Things to Do in Costa Rica in May

May gives Costa Rica's waterfalls their postcard power. Rain falling in Arenal's cloud forests or the Talamancas feeds rivers in real time. Hike to Rio Celeste through air thick with damp fern and blooming ginger. The water shocks you with milky-blue volcanic minerals. The pool at the base is bracingly cold, perfect after humid switchbacks. Trails stay quiet before summer holiday increase. Yet they are wet. You will pick your way over moss-slick roots.

May's Pacific waves forgive beginners. Playa Sámara and Manuel Antonio serve long, crumbly rollers that spare you a sand pounding. Water temperature feels bath-like. Morning light slants through last night's mist. The beach stays empty except for local kids and stray dogs chasing sand crabs. Listen: hiss of receding wave, cry of a frigate bird, your instructor yelling '¡Parate! ¡Parate!' as you wobble up. Afternoon rain usually waits until after your surf and your post-session Imperial at a beach sodita.

Wet season turns river tubing into a virtue. Afternoon downpours swell Guanacaste's gentle rivers or those near Tenorio Volcano into lazy, perfect waterways. You float on an inner tube through emerald corridors past howler monkeys lounging in vine-draped trees. Water feels cool, pace stays slow. Sounds: splash of your paddle, cicada buzz, laughter echoing off canyon walls. This is pura vida pace, possible only when rivers run full. Sun, when it breaks through, feels like a warm blanket after the river's chill.

May shifts the Costa Rican kitchen. First sweet, fibrous mangoes appear. Heartier roots like yuca and ñame take center stage. A cooking class now teaches olla de carne, beef and vegetable soup that tastes like comfort on a damp afternoon. You will fry patacones twice until golden, good for scooping black bean dip. Ingredients still smell of the market: earthy culantro, sharp fresh lime. Indoor, delicious, ideal when skies open.