Early March is definitely a good time for a Costa Rica vacation (see our favorite routes). The most popular destinations have hot dry weather and many hotels and lodges have some rooms available even a couple of weeks ahead. Later in March Spring Break travel may reduce availability and raise prices.

Wildlife comes out in March to enjoy the sunshine and gathers at shrinking water supplies as the dry season stretches out.

Weather in March in Costa Rica

March is the heart of the Costa Rican dry season. The western and central regions of Costa Rica have sunny weather, nearly no rain and surprisingly low humidity.  The tropical dry forests covering the lowlands of Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula have dropped their leaves and some are flowering in spectacular displays.

March through April is the hottest weather of the year on the Pacific side of Costa Rica.  Highs around 86 to 96 °F (30-37 °C) and low temperatures of 76 to 86 °F (25-30 °C) keep the beaches sizzling and there’s nearly never any rain to cool things off.

Average temperatures 2-3,000 feet higher in the mountains are 75 to 85 °F (24-29 °C) during the hottest part of the day and it cools off more at night.  You may want to consider a few days in the high elevation cloud forests of Monteverde, Savegre or Los Angeles where temperatures are even lower.

March is a slightly drier month on the Caribbean coast but this region is covered in lowland rain forest that never experiences the dry dusty conditions that prevail on the Pacific north.  Rains still cools things off many afternoons and average daytime highs are 80 to 88 °F (27-31 °C).

The weather is perfect for surfing and even though the northern Pacific surge is smaller than the southern that sets up later in the year offshores keep the waves consistent see regional surf descriptions for March. 

Planning Ahead & Reservations

In 2022, March was basically sold out (most of our favorites had 0-5% availability) three months in advance despite lingering Covid restrictions and vaccination requirements for some non-essential businesses. Costa Rica removed all pandemic related restrictions in April 2022 and with the elimination of testing and quarantine requirements for travelers to return to their home countries traveler numbers are again setting records.

March 2023 will even busier and reservations are recommended for the popular higher quality mid-price, superior and luxury class hotels, lodges and resorts.

It’s not impossible to travel without reservations but plan to arrive early in the day to start looking and stay flexible with price range and expectations.

Rental cars have been a problem since the beginning of the pandemic.  Prices have doubled since 2020 and it’s not unusual to have to pay over $100 per day for a mid-sized SUV with full insurance. Fleets are depleted and new vehicles are not available and even with the high prices all the reputable agencies have been selling out weeks or months in advance.

Make reservations on your own or with a qualified travel planner who may have expanded availability compared to online booking sites but make reservations. Many popular places (especially in beach areas) have minimum stays of 3-6 nights for the peak season.

Costs & Availability for Travel in March

Easter and the preceding week (Semana Santa or Holy Week) are the busiest (and most expensive) time on the Costa Rica travel calendar but since it’s the second week in April (April 9, 2023) it should not impact March travelers.

For an accurate idea of how much to budget for a Costa Rica vacation in March try the instant trip cost calculator.

If you want the flexibility of traveling without reservations you may not get your first choice in March, but you should be able to find somewhere to stay – plan on looking for accommodations in the morning.

Airfare rarely goes on sale for the peak travel months but if it does it’s usually several months in advance. If you plan ahead and set a fare alert on a search site like kayak.com there are occasional bargains – In 2022 there were tickets available for half price as the total number of flights set records and competition increased.

 

Alternatives to March in Costa Rica

Depending on the timing of Easter you may consider shifting into February, or April for similar weather with less crowds.

…Other Bests…best kept secrets, favorite tours, best itineraries & top10 destinations…

Notes:

The Covid pandemic has caused huge swings in airfare prices.  It’s not unusual to see prices ranging from $200 to $1,200 from the U.S. to Costa Rica over a week or two.  Most airlines have relaxed change and cancellation policies so reserve early for 2023 then keep an eye out for bargains.

Rental car fleets were depleted during Covid and if you plan to drive yourself you should plan for the new higher rates and reserve several months in advance.

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

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. A detailed explanation and legend is also included at the bottom.

