Discover
What to Do in Costa Rica's Rainy Season
The rainy season — May through November — is when Costa Rica becomes something else. Waterfalls double in volume. The forest turns a shade of green that doesn't exist in photographs. Sea turtles arrive on Caribbean and Pacific beaches. Humpback whales gather in the southern Pacific. The tourist numbers drop to a fraction of the dry season. These are the places that use that window.
🌊 Waterfalls
Catarata La Fortuna
A dramatic 70-metre waterfall, tropical rainforest, wildlife, and swimming
La Fortuna
🏊 Swimming
Isla del Caño Biological Reserve
The finest reef on the Pacific coast of Central America, twelve kilometres offshore
Drake Bay
🌊 Waterfalls
Cataratas Nauyaca
Two-tier 45-metre falls, three hours deep in the jungle south of Dominical
Dominical
🥾 Hiking
Sendero Las Pailas, Rincón de la Vieja
Active mud pots, fumaroles, and howler monkeys in a single morning hike
Rincón de la Vieja NP
🌊 Waterfalls
Cataratas Llanos de Cortez
The most accessible major waterfall in Costa Rica — and the most generous
Bagaces
🏊 Swimming
Parque Nacional Cahuita
One of Costa Rica’s most beautiful Caribbean national parks
Cahuita
🌊 Waterfalls
La Paz Waterfall Gardens
One of Costa Rica’s most famous eco-attractions, located in the cloud forest between Poás Volcano and Sarapiquí
Heredia Province
🥾 Hiking
Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco
Costa Rica's first protected area ends in a wild beach almost nobody reaches
Cabo Blanco
🦜 Wildlife
Canales de Tortuguero
Boat through rainforest canals watching caimans, sloths, and river otters
Tortuguero
💎 Hidden Gems
Bahía Drake
One of the wildest and most biodiverse destinations
Drake Bay
🥾 Hiking
Savegre Valley Trail
Network of cloud-forest hiking trails around San Gerardo de Dota and the upper Río Savegre
San Gerardo de Dota
🏕️ Camping
Estación Sirena, Corcovado
The most biologically intense place on Earth — no services, no shade, no compromise
Osa Peninsula
🦜 Wildlife
Playa Grande
Leatherback turtles nest here in darkness — the beach is theirs first
Playa Grande
🥾 Hiking
Barra Honda National Park
Dry forest mesa with 42 caves beneath it — stalactites and fossil seashells 300 metres underground
Nicoya
🏊 Swimming
Poza Los Coyotes
A hidden oasis where volcanic rivers, waterfalls, and dramatic canyon scenery create one of Guanacaste’s most beautiful natural swimming spots.
Liberia
🌊 Waterfalls
Catarata Aquiares
A stunning waterfall cascades into a crystal-clear pool surrounded by lush rainforest and the historic Aquiares Coffee Estate.
Turrialba