The typical rainfall patterns are inverted this month some of the top itineraries to the Pacific resort areas get washed out. It’s the perfect time of year to get a bit off the beaten path and head to the east coast.
October Weather in Costa Rica
October is the rainiest month on the Pacific but driest on the Caribbean (other surprising secrets of October).
Days and even weeks of rain can be generated on the west coast and over the central mountains by the westerly winds called temporales del Pacífico. Many lodges and tours on the Osa and southern coast shut down operations.
Even the traditionally dry Guanacaste region has some rain most days and the unimproved roads of the Nicoya peninsula become impassable when the rivers rise and flood the fords.
On the other hand the Caribbean is basking in the driest and sunniest weather of the year. The mountains scrape the moisture out of the Pacific air and by the time it reaches the coast it’s just a warm wind.
Temperatures across the country are about as low as they ever get which means averages around 80 °F (27 °C) with lows overnight about 68 to 76 °F (20-24 °C).
Up in elevation by San José temperatures average 75 to 85 °F (24-29 °C) during the day. If you go even higher by Irazú Volcano or the cloud forests of the San Gerardos it even gets “cold” (52-66 °F and 11-19 °C).
The rainy season came in with a vengeance in back in October of 2017 as the low pressure system from tropical storm Nate in the Caribbean pulled warm moist air from the Pacific across the central mountains producing record rainfall, flooding and damage on the western side and Costa Rica’s costliest natural disaster ever. It continued wetter than normal well into January 2018.
Planning Ahead & Reservations
In general “green season” (rainy season) travel is gaining popularity in Costa Rica, but on the Pacific side and in the mountains it’s unlikely any except the most popular hotels will be fully booked.
If you want the flexibility of traveling without a fixed itinerary or reservations October can be a good choice as long as you don’t want to go to the Osa. If you choose to travel to the southwest check to make sure that the hotels and lodges you’re interested in are actually open and accessible.
The drier weather in the southern Caribbean this time of year makes it a relatively undiscovered rainy season bargain but word is getting out quickly and if you have your heart set on a particular hotel you should probably have reservations.
Costs & Availability for Travel in October
The instant trip cost calculator is a quick easy way to get an idea of how much you’ll spend on a trip to Costa Rica in October.
Lower numbers of travelers mean lower prices and most places on the Pacific side offer discounts of 20-40% throughout October. On the Caribbean October is the high season so discounts are generally not available.
…Other Bests…best to do, best kept secrets, best itineraries & best places…
If you still think October travel is right for you check out the rainy season tips on activites and wildlife watching.
Notes:
2022 is likely to be a wild ride in October with equal odds of La Niña which normally brings even wetter weather to the Pacific side or La Nada which increases unpredictability.
The 2022 tropical storm and hurricane season is projected to be much more active than normal and while they rarely make landfall on Costa Rica’s shores they can have a huge impact on rainfall. Surprisingly although hurricanes are a Caribbean phenomenon they often have their main impact on the western side of Costa Rica. The low pressures draw warm moist air off the Pacific and across the country causing torrential rains, flooding and mudslides.
If you’re planning to rent a car you should take a look at the rainy season driving tips.
Carnavales de Limón was cancelled for several years due to lack of funding. In 2017 it was revived in January, cancelled in May, resurrected in July and then postponed due to Tropical storm Nate. It came back briefly in 2019 but of course was eliminated by the Covid pandemic. There are no plans for 2022.
Calendar of Nature, Holidays & Fiestas – Costa Rica in October
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.
