Things to Do in Costa Rica in June

June transforms Manuel Antonio from a crowded beach-and-monkeys park into something closer to what it was before it became Costa Rica's most visited reserve. The trails are quieter. The canopy drips. The humidity that keeps fair-weather tourists away is precisely what brings the wildlife out. White-faced capuchins forage lower in the trees where the fruit is ripening. Two-toed sloths move between branches in the grey pre-rain light. The leaf-litter trails steam with the smell of decomposing vegetation and wet earth that is, honestly, the real scent of a tropical rainforest. Morning walks starting at park opening, before the heat and the afternoon rain set in, are the move. By 7 AM the air is still cool enough to walk comfortably, around 24°C (75°F). The bird activity in the first two hours is extraordinary. Toucans, motmots, and if you are lucky, a scarlet macaw pair crossing overhead against the grey-green canopy. Licensed naturalist guides carry spotting scopes and know every sloth nest on the main trail. You will see five times what you would on your own.

There is something satisfying about sitting in a volcanic hot spring while rain falls on your face. Arenal's thermal rivers and developed spring complexes run at 37 to 41°C (99 to 106°F) regardless of weather. June's afternoon downpours turn what would be an uncomfortably hot soak in dry season into exactly the right temperature contrast: cool rain on your shoulders, hot mineral water around your legs, steam rising off the surface into the grey air. The trails around Arenal's base, through the 1968 lava flow and the secondary forest that has reclaimed it, are slippery in June but spectacular. Ferns the size of small cars unfurl along the path. The volcano itself appears and disappears through moving cloud in a way that feels more dramatic than a clear-sky postcard view. Hike in the morning when the trails are merely damp rather than streaming. Save the hot springs for the afternoon when the rain arrives. The 1,633 m (5,358 ft) volcano creates its own weather, so even on a nationally dry day, Arenal may cloud over.

June opens green sea turtle nesting season on Tortuguero's 35 km (22 miles) of undeveloped black volcanic sand. Nothing in Costa Rica, or most of Central America, compares to watching an animal the size of a coffee table haul herself out of the Caribbean surf at night to dig a nest. The beach is accessible only by boat or small plane. That isolation keeps it wild. You reach Tortuguero by a two-hour boat ride through canals thick with caimans, herons, and howler monkeys in the riverside trees. The canal journey itself ranks among the country's best wildlife experiences. Nesting walks happen after dark with certified guides who use red-filtered lights to avoid disturbing the turtles. The sand stays warm underfoot even at 9 PM. The surf sounds enormous in the darkness. When a turtle finally appears, she is so focused on digging that she seems oblivious to your presence. June is early season. You might wait two or three nights before a sighting. The beaches are far less crowded than in July and August when nesting peaks. Worth the wait.

Monteverde's cloud forest earns its name most honestly in June. The clouds descend into the canopy and you walk through them. The hanging bridges and sky-walk platforms sit at around 1,400 m (4,593 ft) elevation. Temperature hovers near 18°C (64°F), cool enough for a light jacket and a world away from the coastal heat. The moisture drives everything here. Orchids bloom on branches overhead. Mosses carpet every surface in shades of green that seem artificially saturated. Hummingbirds, sometimes four or five species in a single clearing, hover at feeders near the reserve entrances. The sound is layered. Dripping water. Bellbirds with their metallic two-note call that carries half a kilometre. The rustle of quetzals in the avocado trees if your timing holds. Visibility through the forest can drop to 20 m (66 ft) when clouds roll in. That sounds like a drawback until you realize that the mist, the filtered light, and the dripping silence are the entire point. This is not a sun-and-views destination. It is an immersion.

Rio Celeste runs an opaque, almost chemical-looking turquoise that seems impossible in nature. June's rains intensify the colour. The blue comes from volcanic minerals suspended in the water. Higher flow rates in the wet season concentrate the particles until the river looks like someone poured paint into it. The 6.4 km (4 mile) round-trip trail through Tenorio Volcano National Park to the main waterfall descends through primary rainforest so dense that the canopy blocks most of the rain. The trail gets muddy. so. The kind of mud that swallows shoes to the ankle. Rubber boots are not a quaint local affectation but a practical necessity. Rental pairs are available at the trailhead. The waterfall drops roughly 30 m (98 ft) into a pool that you can no longer swim in. The park closed it to protect the mineral deposits. The sight of that blue water falling through green forest into mist is one of the most photographed scenes in Costa Rica for a reason. The hike takes about three hours at a comfortable pace. You will hear toucans and oropendolas in the canopy the entire way.

June's wet season brings consistent south swells to Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The breaks at Playa Tamarindo and Playa Samara receive reliable waist-to-overhead waves that are, counterintuitively, better for beginners than the calmer dry-season surf. The reason is consistency. In January you might wait days for a rideable swell. In June it arrives like clockwork. The water temperature sits near 28°C (82°F), warm enough that a rash guard is all you need. Samara's crescent bay produces long, gentle lefts that break over sand. It is arguably the best learn-to-surf beach in Central America. Tamarindo offers more variety, with beach breaks for beginners and a river-mouth break for intermediates. The currents near the estuary demand respect. The morning glass, that brief window before the onshore wind chops up the surface, runs from about 6 AM to 9 AM. The best surf schools schedule their lessons entirely within it. By 10 AM the texture changes. By afternoon the rain arrives. Most surfers are in a beachfront cafe watching it fall.