 

March 2023						approximate exchange rate ¢672 per $U.S.
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean
Sun 1		↑10:36 ↓23:25	↑5:53 ↓17:49	↑7:04 ↑19:22	↓0:53 ↓12:59
Mon 2		↑11:21 ↓23:25	↑5:52 ↓17:49	↑7:48 ↑20:07	↓1:35 ↓13:41
Tue 3		↑12:11 ↓0:17	↑5:52 ↓17:49	↑8:40 ↑21:02	↓2:23 ↓14:32
Wed 4		↑13:05 ↓1:12	↑5:51 ↓17:50	↑9:44 ↑22:08	↓3:22 ↓15:35
Thu 5		↑14:03 ↓2:09	↑5:51 ↓17:50	↑10:55 ↑23:19	↓4:29 ↓16:48
Fri 6		↑15:04 ↓3:06	↑5:50 ↓17:50	↑12:02 ↑	↓5:37 ↓17:59
Sat 7		↑16:05 ↓4:03	↑5:50 ↓17:50	↑0:24 ↑13:01	↓6:38 ↓19:01
Sun 8		↑17:07 ↓4:57	↑5:49 ↓17:50	↑1:21 ↑13:52	↓7:32 ↓19:56
		Día de los Boyeros – Oxcart driver’s day takes place on the second Sunday in March. A parade of beautifully handmade and painted oxcarts and driving competitions are surrounded by traditional costumes, food and dancing in San Antonio de Escazú. One of the most colorful celeb
Mon 9		↑18:07 ↓5:50	↑5:49 ↓17:50	↑2:13 ↑14:41	↓8:21 ↓20:47
Tue 10		↑19:06 ↓6:40	↑5:48 ↓17:50	↑3:02 ↑15:27	↓9:09 ↓21:35
Wed 11		↑20:04 ↓7:30	↑5:48 ↓17:50	↑3:49 ↑16:13	↓9:54 ↓22:22
Thu 12		↑21:01 ↓8:19	↑5:47 ↓17:49	↑4:36 ↑16:59	↓10:40 ↓23:09
Fri 13		↑21:59 ↓9:08	↑5:47 ↓17:49	↑5:23 ↑17:46	↓11:26 ↓23:58
Sat 14		↑22:57 ↓9:59	↑5:46 ↓17:50	↑6:12 ↑18:35	↓12:13 ↓
Sun 15		↑23:54 ↓10:52	↑5:46 ↓17:50	↑7:03 ↑19:28	↓0:48 ↓13:04
Mon 16		↑23:54 ↓11:45	↑5:45 ↓17:50	↑8:00 ↑20:26	↓1:42 ↓14:00
Tue 17		↑0:49 ↓12:39	↑5:44 ↓17:50	↑9:05 ↑21:32	↓2:43 ↓15:05
Wed 18		↑1:42 ↓13:32	↑5:44 ↓17:50	↑10:18 ↑22:45	↓3:53 ↓16:20
Thu 19		↑2:32 ↓14:24	↑5:43 ↓17:50	↑11:32 ↑23:55	↓5:08 ↓17:37
		Día de San José – Saint Joseph is the patron saint of the capital city San José, and the day is recognized nationwide by Catholics with special masses (especially in the many other towns and communities named San José). It is an official business, bank and school holiday i
Fri 20		↑3:19 ↓15:14	↑5:43 ↓17:50	↑12:36 ↑	↓6:16 ↓18:44
Sat 21		↑4:02 ↓16:02	↑5:42 ↓17:50	↑0:54 ↑13:27	↓7:11 ↓19:36
Sun 22		↑4:43 ↓16:48	↑5:41 ↓17:50	↑1:43 ↑14:11	↓7:55 ↓20:18
Mon 23		↑5:22 ↓17:33	↑5:41 ↓17:50	↑2:25 ↑14:48	↓8:33 ↓20:54
Tue 24		↑5:59 ↓18:17	↑5:40 ↓17:50	↑3:03 ↑15:22	↓9:07 ↓21:29
Wed 25		↑6:36 ↓19:01	↑5:40 ↓17:49	↑3:39 ↑15:56	↓9:40 ↓22:02
Thu 26		↑7:14 ↓19:46	↑5:39 ↓17:49	↑4:13 ↑16:28	↓10:12 ↓22:35
Fri 27		↑7:52 ↓20:32	↑5:38 ↓17:49	↑4:47 ↑17:01	↓10:44 ↓23:09
Sat 28		↑8:33 ↓21:21	↑5:38 ↓17:49	↑5:21 ↑17:34	↓11:16 ↓23:43
Sun 29		↑9:17 ↓22:11	↑5:37 ↓17:49	↑5:57 ↑18:09	↓11:50 ↓
Mon 30		↑10:05 ↓23:04	↑5:37 ↓17:49	↑6:34 ↑18:48	↓0:20 ↓12:28
Tue 31		↑10:56 ↓23:59	↑5:36 ↓17:49	↑7:17 ↑19:33	↓1:02 ↓13:11
		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.