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October 2022
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approximate exchange rate ¢669 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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Thu 1
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↑17:40 ↓5:17 | ↑5:27 ↓17:29 | ↑2:28 ↑14:45 |
↓8:37 ↓20:48 |
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Fri 2
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↑18:17 ↓6:02 | ↑5:27 ↓17:28 | ↑3:04 ↑15:21 |
↓9:11 ↓21:22 |
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Sat 3
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↑18:55 ↓6:46 | ↑5:27 ↓17:28 | ↑3:37 ↑15:56 |
↓9:45 ↓21:54 |
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Sun 4
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↑19:34 ↓7:31 | ↑5:27 ↓17:27 | ↑4:10 ↑16:30 |
↓10:18 ↓22:26 |
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| Fiesta Pattronale San Francisco de Dos Ríos – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed) | |||||||
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Mon 5
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↑20:15 ↓8:17 | ↑5:27 ↓17:27 | ↑4:43 ↑17:05 |
↓10:51 ↓22:59 |
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Tue 6
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↑20:59 ↓9:06 | ↑5:27 ↓17:26 | ↑5:17 ↑17:41 |
↓11:26 ↓23:34 |
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Wed 7
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↑21:46 ↓9:56 | ↑5:27 ↓17:26 | ↑5:52 ↑18:19 |
↓12:03 ↓ |
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Thu 8
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↑22:37 ↓10:48 | ↑5:27 ↓17:25 | ↑6:30 ↑19:02 |
↓0:11 ↓12:44 |
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Fri 9
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↑23:31 ↓11:41 | ↑5:27 ↓17:24 | ↑7:14 ↑19:52 |
↓0:54 ↓13:31 |
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| Founding Day – A week of local celebrations in San Isidro de El General including street fairs and fiestas, dancing and sporting events culminates in the fiesta marking the founding of the town. | |||||||
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Sat 10
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↑23:31 ↓12:34 | ↑5:27 ↓17:24 | ↑8:09 ↑20:54 |
↓1:45 ↓14:26 |
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| Carnival – Shades of Río on the streets of Límon, this celebration of Columbus’ arrival in the new world culminates on the twelfth (Columbus day) | |||||||
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Sun 11
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↑0:27 ↓13:27 | ↑5:27 ↓17:23 | ↑9:15 ↑22:03 |
↓2:48 ↓15:31 |
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Mon 12
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↑1:25 ↓14:19 | ↑5:27 ↓17:23 | ↑10:27 ↑23:09 |
↓4:01 ↓16:39 |
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| Día de la Raza – Columbus day commemerates the arrival of Columbus in the new world and caps off several days of Carnival on the Caribbean coast. | |||||||
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Tue 13
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↑2:22 ↓15:08 | ↑5:27 ↓17:22 | ↑11:34 ↑ |
↓5:12 ↓17:41 |
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Wed 14
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↑3:20 ↓15:57 | ↑5:27 ↓17:22 | ↑0:07 ↑12:32 |
↓6:14 ↓18:37 |
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Thu 15
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↑4:18 ↓16:45 | ↑5:27 ↓17:21 | ↑0:59 ↑13:24 |
↓7:08 ↓19:27 |
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Fri 16
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↑5:16 ↓17:34 | ↑5:27 ↓17:21 | ↑1:47 ↑14:13 |
↓7:58 ↓20:15 |
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Sat 17
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↑6:15 ↓18:25 | ↑5:27 ↓17:21 | ↑2:34 ↑15:00 |
↓8:46 ↓21:02 |
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Sun 18
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↑7:15 ↓19:18 | ↑5:27 ↓17:20 | ↑3:20 ↑15:47 |
↓9:33 ↓21:48 |
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Mon 19
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↑8:17 ↓20:13 | ↑5:28 ↓17:20 | ↑4:07 ↑16:35 |
↓10:20 ↓22:36 |
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Tue 20
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↑9:19 ↓21:11 | ↑5:28 ↓17:19 | ↑4:54 ↑17:24 |
↓11:08 ↓23:25 |
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Wed 21
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↑10:20 ↓22:09 | ↑5:28 ↓17:19 | ↑5:44 ↑18:16 |
↓11:58 ↓ |
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Thu 22
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↑11:18 ↓23:07 | ↑5:28 ↓17:18 | ↑6:37 ↑19:13 |
↓0:16 ↓12:51 |
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Fri 23
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↑12:11 ↓23:07 | ↑5:28 ↓17:18 | ↑7:35 ↑20:17 |
↓1:14 ↓13:51 |
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Sat 24
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↑13:00 ↓0:02 | ↑5:28 ↓17:18 | ↑8:41 ↑21:27 |
↓2:19 ↓14:57 |
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| Fiesta Pattronale Escazú – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed) | |||||||
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Sun 25
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↑13:45 ↓0:55 | ↑5:28 ↓17:17 | ↑9:53 ↑22:38 |
↓3:34 ↓16:09 |
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Mon 26
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↑14:26 ↓1:44 | ↑5:28 ↓17:17 | ↑11:03 ↑23:41 |
↓4:50 ↓17:17 |
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Tue 27
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↑15:04 ↓2:31 | ↑5:29 ↓17:17 | ↑12:05 ↑ |
↓5:56 ↓18:14 |
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Wed 28
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↑15:41 ↓3:16 | ↑5:29 ↓17:16 | ↑0:34 ↑12:56 |
↓6:49 ↓19:01 |
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Thu 29
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↑16:18 ↓4:00 | ↑5:29 ↓17:16 | ↑1:18 ↑13:39 |
↓7:32 ↓19:41 |
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Fri 30
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↑16:55 ↓4:44 | ↑5:29 ↓17:16 | ↑1:56 ↑14:18 |
↓8:09 ↓20:16 |
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Sat 31
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↑17:33 ↓5:28 | ↑5:29 ↓17:15 | ↑2:32 ↑14:54 |
↓8:43 ↓20:50 |
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| Halloween – Relatively new to Costa Rica but gaining popularity rapidly as the youngsters pick up on the concept of trick-or-treat | |||||||
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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.