All Seasons, One Day

The most common question I get for any destination is “What is the weather like?” This is an impossible question as weather is so unpredictable everywhere. But, I can tell you what I experienced during my time in Costa Rica. Traveling in late September, I expected it to rain every day, all day. When I looked at the weather forecast, I saw 80-90% chance of rain. I was so ready to enjoy warm rain but when I got to Costa Rica, I was blown away! It was beautiful, clear, warm, and sunny. What I discovered about the typical day was that the clouds would roll in between 2 PM and 6 PM every night. With the clouds came a thunderstorm and most nights would bring rain. I loved hearing the rain at night. In the jungle, the rain pounded at night along with the symphony from its hidden creatures. We were lucky to have almost each day start with a beautiful, warm and sunny morning. The sun would rise early, around 5:30 AM, and the sun would set close to 5:30 PM. It was strange having warm, dark nights. Growing up in Montana, I’m used to the height of summer including nights where I have light until at least 9:30 PM. The weather and length of daylight was an experience in itself. I had interesting expectations entering Costa Rica. Not only the weather surprised me, but how quickly I fell in love with this country. The people are warm, welcoming, and have an undying passion to preserve their land as well as the creatures who reside in it. This passion was infectious and I will always want to return to this incredible place.