls usually comes as afternoon or evening showers and most people are surprised to find that Nicoya and Guanacaste are more reminiscent of the Arizona desert than a jungle.

March and April are the hottest time of year especially in the western half of Costa Rica. Sun worshipers revel in highs around 86 to 96 °F (30-37 °C)  followed by overnight average temperatures of 78 to 86 °F (26-30 °C) with no rain to break the cycle.

Generally April is a drier month but the southern Pacific (starting south of Jacó) and the Caribbean lowlands are wetter climates and the residents there start looking for some relief from the heat around this time. The forests there are true evergreen rain forest but sometimes even they start to wilt before the rains come.

Planning Ahead & Reservations

This one of the most popular months for Costa Rica travel. It’s the heart of the high season for international travelers. Activities and accommodations fill up very quickly.  Advanced reservations (as far ahead as one year ahead for popular beaches) are strongly advised for Semana Santa and Easter (April 12 in 2020).

January through April of 2019 were the busiest we’ve ever seen in Costa Rica and it looks 2020 is following suit.

Normally we say winging it and just showing up at your next destination without reservations is possible in April but it’s going to be tight… arrive early in the day to start looking, stay flexible in your expectations, and unless you’re really adventurous avoid the holiday week.

If you don’t want to be disappointed and end up miles from the beach make some reservations on your own or with a qualified travel planner who may have expanded availability compared to online booking sites.

Costs & Availability for Travel in April

April starts out as one of the most popular months for international and domestic travelers and local Easter holidays (April 12, 2020) push demand (and prices) even higher. Peak season rates for the best hotels and lodges are often 30-50% higher than normal high season rates and can be more than double the low season rates.

Availability is limited and can be further complicated by 3-4 night minimum stays around the holiday so we recommend reservations at least two months in advance – six months or more ahead of time for the best selection.

Discount airfares are hard to come by in April and the sales usually happen early. Try to plan ahead at least two months and set a “fare watcher” for your dates on your favorite ticket search sites to get the best airfare.

Alternatives to April in Costa Rica

In 2020 Easter falls on April 12th but you can enjoy the same great weather but avoid the crowds by traveling in February or early March.

…Other Bests…best kept secrets, best to do, best vacation plans & best places…

Notes:

The El Niño Southern Oscillation pattern can have a significant impact on the weather in Costa Rica but currently there are no predictions for sea surface heating in April 2020.

Costa Rica was not affected by the hurricanes that devastated the Caribbean Islands in September of 2017 and has seen a surge in reservations in the past two years.  2020 will probably be the same so book soon.

Calendar of Nature, Holidays & Fiestas – Costa Rica in April

The more you see of a turtle, whale or quetzal symbol the more likely you’ll see one. A detailed explanation and legend is also included at the bottom.

 

