Things to Do in Costa Rica in February

Manuel Antonio in February is the version of itself the brochure photographs were shot in. The trails are dry. The canopy thins just enough to let light through. The resident troops of white-faced capuchins, two-toed sloths, and green iguanas are concentrated along the creek beds that still hold water. A naturalist guide with a spotting scope changes this from a pleasant hike into something revelatory. They'll find the eyelash viper coiled on a branch you walked right past. They'll point out a glass frog on the underside of a heliconia leaf that you'd never see on your own. The park caps daily visitors. Mornings fill quickly. Start by 7 AM, when the air is still cool enough that the howler monkeys are calling rather than sleeping, and the light filtering through the trees has that soft gold quality that disappears by 10 AM. Allow three to four hours. The trail ends at a white-sand beach where you can swim with the monkeys watching from the tree line. It's the kind of surreal detail that sounds made up until you're standing there.

February delivers your best odds of seeing Arenal's perfect cone. During green season, the volcano hides behind cloud for days. February skies over the northern lowlands clear often enough. You'll likely catch the summit at dawn or dusk, when it glows pink against the fading sky. The hanging bridges trail system sits at roughly 500 m (1,640 ft) elevation. Cool enough that the walk feels comfortable even at midday. But the real February draw is the contrast. Dry heat of a hike. Mineral-rich thermal springs fed by the volcano's geothermal activity. The water ranges from lukewarm to hot. Slipping into a stone-lined pool surrounded by tropical gardens while tree frogs chirp from the ferns overhead is earned indulgence. It makes the morning's exertion worthwhile. Budget a full day: bridges in the morning, springs in the late afternoon.

Monteverde sits at around 1,400 m (4,600 ft). Even in February, when the lowlands bake, the cloud forest lives in its own cool, damp microclimate. Temperatures hover near 18°C (64°F). Mist rolls through the canopy in slow waves. Every surface drips with moss, orchids, and bromeliads in a density that feels prehistoric. February's drier conditions mean the famous hanging bridges and trail system stay passable without rubber boots. Reduced rainfall makes the resplendent quetzal slightly easier to spot as it feeds on wild avocado trees. The males are in pre-breeding plumage. Their iridescent green tail feathers are impossibly long. Night walks are a different world entirely. Guides with UV flashlights reveal scorpions that glow blue-green. Sleeping toucans tucked into tree holes. The red-eyed tree frogs that have become Costa Rica's unofficial mascot. Walking through cloud forest in the dark, with nothing but flashlight beams cutting the mist and the sound of dripping water everywhere, is eerie. Completely addictive.

Rio Celeste's color is the thing nobody believes until they see it. Two chemically distinct rivers merge inside Tenorio Volcano National Park. The reaction produces a suspended mineral that turns the water an opaque, almost electric turquoise. It looks artificial. It isn't. February's low water levels intensify the color. The 3.1 km (1.9-mile) trail to the waterfall is firm and manageable instead of the slippery challenge it becomes in rainy months. The waterfall itself drops about 30 m (100 ft) into a pool so blue it looks backlit. Swimming at the falls is prohibited. Downstream tubing runs let you float through the blue water at a lazy pace, the jungle closing in overhead, toucans crossing above the river corridor. The whole experience takes about half a day. The drive from La Fortuna is roughly 90 minutes on increasingly rural roads that pass through cattle country. The transition from tourist infrastructure to raw countryside is part of the appeal.

February's Pacific coast surf is forgiving enough for beginners. Consistent enough to keep intermediate surfers happy. Playa Samara's crescent bay produces gentle, knee-to-waist-high waves that break over sand. The water is warm enough at 27°C (81°F) that you'll ditch the rash guard within minutes. Nosara, about 45 minutes north, offers the next step up. Playa Guiones has a reliable beach break that runs for nearly 7 km (4.3 miles). Enough space that even in peak season you won't feel crowded in the lineup. The offshore wind that kicks up most February afternoons grooms the wave faces into clean lines. Morning sessions, starting around 7 AM before the onshore breeze builds, are the sweet spot. The post-surf ritual in both towns involves cold coconut water from a beachside stand. Deep-muscle fatigue that makes a hammock feel like the greatest invention in human history.

National Geographic once called Corcovado the most biologically intense place on Earth. In February, dry trails through the Osa Peninsula's lowland rainforest let you experience why without sinking to your shins in mud. The park is remote by design. Most visitors fly into Drake Bay or take a boat from Sierpe. The journey itself, skimming past jungle-covered coastline in a small craft, sets the tone. Inside the park, tapirs leave fresh tracks on the beach at Sirena Station. Scarlet macaws fly in pairs overhead with a sound like tearing fabric. Troops of spider monkeys move through the canopy with a recklessness that looks choreographed. Four species of sea turtle nest on the Osa's beaches. February still catches the tail end of olive ridley season. The heat inside the forest is intense, thick and still. Humidity fogs your camera lens every time you step from shade into a clearing. It is uncomfortable. It is completely worth it. This is one of the last places on the Pacific coast of Central America where the jungle looks the way it did five hundred years ago.