Climate is one of the country’s big draws. Those who’ve had it up to their wool turtlenecks with cold and snow find relief in Costa Rica’s tropical sun and balmy breezes.

The northern province of Guanacaste in particular is a sun-worshiper’s dream, with hardly a drop of rain falling between December and May. 

The green season brings more rain, but even then showers are usually confined to afternoon and evening hours with morning as glorious as ever.

But if you’ve never been a beach person, don’t worry.  Even those who prefer cooler climes will thrive here.  Temperature in Costa Rica is less a function of season than altitude, and you can fine-tune your weather by going up or down a few hundred meters. 

The variety of climates means that the natural world is one of the most varied that you’ll ever see.  Of course it helps that Costa Rica has set aside a quarter of its territory in parks and reserves where rare animals still roam freely.  Jaguars, tapirs, sloths, and monkeys call this country’s rain forests home, and get ready for a stunning variety of birds, including 50 species of hummingbird, various toucans and parrots, and the dazzling scarlet macaw.