Costa Rica Weather in the Green Season

My favorite season in Guanacaste, the Northwest Province of Costa Rica, is the Green Season when Nature renews itself.  We call it so because Costa Rica weather during the rainy season regales the land with rains that nourish the moisture starved countryside following the long dry summer, causing an explosion of a previously unseen variety of brilliant shades of green. It lasts from May to November with a couple of dry weeks in June, called the Veranillo de San Juan or ST. John’s Little Summer, because it happens around the time of the Feast of St. John on June 25^th.

It’s not only the plants that welcome the rains, all Costa Rican wild life rejoice at their arrival. The howler monkeys or “Congos”, as they are called locally, frolic on the trees that are now completely covered with a thick canopy and new growth, the mainstay of their diet. The extensive variety of birds of Costa Rica bathe and play in the little pools of water and build their nest on the trees that now offer a dense foliage which shield and protect them. The mountains, largely bare of vegetation during the Costa Rica summer months, now show off a thick, green carpet. Nature in Costa Rica is beautiful in all seasons but never quite as exuberant as this time of the year!

The afternoon daily rains are usually over by Happy Hour. Some people enjoy watching the rain sitting on the veranda at their villa or at one of the local watering holes while others consider this the perfect siesta time.  Generally, you still have opportunity for activities both before and after the rains so you could schedule tours in the morning and town activities in the evening.  Your Costa Rica Star Villas concierge will be happy to assist you in planning the activities that interest you.

After the cooling rains, it’s time for an awesome treat from Mother Nature: the outstanding sunsets this time of the year are much more beautiful than any ever produced by an artist’s palette. It’s Nature’s reward for the refreshing, nurturing rain.  Some people gather for cocktails on the deck at their villa to watch the spectacle while others prefer to join local townspeople, resident expats and other tourists on the beach to watch this amazing spectacle, an exquisite display of colors about to happen…My personal favorite place for this time is the beachfront park in Playas del Coco where there is always a group of spectators with cameras on hand.

Sunsets at the beach are always special but never as much as they are following a tropical rain. The raindrops create humidity in the atmosphere that act as a prism breaking down the rays of the setting sun into an outstanding kaleidoscope of colors. The hues change by the moment. Within a few minutes you witness a variety of blues, yellows and pinks on a canvas designed in heaven for our enjoyment.  After the lighter colors come the brightest variations of oranges, blues and yellows followed by deeper, fiery shades of reds, deep blues, and brilliant yellows giving way finally to shades of purples and darker blues…By this time everyone’s eyes are riveted on the sky much as when watching a firework display.  The ambiance is one of awed silence, people are transfixed sharing in this immensely beautiful experience. If you blink, the scene changes. You almost hold your breath not wanting to miss a second of wonder. It takes a while to go through all the stages until, suddenly, the sun seems to accelerate its descent on the horizon…dips into the sea and it’s gone…

Absolute silence follows momentarily.  Sometimes people spontaneously break into applause, exhale not having realized they had been holding their breath…and after a moment of awe, life resumes. But something has changed in you. You have been touched by a spiritual experience that you can store deep inside your soul and revisit in your mind any time you want when you go back home.  You will be taking with you and indelible part of Costa Rica that will be forever yours alone to share or savor privately whenever you feel the need or desire to recharge your soul. And this performance replays every night of your Costa Rican vacation though the performance will be unique every time, no two sunsets are ever identical.  Be sure to have your camera ready, if you can take time lapse photography I recommend you do so. Then you have it to share with your friends too.  I bet it will make them also want to take a vacation in Costa Rica!