In July, Samara wakes to the sound of surf on the wide bay and the smell of wet earth from the hills behind the town. Morning light is clean and bright, the horses clop along the sand, and by afternoon the sky often turns pewter before a quick burst of rain sends everyone under the café awnings. On the Nicoya Peninsula, this is the green season, a month that brings warm water, lush hillsides, families on school break, and a national holiday filling the streets with Guanacaste pride.
What is the weather like in Samara in July?
In Samara, July brings heat, humidity, and greenery, and although it rains on most days, the rain typically does not last all day. The mornings are the best part, often sunny and still, and the afternoons are when clouds pile up over the hills.
| Month | Average high (°F) | Average low (°F) | Rain days | Sea (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 84.2 | 76.1 | 26.8 | 85.9 |
| July | 84.3 | 75.7 | 25.4 | 85.8 |
| August | 84.1 | 75.7 | 26.7 | 85.8 |
The rain days in the table count any day with a measurable shower, so expect to see rain at some point on most days of your stay. It tends to arrive as a heavy afternoon downpour or a night storm, and sometimes as a gray, drizzly morning that clears by lunch. A few days a month bring a real soaking.
Plan the active things early: surf, a horseback ride or a kayak paddle are all pleasant before the clouds build. Midday is hot and sticky, so it is the hour for shade, a cold drink or a swim. Come evening, it remains warm enough to wear shorts and sandals, and a light rain jacket will serve you better than a sweater.
The days are long by the standards of the tropics, with about twelve and a half hours of daylight in mid-July, so there is time for a morning outing and a late beach stroll. The light after a storm is lovely, with the hills steaming and the bay turning silver and pink. Cloud often hides the horizon, so treat a clear sunset as a pleasant bonus.
Can you swim in Samara in July?
The water is warm enough in Samara for a long swim, the sort where the temperature never crosses your mind once you are in. Samara owes its fame for gentle, shallow water to a broad, curving bay plus a reef and an island offshore that soften the swell.
The town draws families and first-time surfers for exactly that reason, thanks to its gentleness. The town draws families and first-time surfers to its gentle waves, but conditions still vary, so check locally before entering the water. The tide and the swell keep altering conditions, and following a stormy night the bay may appear more brown and active than normal, so check the water prior to entering.
In Costa Rica, rip currents pose a genuine threat, claiming the lives of a number of American visitors each year, and on most beaches you will find no lifeguards and no warning about dangerous water. Choose a spot near other swimmers, check with your hotel or a surf school about the best stretch that day, and watch the kids closely. Pack water shoes for walking on rocks at the beach’s ends, plus a hat or rash guard for the intense sun that breaks through the clouds.
What to do in Samara in July
The big date of the month is July 25, the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya, a national holiday that marks Guanacaste joining Costa Rica. The whole province celebrates it with local pride, and in the towns of the peninsula that usually means folk dances, marimba music, traditional dress and plates of regional food. Samara is a beach town more than a ceremonial one, but you will feel the day in the air, and shops and offices may be closed.
It is also the month of the school break, when Costa Rican families take two weeks off and head for the coast. The beach on a weekend fills with kids, soccer balls and grandmothers under umbrellas, and the town has a cheerful, sociable mood. If you like being among Ticos on vacation, July is the time.
The food suits the damp, warm weather. Seek out ceviche prepared with the catch of the day, whole fried fish paired with patacones (smashed fried plantain), and the casado, a plate of rice, beans, salad, plantain and either meat or fish that serves as the country’s typical midday meal.
Guanacaste has its own corn tradition, so keep an eye out for tortillas palmeadas, chorreadas (sweet corn pancakes) and rosquillas, the crunchy corn rings sold as snacks. A cold coconut from a roadside stand does well on a sticky afternoon.
Surf lessons on the bay
Samara is one of the gentlest places in Costa Rica to try a surfboard for the first time. Small, rolling waves break over a sandy bottom, and the surf schools set up right on the beach in front of town. Instructors will match you with a board and take you out in the morning, when the sea is usually at its tidiest.
Set out at first light, ahead of the rising wind and the incoming clouds, then leave room for a long lunch or a nap later. It suits children, nervous beginners and anyone who wants to be in the water without being tossed around. Experienced surfers tend to head for beaches nearby with more punch.
Horseback riding and kayaking
Horseback riding is one of the classic things to do here, and July makes the countryside as green as it ever gets. Rides wind along the sand and up into the hills, with views over the bay and the island. The mornings are the right time, cooler and less likely to be rained out, and the horses seem to like them too.
Kayaking suits the same early hours, when the bay is calm and the water is flat enough to paddle comfortably toward the reef and the island. You may see pelicans and frigatebirds working the water. Wear a hat and sunscreen, because the sun on the water is stronger than it feels, even under thin cloud.
Playa Carrillo and nearby beaches
Playa Carrillo is the day trip everyone makes from Samara. It is a long crescent of pale sand lined with coconut palms, quieter than the town beach and a pleasant place for a picnic, a long walk and a swim. On a July weekend a few families arrive with coolers and settle under the palms, but there is plenty of room to spread out.
