Things to Do in Costa Rica in April
April weather, activities, events & insider tips
April Weather in Costa Rica
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
Is April Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
- + April is the tail end of the dry season, which means Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula are still parched gold and the Pacific beaches like Playa Conchal and Santa Teresa get reliable sun mornings before any clouds build. You can plan a sunrise surf at Tamarindo and a sunset at Playa Flamingo on the same day without a forecast gamble. Pack sunscreen. The heat is real.
- + Wildlife viewing peaks because the dry months concentrate animals around shrinking water sources. In Palo Verde and the Tempisque River basin you'll see crocodiles basking on mudbanks, howler monkeys clustered in the few remaining shade trees, and hundreds of wading birds packed into the last lagoons. Far easier to spot than in the green-season sprawl. Bring binoculars.
- + Holy Week (Semana Santa) turns the country into one long national celebration. Beach towns fill with Costa Rican families, processions move through colonial San José and Cartago, and you get to see how Ticos vacation rather than a tourist-only version of the country. Book early. Expect crowds. Join the fun.
- + Water visibility in the Pacific is at its annual best before the rains stir up runoff. Snorkeling around Isla del Caño and diving off the Catalina Islands give you 60-80 feet (18-24 m) of clarity with manta rays and whitetip reef sharks still in season. The water is warm. The reefs are alive.
- − Holy Week (typically the week leading to Easter, which falls in early April in 2026) sends prices on accommodation and domestic flights to their annual peak. Popular beaches like Jacó, Manuel Antonio, and Tamarindo book out weeks ahead. If you haven't reserved by February you'll be scrambling. Plan now.
- − The dry-season dust is real on the gravel roads of the Nicoya Peninsula and around the Arenal back routes. By late April everything has a fine reddish coating, and the heat in the lowlands climbs into the upper 80s°F (low 30s°C) by midday. This makes midday hiking uncomfortable. Start early. Bring water.
- − The Caribbean side around Puerto Viejo and Cahuita runs on its own weather clock and can be wetter and grayer than the Pacific in April. A single itinerary trying to cover both coasts may hit one rainy stretch you didn't plan for. Pack a rain jacket. Flexibility helps.
Year-Round Climate
How April compares to the rest of the year
| Month | High | Low | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27°C | 17°C | 0.2 inches |
| Feb | 27°C | 18°C | 0.4 inches |
| Mar | 28°C | 18°C | 0.5 inches |
| Apr | 28°C | 18°C | 3.1 inches |
| May | 27°C | 18°C | 10.5 inches |
| Jun | 27°C | 18°C | 11.0 inches |
| Jul | 27°C | 18°C | 7.1 inches |
| Aug | 27°C | 18°C | 10.9 inches |
| Sep | 26°C | 17°C | 14.0 inches |
| Oct | 26°C | 18°C | 13.0 inches |
| Nov | 26°C | 18°C | 5.3 inches |
| Dec | 26°C | 18°C | 1.3 inches |
Best Activities in April
Top things to do during your visit
April's dry trails make Manuel Antonio one of the easiest places on earth to see three-toed sloths, white-faced capuchins, and squirrel monkeys in a single morning. The park's combination of rainforest meeting white-sand coves means you can spot a sloth hanging over the trail at 7am, then cool off at Playa Manuel Antonio by 10am before the heat peaks. Animals stay close to the shaded trails near water. The lack of rain keeps the famously muddy paths firm underfoot.
April gives you the clearest volcano views of the year around La Fortuna. The cone of Arenal stands sharp against blue sky most mornings before afternoon clouds gather. You can hike the 1968 lava-flow trails through hardened black rock, then soak in the thermal rivers fed by the volcano's heat as the day cools. The dry weather keeps the rainforest trails to La Fortuna Waterfall passable without the green-season mud.
April delivers the year's best underwater visibility off the Osa Peninsula before the rains cloud the water. Boats from Drake Bay reach Isla del Caño's biological reserve in about an hour, where 60-80 feet (18-24 m) of clarity opens up reefs patrolled by whitetip reef sharks, sea turtles, and the occasional manta. The calm dry-season seas mean fewer cancelled trips and gentler crossings for first-timers.
On the Caribbean side, April's quieter shoulder timing on the canals means you glide through the jungle waterways of Tortuguero spotting caimans, river otters, and toucans without the peak-season boat traffic. Early-morning paddle or small-motor tours through the narrow channels are where the wildlife concentrates. The dense green corridor offers shade even as the lowland heat climbs.
April is prime resplendent quetzal season in the Monteverde and Santa Elena cloud forests. The birds are nesting and easier to track, their iridescent green tails impossible to forget once you've seen one. The drier weather firms up the suspension-bridge and canopy trails. The cooler highland air at around 4,600 feet (1,400 m) is a welcome break from the coastal heat.
April serves up dry-season swells and warm water, turning Guanacaste's beaches into a surf school playground. Tamarindo's long, forgiving beach break remains the classic launch pad; Costa Rica, while nearby Playa Grande dishes out cleaner waves for the next step. Mornings stay glassy until afternoon onshore wind stirs the surface. The bathwater-warm Pacific means no wetsuit, no chill, just long sessions.
April Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Costa Rica's biggest cultural week rolls solemn religious processions through San José, Cartago, and colonial towns, plus a mass national exodus to the beaches. Expect quiet, reflective Thursdays and Fridays when many businesses and government offices close entirely, then brace for packed coastlines. To experience it well, watch a procession in Cartago near the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles. Understand that Thursday and Friday are near-shutdown days for shops, banks, and some restaurants. Stock up beforehand.
April 11 honors Costa Rica's national hero, the drummer boy who helped repel filibuster William Walker's forces in 1856. Alajuela, his hometown, throws the biggest celebration with parades, marching bands, and civic ceremonies around the Juan Santamaría monument. It's a window into Costa Rican national pride and a lively, distinctly local street atmosphere away from the tourist beaches.
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