June is the green season settled into its rhythm – clear mornings, afternoon downpours, everything electrically green – at prices well below the dry months. It is also when the whales start arriving, and when the country’s strangest and most useful weather quirk begins: the veranillo, a little summer inside the rainy season.
The rain map
The veranillo
From late June into July the Pacific side often gets a break in the rains lasting a couple of weeks – the veranillo de San Juan, the “little summer of St John”. Guanacaste’s rainfall drops from about 230 mm in June to roughly 140 mm in July, which is why July is drier than the months either side of it on the Pacific.
It is a real and well-documented pattern rather than folklore, though its timing and strength vary year to year. It is the reason Costa Rican school holidays fall in early July, and the reason the Pacific has a small high season in the middle of the rainy one.
Whales arrive
Continue planning your Costa Rica trip
Costa Rica has one of the longest humpback whale seasons anywhere in the world, because two separate populations use its Pacific waters:
- The southern-hemisphere population arrives from around July to November, having travelled up from Antarctic waters. This is the larger and longer season.
- The northern-hemisphere population comes down from December to April.
Between them, humpbacks are present in Costa Rican waters for most of the year. Marino Ballena National Park at Uvita is the centre of it – and its sandbar happens to form the shape of a whale’s tail at low tide. The first arrivals show up from late June and June sightings do happen, but July onwards is the reliable window.
What June is good for
- Value. Along with May, the best price-to-conditions window of the year.
- Rafting and waterfalls at full flow – the Pacuare and Sarapiquí are at their best.
- Surfing on the Pacific, with the green-season swell running.
- Cloud forest – Monteverde is genuinely a cloud forest now rather than a dry windy ridge, which is the point of it.
- Birdlife – quetzal nesting continues to about July, and the wet season is the breeding season for a great deal else.
- Quiet trails at Manuel Antonio, Arenal and Rincón de la Vieja.
What to plan around
- Afternoon rain – front-load the day. Tours start early here for this reason, not because guides like mornings.
- Roads – unpaved routes and river fords are harder; 4WD matters in places.
- Volcano views – Arenal is often clouded; early morning is the best chance.
- Osa and the far south are very wet; Corcovado is demanding in the green season.
Prices and crowds
Green-season rates throughout, and the country is quiet until Costa Rican school holidays begin in early July. See what a trip to Costa Rica costs.
What to pack
A light rain jacket and quick-drying clothes. Insect repellent. Closed shoes with grip for mud, plus sandals. A dry bag. Binoculars – June is an excellent wildlife month.
The June 2027 calendar
- Through June – green season rhythm: clear mornings, afternoon downpours, clearing evenings.
- From late June – the veranillo break in the Pacific rains often begins, running into July.
- From late June – first humpback whales of the southern-hemisphere season reach the Pacific coast.
- Through June – rafting and waterfalls at full flow; Monteverde properly cloudy.
- To about July – quetzal nesting continues in the highland cloud forests.
- No national public holidays fall in June in Costa Rica.
Read alongside
- Costa Rica in May – where the green season starts.
- Costa Rica in July – the veranillo and the whales.
- Costa Rica in September – the coastal inversion at its sharpest.
- Best time to visit Costa Rica – all twelve months compared.
- Costa Rica in 10 days – how the regions connect.
- Costa Rica travel guide – coasts, volcanoes and cloud forest.
- Trip to Costa Rica cost – green-season numbers.
Frequently asked
What is the veranillo?
The “little summer” – a break in the Pacific rains lasting a couple of weeks from late June into July. Guanacaste drops from about 230 mm to roughly 140 mm, which makes July drier than the months either side on the Pacific.
Is June a good time to visit Costa Rica?
Yes – with May it is the best value-to-conditions window. Mornings are clear, the country is green, rafting and waterfalls are at full flow, and prices are green-season.
When can you see whales in Costa Rica?
For most of the year, because two humpback populations use the Pacific coast: the southern-hemisphere group from about July to November, and the northern-hemisphere group from December to April. Marino Ballena at Uvita is the centre of it.
Does it rain all day in June?
Usually not. The pattern is clear mornings, heavy afternoon downpours of one to three hours, and often clearing evenings. Front-load the day.
Is Monteverde good in June?
Yes – it is actually a cloud forest in the green season, which is the reason to go. In the dry months it can be windy and comparatively bare.
Do I need a 4WD in June?
In places. Unpaved roads and river fords on Nicoya and towards Monteverde get harder once the rains are established.
Is Corcovado worth it in June?
It is demanding. The Osa peninsula is one of the wettest parts of the country in the green season, so it suits experienced, well-equipped visitors rather than a casual day trip.
Is June busy?
No – it is quiet until Costa Rican school holidays start in early July.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