Go in the morning, take your own shade and water, and leave before the afternoon clouds darken. Since lifeguards are not present at every beach, check with the hotel or a surf school about conditions that day, obey the flags wherever they exist, and regard the water’s edge as somewhere to wade, float or play, never swimming by yourself and keeping children within arm’s reach. A few smaller beaches near town reward a stroll at low tide, with tide pools and shells.
Turtle nesting on the Nicoya coast picks up as the rainy season advances, and Pacific beaches nearby sometimes see olive ridley turtles come ashore in the months ahead. It is a chance, never a promise.
A two-day itinerary for Samara in July
Day 1 is about the bay. Start with a walk along the sand soon after sunrise, when the beach belongs to joggers, dogs and a few fishermen, and the air is cool enough to be pleasant. Then take a beginner surf lesson while the water is at its tidiest, and be out before the heat builds.
Lunch is a casado or a plate of fresh fish at one of the open-air restaurants near the beach, and the hot middle of the day suits a siesta or a long swim. If clouds close in, the rain card is a café in town, a hammock under a porch, a massage, or a slow browse through the craft stalls and little shops. Evenings are for dinner at a place with a view of the bay, and a stroll back along the sand, with a sunset if the clouds allow it.
Day 2 heads out. Begin early with a horseback ride or a kayak paddle toward the reef, then head to Playa Carrillo for a late-morning swim and a picnic under the palms. Come back to town before the afternoon showers.
If the sky is clear, spend the afternoon on the beach with a book, and if it rains, find a covered terrace and wait it out over a coconut or a coffee. For your last evening, choose a simple place for grilled fish or tacos, then walk the beach road once more as the lights come on and the surf quiets.
Is Samara busy in July?
Samara is moderately busy in July, with a clear bump when the Costa Rican schools take their two-week break and families head for the beach. Outside those weeks, the green season keeps the town calmer than in the dry months, and there is room on the sand.
Weekends fill up with Costa Rican visitors, so the beachfront restaurants and the better-known hotels get busy. Around July 25 there is an extra long weekend feel when the holiday lines up with a weekend, and the road in and out of town can be slow.
The habit that serves you best is to book early for the school-break weeks and the holiday weekend, and later for the quiet stretches.
Tables at the popular dinner spots fill up at sunset on weekends, and a short wait is part of the mood. If you prefer a quiet beach, walk to the far ends of the bay or head for Carrillo on a weekday morning.
What to pack for Samara in July
Bring quick-drying clothes and shoes that can handle getting wet, since July here means hot days, bright sunshine and rain that arrives without warning.
- A light rain jacket or poncho, for the afternoon downpours that often arrive without much warning.
- Quick-drying shirts and shorts, since nothing hung up in the humidity dries fast.
- Sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, because the sun is strong in the gaps between clouds.
- Sandals and water shoes, for wet beaches, muddy paths and rocky stretches.
- For surf lessons and extended time in the water, pack a rash guard.
- A waterproof bag or case for your phone, to keep it dry in a storm or on a kayak.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2, ‘Exercise increased caution,’ due to crime; it says petty crime is common throughout Costa Rica and that violent crime also affects tourists, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault.
July sits in the green season, so roads can be muddy after a night of rain, and the unpaved ones near the beaches are slower than they look on the map. Expect closures and a slower pace on July 25, when the Annexation of the Partido de Nicoya is a national holiday.
Many Pacific beaches have dangerous rip currents, so check with the hotel or a surf school about conditions that day, obey any posted flags, swim with a buddy at all times, and stay within arm’s reach of kids. Book rooms and a car early for the school-break weeks, and keep the early hours for outdoor plans.
Samara in July vs June and August
Moving four weeks earlier to June gives you nearly the same weather, with warm air, a warm sea and rain on most days. The difference is crowds, since the school break has not begun and the town is quieter, with rooms easier to find and beach restaurants less full. The green is just as vivid, and the hills look freshly washed.
August is much like July in the water and the sky, with a bit more of the rainy pattern settling in. The holiday rush has passed, the beaches thin out, and the turtle nesting season on the Pacific coast is further along, so a guided evening outing becomes more of a possibility. You lose the July 25 celebrations and the school-break energy.
Choose July if you like a lively beach, Costa Rican families and a holiday in the calendar. Choose June or August if you prefer a calmer town, easier bookings and a slower pace, since the sea and the weather are close to identical in all three months.
Is July a good time to visit Samara?
Absolutely, July works well for travelers seeking warm water, green hills and a lively, family-friendly beach, and who take rain as part of the rhythm. It suits first-time surfers, families with children on a school break, and anyone who likes tropical storms from a covered terrace.
It is less right for people who want guaranteed sun and a clear horizon every evening, or those who prefer an empty beach. If you are set on dry days, another month will suit you better. The moment you get there, take a morning stroll along the beach, check with a surf school or your hotel about what the water is doing, and then schedule the energetic part of every day for the early hours.
What makes July in Samara special is the mix of a warm, forgiving bay, hills at their greenest and Guanacaste Day in the calendar. You spend the mornings in the water or on a horse, the afternoons under a roof listening to the rain, and the evenings on a beach that smells of salt and wet earth.
Sources
- Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 9.8814N 85.5262W, checked October 8, 2026
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 8, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 8, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Information, Safety and security (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/CostaRica.html), checked October 8, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Advisory, issued April 1, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/costa-rica-travel-advisory.html), read via the State Department open data API on October 8, 2026