Best Time to Travel?
or see when to travel summary
February might just be the best time there is for a Costa Rica vacation. The weather is hot and dry in the most beach popular destinations and it’s when we discovered many of our “Best Trips Ever.”
It’s almost as popular than January but there are no peak season surcharges like at Christmas, New Years and Spring Break/Easter).
Monkeys would rather hang around in the sun and there are a number of seasonal migrants in residence making February an excellent time for wildlife watching.
Weather in February in Costa Rica
February is the middle of the dry season in Costa Rica’s Central Valley and Pacific beaches. The western and central regions of Costa Rica have sunny hot weather and nearly no rain. What little rain falls usually comes as afternoon or evening showers.
A February weather phenomenon is strong winds called “Papagayos.” These winds are most common in the northwest and are caused by cooler, dry air moving down from the north and displacing the moist, warm dense, tropical air mass. The air moves across Costa Rica as a result of the pressure difference and accelerates through gaps in the central mountain ranges and can exceed 100 kph.
Because there’s no rain on the Pacific side temperatures on the beaches and in the lowlands climb. Highs around 86 to 94 °F (30-35 °C) with lows only dropping a few degrees to 76 to 84 °F (25-29 °C) overnight can make heading to the mountains for part of your vacation attractive. Daytime temperatures around the central valley are a very pleasant 75 to 85 °F (24-29 °C) this time of year.
It’s wetter on the Caribbean side of the central mountains and the likelihood of temporales del Atlantico (polar air pushes across the Gulf of Mexico picking up heat and moisture then deposits it as continuous days of rain) is still fairly high.
Temperatures on the Caribbean side are moderated by the rains and a few degrees lower – hot instead of really hot.
Surf conditions depend strongly on weather conditions and these regional descriptions can help you find the best waves in February.
Planning Ahead & Reservations
The best lodges and resorts normally sell out in February. In 2018 we spent the entire month traveling around and found that even with our connections and a whole office full of travel advisers working for us we were scrambling for reservations a few times.
The extraordinary hurricane season that devastated the beaches, resorts and hotels of the Caribbean in late 2017 prompted many travelers to switch from their Virgin Islands, Barbuda, or Puerto Rico tradition and try Costa Rica instead. 2018 and 2019 followed with big increases in the number of flights from Europe. 2020 is already looking even busier and will doubtless establish new occupancy records by quite a bit.
If you’re thinking about a last minute trip you can probably find accommodations a couple of weeks in advance if you’re a little flexible. If you have your heart set on a particular property on specific dates you should plan to reserve at least three to six months in advance.
Costa Rican School holidays end in the first half of February so there’s less local competition for activities and accommodations in the later part of the month.
Costs & Availability for Travel in February
February is the high season but not the peak so you’ll find slightly lower prices and better availability that may give you the option of choosing a less luxurious room that better matches your budget or the best view if you’re splurging. Our recommended itineraries each include details on the popularity of the destinations.
For an accurate idea of how much to budget for a Costa Rica vacation in January try the instant trip cost calculator.
Reasonable airfares are available for advance purchasers, but most have sold out by December. Occasionally airfares for February go on sale a few weeks in advance especially when temperatures have been unseasonably warm in the northeastern U.S. and Canada.
Alternatives to February in Costa Rica
February is one of the alternatives to the crowds in late December and early January.
If February dates don’t work for you but you want to stick with the Dry Season then take a look at early March before the Spring Break and Easter crowds arrive.
…Other Bests…best kept secrets, favorite tours, best itineraries, best things to do in February & top10 destinations…
Notes:
There’s currently a small chance that 2020 will start off as a mild ENSO positive (El Niño Southern Oscillation) which means a bit drier and hotter on the Pacific with the typical tropical scattered rain and high humidity on the Caribbean.
“Summer” School Holidays—The long public school vacations in Costa Rica run from the middle of the second week in December through the beginning of the second week in February. Expect families on vacation and bigger crowds at the beach. Exact dates can be found on the Ministerio de Educación Pública calendar.
Calendar of Nature, Holidays & Fiestas – Costa Rica in February
The Costa Rica tide table below is for informational purposes and is not suitable for navigation. The more you see of a turtle, whale or quetzal symbol the more likely you’ll see one and you can read about the best February wildlife viewing here…
A detailed explanation and legend is also included at the bottom.
