You have to be a little choosy to find the best things to do in September and unless you know where to look the wildlife might be hidden away trying to escape the rain.

Planning Ahead & Reservations

In general “green season” (rainy season between June and December) travel is gaining popularity in Costa Rica, but it’s unlikely any except the most popular hotels will be booked in September. You’re safe to travel without a fixed itinerary or reservations but watch road conditions to make sure you can get where you’re going (and don’t try Drake, Corcovado, Golfito, and/or Zancudo). If you do decide to travel to the southwest and Osa peninsula 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 and if you have your heart set on a particular hotel you should probably have reservations.

Costs & Availability for Travel in September

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 September.
Lower numbers of travelers mean lower prices and most places on the Pacific side offer discounts of 20-40% throughout September. On the Caribbean September is the high season so discounts are generally not available.

Weather in September in Costa Rica

September is one of the rainiest months of the year on the west side and in the mountains of Costa Rica and one of the driest months on the east side.

In September the Pacific beaches and central region normally get significant rain most days; generally with a pattern of sunny mornings followed by showers in the afternoon or evening. Occasionally tropical lows stall off west coast or the edge of a hurricane skims across from the Caribbean bringing several days of continuous heavy rains.

The southern Pacific and Osa peninsula are inundated by days or even weeks of continuous rainfall driven by westerly winds and referred to as temporales del Pacífico. Rain is measured in feet rather than inches.  Many of the lodges and tour operators are closed until November.

Humidity is generally not as bad as people expect it to be in the tropics but if it is going to get sticky this is the time of year to expect it.

Climate change is most noticeable as extreme weather gets even more extreme and Costa Rica is no exception.

September 2022 is currently predicted to be either La Niña or  or La Nada ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation – Neutral year).

The last time Costa Rica was in a La Nada (El Niño Southern Oscillation – Neutral year) was 2017 and the rainy season was one of the wettest on record.  It started out quietly but when tropical storm Nate moved in at the beginning of October it devastated the Pacific side of the country with record rains, flooding and destruction of property.  The rainy season which normally ends by New Years was not only much wetter than normal but also longer.  We experienced a rainy season worthy downpour in Manuel Antonio in mid February 2018.  Even people who grew up there commented that they had rarely seen anything like it.

The Caribbean side of the country gets a reprieve in September and October as the Talamanca mountains force the moisture out of the westerly winds bringing clear weather especially in the southern Atlantic beach areas of Cahuita, Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo.

Along the coast daytime highs are 80 to 88 °F (27-31 °C) with lows overnight about twelve degrees lower 68 to 76 °F (20-24 °C).  Daytime temperatures around the central valley are usually 75 to 85 °F (24-29 °C) this time of year and it cools off more at night.  Higher in the mountains (around Poás, Monteverde and the San Gerardos) it can feel chilly (52-66 °F and 11-19 °C) whenever you’re out of the sun.

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

Notes:

September 2022 ocean temperatures are predicted to be a La Niña but there’s a reasonable chance that it could cool to a La Nada ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation – Neutral) with extra unpredictable  weather – as wet or wetter than average on the Pacific side and the Caribbean weather will depend almost totally on the path of the hurricanes in the Gulf.

Take a look at the rainy season driving tips if you’re thinking about renting a car to get around.

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

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.

 

