If you want to get a head start on summer June is a great time to visit Costa Rica.  Popular destinations have shed their crowds and you can enjoy some of the best trips in a more relaxed atmosphere with lower prices.

The trees are sprouting fresh green leaves and the dry dusty desert of Guanacaste is transformed into lush tropical jungle.  The rivers are filling up adding a class or two to the whitewater and flushing out the swimming holes under the waterfalls.  The Pacific surge picks up creating more and bigger waves.

Weather in June in Costa Rica

We got it right when we predicted an early wet rainy season in 2017 (in mid 2016 we said “it’s likely that the rainy season will probably start faster and earlier in 2017“) and it looks like 2018 will be similar.  May 2018 was the rainiest May ever on record and the pattern of tropical lows bringing storms to the central mountains and normally dry Guanacaste and Nicoya Peninsula.

The Caribbean (Atlantic slope) is wetter than the Pacific.  Continuous days of rain are possible there but not as likely as November through January during the temporales del Atlantico.  June 2015 was exceptionally wet in the eastern zone and widespread flooding washed out roads and bridges.

On both sides of Costa Rica the beaches and lowlands have high temperatures in the high 70’s to low 90’s (25 to 32 degrees C) and  low temperatures in the 70’s to low 80’s F (22 to 28 degrees C).

Head up in elevation to San José and the central valley temperatures drop 5-10 degrees F and temperatures at high elevations (Monteverde and Chirripó) can be 20 or even 30 degrees F lower.

Reservations, Costs & Availability for Travel in June

In general “green season” (rainy season) travel is gaining popularity for Costa Rica travelers, but June is not nearly as crowded as July.  If you want the flexibility of traveling without reservations then June is a good choice and you should find good last minute availability.

The rainy season and warmer weather in the U.S. and Canada mean fewer travelers in the tropics. When demand drops off so do prices and in June discounts of 20-30% are available for many accommodations. Some rental car companies run low season specials with similar discounts, but most transportation, activities and tours have fairly standard pricing year round.

Airfare last minute sales (2-12 weeks in advance) have been fairly common in June for the past few years especially if your travel dates are flexible and you can fly on weekdays.

Alternatives to June

Both July and August have similar weather patterns to June, but of the two July has fewer visitors and better discounts. If you’re willing to pay a little more February is drier on the Pacific beaches and the least crowded of the high season months.

NOTE: June 2018 is hanging on as a “La Nada” (Southern Oscillation – Neutral) year which means it would mean on average normal precipitation but very unpredictable compared to recent El Niño and La Niña years.

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

Calendar of Nature, Holidays & Fiestas – Costa Rica in June 2018

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.

June 2018						approximate exchange rate ¢588 per $U.S.
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean
Fri 1		↑20:40 ↓7:43	↑5:17 ↓17:57	↑10:33 ↑22:59	↓4:39 ↓16:47
Sat 2		↑21:26 ↓8:32	↑5:17 ↓17:57	↑11:13 ↑23:38	↓5:19 ↓17:26
Sun 3		↑22:11 ↓9:21	↑5:17 ↓17:58	↑11:54 ↑	↓6:00 ↓18:08
Mon 4		↑22:54 ↓10:09	↑5:17 ↓17:58	↑0:18 ↑12:38	↓6:43 ↓18:52
Tue 5		↑23:37 ↓10:57	↑5:17 ↓17:58	↑1:00 ↑13:25	↓7:28 ↓19:39
Wed 6		↑23:37 ↓11:44	↑5:17 ↓17:58	↑1:45 ↑14:16	↓8:15 ↓20:31
Thu 7		↑0:18 ↓12:32	↑5:17 ↓17:59	↑2:34 ↑15:11	↓9:06 ↓21:27
Fri 8		↑1:00 ↓13:21	↑5:17 ↓17:59	↑3:26 ↑16:09	↓9:59 ↓22:25
Sat 9		↑1:43 ↓14:11	↑5:17 ↓17:59	↑4:21 ↑17:05	↓10:52 ↓23:22
Sun 10		↑2:28 ↓15:05	↑5:17 ↓17:59	↑5:15 ↑17:59	↓11:44 ↓
Mon 11		↑3:16 ↓16:02	↑5:18 ↓18:00	↑6:09 ↑18:51	↓0:16 ↓12:35
Tue 12		↑4:09 ↓17:02	↑5:18 ↓18:00	↑7:02 ↑19:41	↓1:08 ↓13:24
Wed 13		↑5:06 ↓18:04	↑5:18 ↓18:00	↑7:53 ↑20:30	↓1:58 ↓14:14
		Fiestas Pattronales Trinidad de Moravia, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, Leon Cortes, and San Jeronimo – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Thu 14		↑6:06 ↓19:08	↑5:18 ↓18:00	↑8:44 ↑21:18	↓2:47 ↓15:03
Fri 15		↑7:09 ↓20:10	↑5:18 ↓18:01	↑9:35 ↑22:08	↓3:37 ↓15:53
Sat 16		↑8:13 ↓21:09	↑5:18 ↓18:01	↑10:27 ↑22:58	↓4:27 ↓16:44
Sun 17		↑9:14 ↓22:03	↑5:19 ↓18:01	↑11:21 ↑23:49	↓5:19 ↓17:37
		Día de los Padres – Father’s day
Mon 18		↑10:12 ↓22:54	↑5:19 ↓18:01	↑12:16 ↑	↓6:12 ↓18:32
Tue 19		↑11:08 ↓23:41	↑5:19 ↓18:02	↑0:43 ↑13:14	↓7:08 ↓19:29
Wed 20		↑12:00 ↓23:41	↑5:19 ↓18:02	↑1:38 ↑14:15	↓8:06 ↓20:31
Thu 21		↑12:51 ↓0:25	↑5:19 ↓18:02	↑2:37 ↑15:20	↓9:07 ↓21:34
Fri 22		↑13:40 ↓1:08	↑5:20 ↓18:02	↑3:39 ↑16:26	↓10:08 ↓22:39
Sat 23		↑14:29 ↓1:51	↑5:20 ↓18:02	↑4:41 ↑17:29	↓11:08 ↓23:41
Sun 24		↑15:19 ↓2:34	↑5:20 ↓18:03	↑5:41 ↑18:26	↓12:04 ↓
		Fiesta San Juan de Tibas – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed)
Mon 25		↑16:08 ↓3:18	↑5:20 ↓18:03	↑6:36 ↑19:17	↓0:38 ↓12:56
Tue 26		↑16:58 ↓4:04	↑5:21 ↓18:03	↑7:26 ↑20:02	↓1:30 ↓13:42
Wed 27		↑17:47 ↓4:51	↑5:21 ↓18:03	↑8:11 ↑20:43	↓2:16 ↓14:26
Thu 28		↑18:36 ↓5:39	↑5:21 ↓18:03	↑8:52 ↑21:22	↓2:59 ↓15:06
Fri 29		↑19:23 ↓6:28	↑5:21 ↓18:04	↑9:33 ↑21:59	↓3:39 ↓15:46
		Día de San Pedro y San Pablo – Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s day marked by processions and masses.
Sat 30		↑20:08 ↓7:17	↑5:22 ↓18:04	↑10:12 ↑22:36	↓4:18 ↓16:25
		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.