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

The hurricanes in the Caribbean Islands in 2017 increased demand for Costa Rican beach destinations.   Return visitors and significant increases in flights from Europe mean 2020 will likely set records

In 2019, March was basically sold out (most of our favorites had 0-5% availability) three months in advance so we recommend booking before Christmas.

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 time on the Costa Rica travel calendar but since it’s the second week in April (April 12, 2020) it should not impact March travelers.

If you want the flexibility of traveling without reservations you may not get your first choice in March, but with a good guidebook 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 2019 there were tickets available for less than 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 current weak El Niño has a reasonable chance of persisting into March 2020 which typically means slightly below normal rainfall in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica was not affected by the hurricanes that devastated the beach vacation destinations of the Caribbean in the fall of 2017.  Tourism is experiencing a third year of rapid growth as people shift away from the island destinations.

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

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 2020						approximate exchange rate ¢606 per $U.S.
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean
Sun 1		↑10:36 ↓23:25	↑5:53 ↓17:49	↑0:53 ↑12:59	↓7:04 ↓19:22
Mon 2		↑11:21 ↓23:25	↑5:52 ↓17:49	↑1:35 ↑13:41	↓7:48 ↓20:07
Tue 3		↑12:11 ↓0:17	↑5:52 ↓17:49	↑2:23 ↑14:32	↓8:40 ↓21:02
Wed 4		↑13:05 ↓1:12	↑5:51 ↓17:50	↑3:22 ↑15:35	↓9:44 ↓22:08
Thu 5		↑14:03 ↓2:09	↑5:51 ↓17:50	↑4:29 ↑16:48	↓10:55 ↓23:19
Fri 6		↑15:04 ↓3:06	↑5:50 ↓17:50	↑5:37 ↑17:59	↓12:02 ↓
Sat 7		↑16:05 ↓4:03	↑5:50 ↓17:50	↑6:38 ↑19:01	↓0:24 ↓13:01
Sun 8		↑17:07 ↓4:57	↑5:49 ↓17:50	↑7:32 ↑19:56	↓1:21 ↓13:52
		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	↑8:21 ↑20:47	↓2:13 ↓14:41
Tue 10		↑19:06 ↓6:40	↑5:48 ↓17:50	↑9:09 ↑21:35	↓3:02 ↓15:27
Wed 11		↑20:04 ↓7:30	↑5:48 ↓17:50	↑9:54 ↑22:22	↓3:49 ↓16:13
Thu 12		↑21:01 ↓8:19	↑5:47 ↓17:49	↑10:40 ↑23:09	↓4:36 ↓16:59
Fri 13		↑21:59 ↓9:08	↑5:47 ↓17:49	↑11:26 ↑23:58	↓5:23 ↓17:46
Sat 14		↑22:57 ↓9:59	↑5:46 ↓17:50	↑12:13 ↑	↓6:12 ↓18:35
Sun 15		↑23:54 ↓10:52	↑5:46 ↓17:50	↑0:48 ↑13:04	↓7:03 ↓19:28
Mon 16		↑23:54 ↓11:45	↑5:45 ↓17:50	↑1:42 ↑14:00	↓8:00 ↓20:26
Tue 17		↑0:49 ↓12:39	↑5:44 ↓17:50	↑2:43 ↑15:05	↓9:05 ↓21:32
Wed 18		↑1:42 ↓13:32	↑5:44 ↓17:50	↑3:53 ↑16:20	↓10:18 ↓22:45
Thu 19		↑2:32 ↓14:24	↑5:43 ↓17:50	↑5:08 ↑17:37	↓11:32 ↓23:55
		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	↑6:16 ↑18:44	↓12:36 ↓
Sat 21		↑4:02 ↓16:02	↑5:42 ↓17:50	↑7:11 ↑19:36	↓0:54 ↓13:27
Sun 22		↑4:43 ↓16:48	↑5:41 ↓17:50	↑7:55 ↑20:18	↓1:43 ↓14:11
Mon 23		↑5:22 ↓17:33	↑5:41 ↓17:50	↑8:33 ↑20:54	↓2:25 ↓14:48
Tue 24		↑5:59 ↓18:17	↑5:40 ↓17:50	↑9:07 ↑21:29	↓3:03 ↓15:22
Wed 25		↑6:36 ↓19:01	↑5:40 ↓17:49	↑9:40 ↑22:02	↓3:39 ↓15:56
Thu 26		↑7:14 ↓19:46	↑5:39 ↓17:49	↑10:12 ↑22:35	↓4:13 ↓16:28
Fri 27		↑7:52 ↓20:32	↑5:38 ↓17:49	↑10:44 ↑23:09	↓4:47 ↓17:01
Sat 28		↑8:33 ↓21:21	↑5:38 ↓17:49	↑11:16 ↑23:43	↓5:21 ↓17:34
Sun 29		↑9:17 ↓22:11	↑5:37 ↓17:49	↑11:50 ↑	↓5:57 ↓18:09
Mon 30		↑10:05 ↓23:04	↑5:37 ↓17:49	↑0:20 ↑12:28	↓6:34 ↓18:48
Tue 31		↑10:56 ↓23:59	↑5:36 ↓17:49	↑1:02 ↑13:11	↓7:17 ↓19:33
		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.