🌧 Green Season

May

The waterfalls wake up

May is when the green season properly begins, and for a certain kind of traveller, it's the month Costa Rica becomes most itself. Waterfalls that trickled in April start to roar. The jungle shifts to a green that seems impossible. Fewer tourists on the trail means the paths to the good places are yours to walk without managing a crowd.

Highlights this month

✓Waterfalls transitioning from trickle to full flow — an extraordinary 2-3 week window
✓Leatherback turtle season on the Caribbean coast reaches late-season peak
✓Jungle and cloud forest foliage at maximum density
✓Significant drop in tourism — prices, availability, and pace all improve

Best for

Waterfall huntingCloud forestsBudget travelWildlife watchingPhotography

Photography

May offers the rare combination of vivid green foliage and dramatic skies. Waterfalls in the 2-3 weeks after the first rains — before they reach full muddy flow — are at their most photogenic.

Worth knowing

May afternoons frequently bring heavy downpours in the Central Valley and Pacific slopes. Trails become muddy fast — waterproof boots and rain gear are essential, not optional.

Event note — Labor Day on May 1 is a public holiday — a day worth observing the slower rhythm of Costa Rican working culture.