Costa Rica in November: Weather by Region, Where to Go and What to Do

In November, the last afternoon downpours drum on the tin roofs of Monteverde while the coffee pickers in the highlands get ready for the harvest, and on the Pacific coast near Tamarindo the evenings start to turn clear and warm. The green season is winding down, the hills are still vivid, and the crowds of the dry months have not yet arrived. It is a month for travelers who like their rainforest lush and their beaches quiet, as long as they choose the coast with care.

Green hills and a volcano in Costa Rica in the rainiest months · Illustration

What is the weather like in Costa Rica in November?

Everywhere in November is warm, and most of the country is wet, yet just how wet depends largely on the side of the mountains where you find yourself: the driest corner is the northern Pacific coast, the Central Valley and the Caribbean are damp, and the soggiest of the places below is the central Pacific coast around Manuel Antonio. The table gives the picture for six reference spots.

Place	Region	Average high (°F)	Average low (°F)	Rain (in)	Rain days
San Jose	Central Valley	73.8	63.5	12.56	20.8
Monteverde	Highlands	74.0	64.8	6.81	13.4
Tamarindo	North Pacific	83.5	75.3	5.06	10.5
Manuel Antonio	Central Pacific	78.9	70.3	34.55	28.8
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca	Caribbean	79.9	72.0	17.46	23.1

Beach	Sea (°F)
Tamarindo	83.5
Manuel Antonio	83.1
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca	85.0

The contrast between Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio is striking even though both face the Pacific. Tamarindo sees rain on about ten days, mostly short showers, so beach hours are easy to find. In Manuel Antonio, rain falls on almost every day in November, and roughly eleven of them deliver an inch or more, so expect long, heavy soakings instead of a brief afternoon sprinkle.

Perched in the highlands, San Jose stays mild, with afternoon temperatures reaching the low 70s and evenings cool enough that a light layer comes in handy, and most days bring rain. Monteverde is noticeably drier than the capital, with misty, cloud-forest days between showers. The Caribbean has no real dry season: Puerto Viejo is wet but warm, and its sea is the warmest of the three beaches.

Where to go in Costa Rica in November

The North Pacific coast

Tamarindo and the beaches around it are the natural pick this month. The rain is the lightest of the places in our table, the days are hot, and the sea is warm, though safe swimming still depends on the day’s conditions. Surf lessons, sunset walks on the sand and long fish dinners at tables set on the beach make up most days.

Some showers still come, so keep an afternoon free for a café or a siesta. Rip currents are a real danger on plenty of Pacific beaches, and because lifeguards and warning signs are missing at most of them, ask your hotel or a surf school what the day’s conditions look like and keep children close enough to touch.

The central Pacific and Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio is among the wettest places in the country this month, and that shapes the trip. The forest around the national park is at its greenest, and a guide can find sloths, white-faced monkeys and toucans in the canopy, often more than you would spot alone. Mornings are the usual time for walking, though nothing is guaranteed.

Plan for wet days with plenty of slack: a spa afternoon, a long lunch above the bay, or a slow drive along the coast. The sea stays warm, and the same rules about rip currents and missing lifeguards apply here.

The Caribbean coast

The Caribbean follows its own calendar, with rain all year, so November here is not the tail end of a wet season but simply another damp month. Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is relaxed and colorful, with bicycles on the road to the beaches, Afro-Caribbean cooking with coconut and spices, and the warmest sea of our three beaches.

Expect showers on most days and bring a light rain jacket. This coast sits in the Atlantic hurricane season until the end of the month, so the weather deserves a glance before you go.

The highlands: San Jose and Monteverde

Monteverde is the choice for a cloud-forest trip that includes hanging bridges, hummingbird gardens and night walks, along with days that are drier than the capital’s. Cool, damp air hangs between the trees, and the light turns silver when mist rolls through.

San Jose is where most trips start and end. Its museums, markets and cafés suit a wet afternoon well, and the coffee harvest begins in the highlands around the end of the year, so the countryside starts to turn busy with pickers.

