Costa Rica in May

[austic]

Hey all,

Anyone been to Costa Rica? I am looking at going for my 26th bday in May and I would like to know what I shouldnt miss. I will be staying in the papagayo area and have a few days of diving planned as I want to do the "big scare" dive site in the Bat Islands.

Thanks in advance

[gretz]

Jungle Zipline, natural waterslides, horseback riding (you will be in full tilt on the horses whether you like it or not lol), volcano hot spring/natural saunas... Costa Rica is rad

[urbannomad]

May is the beginning of the rainy season, fyi.

[austic]

I heard its not too bad compared to june as far as rain goes. but the dive sites i want to hit the currents are better from april on so i guess its a trade off. The big scare is just too tempting to pass up.

[Marsh]

Not to hijack, but is rainy season in June really that bad? I was thinking of going for a week or two to surf and dive. Opinions?

[broken_legs]

See you there...




The Winter/Rainy/Low Season—May through November
The low season, or winter in Costa Rica has been dubbed the “Green Season” by the tourism industry because that makes a better first impression than "rainy". Veteran Costa Rica travelers know that this time of year doesn't need a special moniker to make it appealing; prices are halved, crowds are gone, and while the rain forested slopes of the mountains may be getting drenched, perfect sunny days at the beach are the norm.

Our first rainy season traveling in Costa Rica we expected the worst, but were pleasantly surprised. Over half the days it didn't rain at all and the rest of the time it was a couple of hours in the afternoon bracketed by brilliant sunshine. In more than three months there were only two stretches of three days when it rained most of the time. During these drizzly days, it was clear and sunny on the opposite side of the country, so we could have avoided the rain had we thought it was a real annoyance. If you are thinking about a trip to Costa Rica during the green season, don't let the weather stop you.

Many Costa Rica regulars prefer the green season, but there are some disadvantages as well. There are some areas where it is really wet, particularly the Atlantic slopes, and the northeast and southwest. The Osa Peninsula gets so much rain that travel becomes difficult and many of the lodges shut down in September and October. It also seems a little dark sometimes. Those long summer nights are a polar phenomenon and this close to the equator the days are only a few minutes longer. The sun sets about 6:00 p.m. year round.

[austic]

Booked today, now hopefully the currents are good that week. I have heard the red tide is a bit of a pain this year but the far off sites should be ok.

[cycosis]

Red tide was nasty down in Montezuma but clean an hour away in Mal Pais (worth the day trip). I was down there with the girlfriend end of Feb for two weeks. Hit up Monte Verde, its amazing if you want to hike and have no tourists anywhere.