April 2020						approximate exchange rate ¢611 per $U.S.
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean
Wed 1		↑11:51 ↓23:59	↑5:36 ↓17:49	↑1:49 ↑14:04	↓8:09 ↓20:29
Thu 2		↑12:48 ↓0:54	↑5:35 ↓17:49	↑2:47 ↑15:09	↓9:12 ↓21:37
Fri 3		↑13:47 ↓1:49	↑5:35 ↓17:49	↑3:54 ↑16:23	↓10:23 ↓22:50
Sat 4		↑14:47 ↓2:43	↑5:34 ↓17:49	↑5:03 ↑17:35	↓11:31 ↓23:58
		Fiesta San Vincente de Moravia – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Sun 5		↑15:47 ↓3:35	↑5:34 ↓17:49	↑6:07 ↑18:38	↓12:31 ↓
		Palm Sun. –
Mon 6		↑16:45 ↓4:25	↑5:33 ↓17:49	↑7:03 ↑19:34	↓0:57 ↓13:25
		Semana Santa – Holy week is observed with religious processions and masses. Starting on Thursday essentially nothing is open and even public transportation does not run until after Easter Sunday
Tue 7		↑17:44 ↓5:15	↑5:32 ↓17:49	↑7:54 ↑20:25	↓1:50 ↓14:14
Wed 8		↑18:43 ↓6:04	↑5:32 ↓17:49	↑8:43 ↑21:13	↓2:40 ↓15:02
Thu 9		↑19:43 ↓6:54	↑5:31 ↓17:49	↑9:30 ↑22:01	↓3:28 ↓15:49
		Maundy Thu. –
Fri 10		↑20:43 ↓7:46	↑5:31 ↓17:49	↑10:17 ↑22:48	↓4:15 ↓16:35
		Good Fri. –
Sat 11		↑21:42 ↓8:40	↑5:30 ↓17:49	↑11:04 ↑23:36	↓5:03 ↓17:23
Sun 12		↑22:41 ↓9:35	↑5:30 ↓17:49	↑11:52 ↑	↓5:52 ↓18:12
		Easter –
Mon 13		↑23:36 ↓10:31	↑5:29 ↓17:49	↑0:26 ↑12:44	↓6:44 ↓19:04
Tue 14		↑23:36 ↓11:26	↑5:29 ↓17:49	↑1:19 ↑13:40	↓7:41 ↓20:02
Wed 15		↑0:29 ↓12:20	↑5:28 ↓17:49	↑2:18 ↑14:46	↓8:45 ↓21:08
Thu 16		↑1:17 ↓13:11	↑5:28 ↓17:49	↑3:25 ↑16:00	↓9:54 ↓22:19
Fri 17		↑2:02 ↓14:00	↑5:27 ↓17:49	↑4:36 ↑17:14	↓11:04 ↓23:27
Sat 18		↑2:43 ↓14:46	↑5:27 ↓17:49	↑5:41 ↑18:17	↓12:04 ↓
		Fiesta San Rafael de Sata Ana – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Sun 19		↑3:22 ↓15:31	↑5:26 ↓17:49	↑6:35 ↑19:07	↓0:26 ↓12:54
Mon 20		↑4:00 ↓16:15	↑5:26 ↓17:50	↑7:20 ↑19:48	↓1:14 ↓13:36
Tue 21		↑4:36 ↓16:59	↑5:25 ↓17:50	↑7:58 ↑20:24	↓1:56 ↓14:14
Wed 22		↑5:14 ↓17:44	↑5:25 ↓17:50	↑8:33 ↑20:59	↓2:34 ↓14:48
Thu 23		↑5:52 ↓18:30	↑5:24 ↓17:50	↑9:06 ↑21:32	↓3:10 ↓15:22
Fri 24		↑6:32 ↓19:18	↑5:24 ↓17:50	↑9:40 ↑22:06	↓3:46 ↓15:56
Sat 25		↑7:15 ↓20:08	↑5:24 ↓17:50	↑10:13 ↑22:41	↓4:21 ↓16:30
		Fiesta Tarrazu – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Sun 26		↑8:02 ↓21:00	↑5:23 ↓17:50	↑10:48 ↑23:17	↓4:56 ↓17:05
Mon 27		↑8:52 ↓21:54	↑5:23 ↓17:50	↑11:25 ↑23:56	↓5:34 ↓17:42
Tue 28		↑9:45 ↓22:48	↑5:22 ↓17:50	↑12:06 ↑	↓6:13 ↓18:24
Wed 29		↑10:41 ↓23:42	↑5:22 ↓17:50	↑0:38 ↑12:53	↓6:58 ↓19:11
Thu 30		↑11:38 ↓23:42	↑5:22 ↓17:50	↑1:26 ↑13:48	↓7:50 ↓20:08
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean

Calendar Legend

Averages for the month

• Approximate exchange rate
• General weather pattern for each half of the country
  
• Average surf wave height for each coast
  

Shown for each day

• The phase of the moon, and the moon and sun rise and set times for planning turtle viewing or a night hike (best under the dark skies of a new moon when nocturnal animals are most active).
• Times for each high and low tide along the outer Pacific coast (gulfs and bays vary). Average height 8 feet (2.5 meters).
  Not intended for navigation.
• Tides on the east coast occur about 2 hours earlier. However, the average height is only 8 inches (0.2 meters) so levels in the Caribbean Sea do not significantly impact most activities.
• Natural events are shown as shaded icons for quetzals (nesting), turtles (nesting), and humpback whales (calving) on each coast.
  
• The more solid color shown the more likely the event, the more shaded the less likely.
  
• Baby turtles hatch (usually at night) after approximately 50-70 days incubation so look for nesting activity on the calendar two months prior to your visit if you’d like to see the little ones popping out of the sand..
• Holidays – Bold indicates a government & bank holiday when most businesses are closed and buses may run on limited schedules.
• Fiesta and local festival dates are approximate – most include events spread over a week or two so check the schedule locally for more information.