What to do in Costa Rica in November

All Souls’ Day and quiet traditions

November 2 is All Souls’ Day, Dia de los Difuntos, a quiet day when families visit cemeteries to tend graves and leave flowers. It is not a public holiday, and it is a private moment rather than a spectacle, so visitors are best off simply respecting the calm in the towns.

Toward the end of the year, the coffee harvest begins in the highlands. A coffee farm visit in the hills around the Central Valley gives you the smell of roasting beans, the sight of ripe red cherries and a cup brewed with the local method.

Wildlife and rainforest walks

The rainforests are lively in the green season.

Animals are a chance, never a promise, so treat each sighting as a bonus. A local guide is the usual way to spot sloths, monkeys and birds in the green season, and early mornings tend to be the best time to walk a forest trail before the afternoon clouds build.

Beach days and surf

On the North Pacific coast, beach days fill the calendar: surf lessons, snorkeling trips, long walks at low tide and sunsets with a cold drink. In the Caribbean, the plan is easier still: swim between showers, rent a bike, and eat rice and beans cooked in coconut milk.

Wherever you swim, conditions change by the day. Ask locally, follow any flags you see, and keep children close.

Is Costa Rica busy in November?

November is one of the calmer months, a lull between the green season’s end and the arrival of the dry-season crowds. Rooms are easier to find and trails and beaches feel less full, though the Thanksgiving week in the United States brings a small wave of American families to the popular coasts.

Tamarindo and the North Pacific are the busiest corners, since they are the driest, and restaurants there start filling in the evenings. Manuel Antonio is a steady draw but quieter than in the dry months. Puerto Viejo keeps its easy, unhurried rhythm, and Monteverde stays calm outside the weekends.

All Souls’ Day is not a public holiday. If you want a stretch of empty beach, go midweek and early in the day.

What to pack for Costa Rica in November

Packing changes with where you sleep. Light, fast-drying clothing and swimsuits are what you need on the North Pacific, evenings in the highlands and San Jose call for a light sweater, and genuine rain gear is a must for Manuel Antonio and the Caribbean.

A light, packable rain jacket for the afternoon downpours and the cloud forest.
Quick-drying shirts and shorts that handle humidity.
For slippery paths, bring closed shoes and sandals that are both rugged and have solid traction.
A light sweater or fleece for cool highland evenings.
Sunscreen and a hat for the sunny hours on the North Pacific coast.
A dry bag or plastic cover to protect phones, cameras and your passport.

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.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which covers the Caribbean Sea, runs from June 1 to November 30, so November is its final month on the Caribbean side.

Look up the travel notice for every area you intend to see. A passport valid for the entire length of your stay is required, along with proof of a return or onward ticket.

Is November a good time to visit Costa Rica?

November is a good time for travelers who choose the North Pacific coast or the highlands, and a patient time for the central Pacific and the Caribbean, where rain is frequent. Tamarindo is the strongest pick, with warm days, the lightest rain of the coastal places and a sea that invites swimming.

Compared with October, the heart of the green season, November usually feels like the beginning of the shift toward drier weather, though the change is gradual and the Pacific side is still wet in places. December brings the dry season in earnest, with sunnier days and fuller beaches, so November trades some certainty of sunshine for space and a greener landscape.

What makes the month special is the in-between mood: forests at their greenest, a quiet All Souls’ Day in the cemeteries, and the first coffee harvest stirring in the hills. Ask at your hotel about the day’s sea and trail conditions, and let the afternoon rain set the pace.

Sources

Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 9.9281N 84.0907W, checked October 8, 2026
Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 10.3009N 84.8248W, checked October 8, 2026
Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 10.2993N 85.8371W, checked October 8, 2026
Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 8, 2026
Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 9.392N 84.1366W, checked October 8, 2026
Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 9.6558N 82.7541W, 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
NOAA National Hurricane Center, Climatology (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/climo/), 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
U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Information, Entry and exit requirements (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/CostaRica.html), checked October 8, 2026