September 2022						approximate exchange rate ¢665 per $U.S.
		Rise & Set		Tide Times		Pacific	Caribbean
Tue 1		↑17:46 ↓5:01	↑5:30 ↓17:47	↑2:11 ↑14:25	↓8:15 ↓20:38
Wed 2		↑18:26 ↓5:49	↑5:30 ↓17:47	↑2:54 ↑15:07	↓8:58 ↓21:16
Thu 3		↑19:04 ↓6:35	↑5:29 ↓17:46	↑3:32 ↑15:46	↓9:36 ↓21:51
Fri 4		↑19:41 ↓7:20	↑5:29 ↓17:46	↑4:08 ↑16:23	↓10:13 ↓22:25
Sat 5		↑20:18 ↓8:04	↑5:29 ↓17:45	↑4:43 ↑16:59	↓10:48 ↓22:59
Sun 6		↑20:56 ↓8:49	↑5:29 ↓17:44	↑5:18 ↑17:35	↓11:23 ↓23:32
Mon 7		↑21:35 ↓9:34	↑5:29 ↓17:44	↑5:53 ↑18:11	↓11:59 ↓
Tue 8		↑22:18 ↓10:21	↑5:29 ↓17:43	↑6:29 ↑18:51	↓0:07 ↓12:37
Wed 9		↑23:03 ↓11:11	↑5:29 ↓17:43	↑7:07 ↑19:34	↓0:44 ↓13:19
Thu 10		↑23:53 ↓12:02	↑5:29 ↓17:42	↑7:52 ↑20:26	↓1:26 ↓14:07
Fri 11		↑23:53 ↓12:56	↑5:29 ↓17:41	↑8:46 ↑21:29	↓2:16 ↓15:04
Sat 12		↑0:46 ↓13:51	↑5:29 ↓17:41	↑9:50 ↑22:38	↓3:18 ↓16:10
Sun 13		↑1:43 ↓14:46	↑5:29 ↓17:40	↑10:59 ↑23:43	↓4:29 ↓17:17
Mon 14		↑2:42 ↓15:40	↑5:28 ↓17:39	↑12:03 ↑	↓5:38 ↓18:16
Tue 15		↑3:41 ↓16:32	↑5:28 ↓17:39	↑0:40 ↑12:59	↓6:40 ↓19:09
		Independence Day – Costa Rica gained independence from Spain on the same day as the rest of Central America in 1821. The nationwide celebration starts with parades, traditional dancers, and street parties and culminates with the arrival of the Freedom Torch in Cartago (del
Wed 16		↑4:40 ↓17:22	↑5:28 ↓17:38	↑1:29 ↑13:50	↓7:33 ↓19:57
Thu 17		↑5:39 ↓18:11	↑5:28 ↓17:38	↑2:16 ↑14:37	↓8:22 ↓20:42
Fri 18		↑6:37 ↓18:59	↑5:28 ↓17:37	↑3:01 ↑15:23	↓9:09 ↓21:27
Sat 19		↑7:34 ↓19:48	↑5:28 ↓17:36	↑3:46 ↑16:09	↓9:55 ↓22:12
Sun 20		↑8:33 ↓20:38	↑5:28 ↓17:36	↑4:31 ↑16:55	↓10:41 ↓22:58
Mon 21		↑9:32 ↓21:31	↑5:28 ↓17:35	↑5:17 ↑17:44	↓11:29 ↓23:45
Tue 22		↑10:32 ↓22:25	↑5:28 ↓17:34	↑6:06 ↑18:35	↓12:19 ↓
Wed 23		↑11:31 ↓23:21	↑5:28 ↓17:34	↑6:58 ↑19:31	↓0:35 ↓13:13
Thu 24		↑12:28 ↓23:21	↑5:28 ↓17:33	↑7:56 ↑20:35	↓1:31 ↓14:13
Fri 25		↑13:23 ↓0:17	↑5:28 ↓17:32	↑9:02 ↑21:48	↓2:35 ↓15:21
Sat 26		↑14:14 ↓1:13	↑5:28 ↓17:32	↑10:15 ↑23:02	↓3:50 ↓16:36
Sun 27		↑15:01 ↓2:07	↑5:28 ↓17:31	↑11:27 ↑	↓5:09 ↓17:47
Mon 28		↑15:45 ↓2:58	↑5:28 ↓17:31	↑0:08 ↑12:30	↓6:18 ↓18:46
Tue 29		↑16:25 ↓3:46	↑5:27 ↓17:30	↑1:03 ↑13:22	↓7:13 ↓19:33
Wed 30		↑17:03 ↓4:32	↑5:27 ↓17:29	↑1:48 ↑14:06	↓7:58 ↓20:13
		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.