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February 2020
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approximate exchange rate ¢612 per $U.S. | ||||||
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Rise & Set
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Tide Times
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Pacific
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Caribbean
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Sat 1
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↑11:17 ↓23:54 | ↑6:01 ↓17:44 | ↑1:32 ↑13:39 |
↓7:43 ↓20:08 |
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Sun 2
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↑11:58 ↓23:54 | ↑6:01 ↓17:44 | ↑2:18 ↑14:24 |
↓8:31 ↓20:55 |
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Mon 3
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↑12:42 ↓0:43 | ↑6:01 ↓17:44 | ↑3:11 ↑15:16 |
↓9:27 ↓21:50 |
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Tue 4
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↑13:31 ↓1:35 | ↑6:01 ↓17:45 | ↑4:10 ↑16:16 |
↓10:30 ↓22:51 |
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Wed 5
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↑14:24 ↓2:29 | ↑6:01 ↓17:45 | ↑5:13 ↑17:22 |
↓11:35 ↓23:53 |
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Thu 6
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↑15:22 ↓3:27 | ↑6:01 ↓17:45 | ↑6:14 ↑18:25 |
↓12:35 ↓ |
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Fri 7
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↑16:23 ↓4:26 | ↑6:01 ↓17:45 | ↑7:09 ↑19:23 |
↓0:50 ↓13:29 |
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Sat 8
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↑17:25 ↓5:24 | ↑6:00 ↓17:46 | ↑7:59 ↑20:16 |
↓1:44 ↓14:18 |
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Sun 9
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↑18:27 ↓6:21 | ↑6:00 ↓17:46 | ↑8:46 ↑21:06 |
↓2:34 ↓15:05 |
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Mon 10
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↑19:27 ↓7:14 | ↑6:00 ↓17:46 | ↑9:32 ↑21:54 |
↓3:22 ↓15:51 |
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Tue 11
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↑20:25 ↓8:05 | ↑6:00 ↓17:47 | ↑10:17 ↑22:42 |
↓4:08 ↓16:36 |
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Wed 12
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↑21:21 ↓8:53 | ↑5:59 ↓17:47 | ↑11:02 ↑23:30 |
↓4:55 ↓17:22 |
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Thu 13
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↑22:17 ↓9:40 | ↑5:59 ↓17:47 | ↑11:48 ↑ |
↓5:43 ↓18:10 |
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Fri 14
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↑23:12 ↓10:28 | ↑5:59 ↓17:47 | ↑0:19 ↑12:36 |
↓6:32 ↓18:59 |
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| 9th Annual Costa Rica Blues Festival – Feb 14th through 16th, all day at the Papagayo Golf & Country Club, Playas del Coco. $45 for a lineup including Blues Hall of Famer: Joe Louis Walker and more than a dozen other international and Costa Rican blues artists. | |||||||
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Sat 15
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↑23:12 ↓11:16 | ↑5:59 ↓17:47 | ↑1:11 ↑13:26 |
↓7:25 ↓19:53 |
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| Fiesta de los Diablitos – The festival of the little devils takes place in the second half of February. An indigenous celebration wrapped around a re-enactment of a battle between the toro (Spanish troops) and the diablitos (Boruca Indians). Striking hand carved masks and tradit | |||||||
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Sun 16
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↑0:08 ↓12:06 | ↑5:58 ↓17:48 | ↑2:07 ↑14:22 |
↓8:22 ↓20:51 |
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Mon 17
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↑1:04 ↓12:57 | ↑5:58 ↓17:48 | ↑3:09 ↑15:25 |
↓9:27 ↓21:56 |
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Tue 18
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↑1:59 ↓13:50 | ↑5:58 ↓17:48 | ↑4:18 ↑16:37 |
↓10:39 ↓23:06 |
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Wed 19
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↑2:53 ↓14:43 | ↑5:57 ↓17:48 | ↑5:31 ↑17:50 |
↓11:51 ↓ |
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Thu 20
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↑3:45 ↓15:36 | ↑5:57 ↓17:48 | ↑6:37 ↑18:57 |
↓0:13 ↓12:55 |
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Fri 21
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↑4:34 ↓16:27 | ↑5:57 ↓17:48 | ↑7:33 ↑19:52 |
↓1:12 ↓13:49 |
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Sat 22
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↑5:20 ↓17:17 | ↑5:56 ↓17:49 | ↑8:19 ↑20:38 |
↓2:03 ↓14:35 |
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Sun 23
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↑6:03 ↓18:05 | ↑5:56 ↓17:49 | ↑8:59 ↑21:18 |
↓2:47 ↓15:15 |
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| Carnival and Festival del Mar – A week of local celebrations in Puntarenas and Quepos including street fairs and fiestas, dancing and sporting events. | |||||||
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Mon 24
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↑6:43 ↓18:50 | ↑5:55 ↓17:49 | ↑9:35 ↑21:54 |
↓3:26 ↓15:52 |
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Tue 25
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↑7:22 ↓19:35 | ↑5:55 ↓17:49 | ↑10:09 ↑22:29 |
↓4:03 ↓16:27 |
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Wed 26
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↑7:59 ↓20:19 | ↑5:55 ↓17:49 | ↑10:42 ↑23:04 |
↓4:39 ↓17:01 |
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| Ash Wed. – | |||||||
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Thu 27
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↑8:36 ↓21:03 | ↑5:54 ↓17:49 | ↑11:15 ↑23:39 |
↓5:14 ↓17:34 |
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Fri 28
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↑9:14 ↓21:49 | ↑5:54 ↓17:49 | ↑11:48 ↑ |
↓5:50 ↓18:08 |
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Sat 29
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↑9:53 ↓22:36 | ↑5:53 ↓17:49 | ↑0:14 ↑12:22 |
↓6:26 ↓18:44 |
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Rise & Set
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Tide Times
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Pacific
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Caribbean
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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.