Costa Rica Climate

Costa Rica has a tropical climate.  The average temperature is 22 degrees C (72 degrees F) on the highlands, but is much higher along the coast.  The dry season is from December to April.  Although the remainder of the year is rainy, rain usually falls only in the afternoon; the mornings are generally sunny.  The variation in the terrain produces different climatic zones in the country:

-  high and cold region: at elevations of 3,000 meters and above, the average temperature is around 0 degrees C.

-  hot region:  between 1,500 and 3,000 meters, the temperature range is from 14 to 18 degrees C.

-  humid tropical region: from sea level to 1,100 meters, the temperature is between 25 and 26 degrees C.

-  tropical region: generally along the coast;  during the dry season the temperature is between 26 and 27 degrees C. 

-  inter-mountainous valley region: with an elevation of between 1,000 and 1,100 meters, characteristic of the central valley, the temperature range is from 14 to 18 degrees C.

In these regions, different types of forests are found: the cloud forest, the rain forest, the dry forest, and the transition forest.