Costa Rica Weather in February: Region by Region

February is wonderful weather on the Pacific side and one of the most popular months of the year. Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day both fall now (Presidents’ Day is 15 February in 2027), so hotels fill early. If you are already planning, well done.

The country is small, but the weather changes a lot from one region to the next. Here is how February usually looks where most of our travelers go.

Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula

Still the dry season, in the driest part of the country. Devil rays keep jumping offshore through February, and leatherback and Pacific green turtles nest on the beaches of Guanacaste and Nicoya.

Central Pacific: Manuel Antonio and Jacó

Dry and sunny. The humpback whales that come down from the north are still along the Pacific coast.

The South Pacific: Uvita and the Osa Peninsula

The dry season that settled in during January carries on.

Arenal and the Northern Plains

Arenal sees rain in every month of the year, but February begins its relatively drier stretch, which lasts until April. The hot springs are perfect whatever the sky does.

Monteverde

The mountains are cooler and can be misty at any time of year. Bring a light jacket for the cloud forest.

The Caribbean Coast

Good news for the Caribbean: February starts the first of its two calmer spells, which runs through March.

February fills early, with Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ Day in the same month, so the sooner we start, the more choice you have. Our team has lived here and built trips by hand since 2004, so we know which regions pair well, how long the drives really take and which hotels are worth it. Tell us what you love and we will design your Costa Rica around it.

Start planning my trip

Holidays and Busy Weeks

Presidents’ Day weekend and Valentine’s Day make mid-February busy. Costa Rican schools are on their long break from December into February, so beach towns are lively with local families early in the month.