Costa Rica in August

[Anonymous]

Has anyone been to Costa Rica in August? The one time I've been there was the first week in May (14 years ago) and it was great. Just at the very beginning of the rainy season, which was perfect. We are now dying to take our kids there for vacation but the only time that would work would be next august. I did some research today and found that July and August are actually considered good times to go, b/c it's less crowded and there are sometimes breaks in the rainy season during those months. I know there's no way to predict, but was curious if anyone here has been there at that time and has advice. I was a little bummed to read that Drake Bay and Arenal are both relentlessly rainy in august, as those are places we'd like to go back to with our kids. Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

I’ve been twice in August and it was fine. We had a great time at Aerenal - there was some rain, but mornings were clear and we fit in nice dry hikes, a float trip, etc. on our most recent trip, there were 2-3 days out of 10 where there was significant rain, and some short drenching storms other days, but we had a great time and managed outdoor activities even on the wetter days.. On our earlier trip, I remember a general pattern of sunny days with a period of afternoon thunderstorms.

[Anonymous]

Yes, lived in SJ although it's been 25 years. In August (and year-round) the sun rises at around 5 and it's glorious until about 10 am when it clouds over, rains at 11:30 - 1:30, clouds until 3:30 or so and then clear skies more or less until sun sets at 5 pm. Weather is variable throughout the country this time of year so research the areas. I seem to recall the western coast was perhaps less rainy than the east coast in August.

[Anonymous]

We went last August with our kids and it was great. We did the SuperLekker with Rafiki and it didn't rain at all during the day when we were at the beach location (once at night, and we had ordered pizza to be delivered via ATV- they said there might be a delay due to weather!) It did rain daily at the jungle location but only one day was crazy hard rain. Even then, the rain is warm and tolerable, though our hike was cut short. The rafting was fantastic due to being in the green season and the waterfalls were much more spectacular than in dry season. Apparently the rafting can be more like a float trip in March/April, whereas ours was much more consistent rapids. The kids went in the pool even in the rain. I will say most of my clothes were damp until I got to the beach and had access to a dryer.