The best time to visit Central America is January to April when the weather is fine, the sky blue, and the humidity less intense. But this is a large area, with regional variations that are even more pronounced in the countries that have central highlands and both a Pacific and Caribbean coast, like Honduras and Costa Rica.
Panama’s climate is equatorial, for example, hot and to an extent, rainy year-round. In contrast, Honduras has a tropical climate, with more defined dry and rainy seasons. Costa Rica also has a tropical climate, but with rain all year round, hence its lush covering of rainforest, and a drier season from December to April. In Belize, the sunniest days are in March, April, and May.
Central America is generally outside the Caribbean’s hurricane belt, although the northern countries like Honduras and Belize can be affected. And while this part of the world does receive high rainfall, this doesn’t mean endless days of gray skies and rain. Most rain falls in the form of short, intense showers, usually in the afternoon when the humidity has built up. The good news is that the sea is deliciously warm for swimming, snorkeling, and diving all year round.
Visiting Central America by Season
Summer
Beach in Roatan, Honduras
June, July, and August is the low season across Central America, although some places get busy during big public holidays in the U.S., such as July 4. But otherwise, beyond the shoulder month of June, this is the beginning of the rainy season, with frequent showers, often in the afternoon, and high humidity. These months can be a beautiful time to visit, as it rarely rains all day and the countryside is green and lush.
Expect intense humidity if you visit Central America in summer. In Roatan, temperatures in summer are consistently hot, averaging 84.1°F (27°C), with rainfall ranging from 5.5 inches (140mm) in June to 7.9 inches (200mm) in July, tailing off a little in August. Limon, Costa Rica, is also hot, humid, and rainy, with July the wettest month of summer, receiving 16.7 inches (425mm) of rain.
Fall
The rainy season continues in Central America through September and October; for Costa Rica, this is the quiet time, with many businesses closed. Heavy rain and mudslides are not unusual; in November, the rainiest month, Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast could receive an impressive 15.7 inches (400mm) of precipitation. By late November, though, the rainy season is coming to an end. Humidity drops and popular tourist areas begin to get busy once more.
Although in Panama temperatures remain constant year-round, October is by a fraction the coolest month, with daily averages of 80.8°F (27.1°C). November is the wettest month, when there’s on average 21.7 inches (550mm) of rainfall.
Winter
December, January, and February bring relatively dry weather, making this the best time to go to Central America. January to March are hot but pleasant months in Roatan, Honduras, with average temperatures of 79.1°F (26.2°C). But Roatan is still rainy at this time, with January seeing on average 10.8 inches (275mm) of rain. Come a little later in winter for the best conditions.
Belize
In Belize City, too, January can be rainy, with 5.6 inches (141mm) on average. Rainfall has dropped down to 1.6 inches (41mm) by February, as the peak season begins.
The best part of Costa Rica’s dry season is mid-December through February. The beaches of both coasts will be busy with sun-seekers escaping the cold northern winters. Panama’s Pacific coast, meanwhile, is in the heart of a well-defined dry season from December to February, making this a good time to travel.
Spring
Peak season in many parts of Central America continues into the spring months. March and April, for example, is one of the best times to go to Belize, with eight or nine hours of sunshine daily.
Spring is one of the best times to enjoy rafting, kayaking, and exploring Costa Rica’s rainforests. Limon’s average temperature is 81℉ (27 ℃), although rainfall increases from March’s low of 1.3 inches (33mm) to an average of six inches (152mm) by May.
When Is Rainy Season?
The rainy season in Central America varies between the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. For example, in Colon, on Panama’s Caribbean coast, the rainy season lasts from May to December, peaking in November, when there’s on average 21.7 inches (550mm) of rainfall. But Panama City, on the Pacific coast, receives less rain and the wet season is over by December.
Roatan, Honduras receives typically tropical rain showers for much of the year. November is the wettest month, receiving on average 17.1 inches (450mm) of rain.
Costa Rica’s rainy season, known as the green season, runs from mid-May through November. October and November receive the most rainfall.
When Is High Season?
Generally speaking, the high season in Central America is the drier months of winter and spring, from December to April, incorporating two of the biggest holidays of the year, Christmas and Easter, as well as the pre-Lenten Carnival.
Caye Caulker, Belize
Within this period, February and March tend to be the best months in most places, although some, like Honduras, have a much longer peak, all the way from December to April. In Belize, high season for visiting the Mayan antiquities and enjoying the beaches and rainforest adventures is January to March. But there’s a high season for divers from March through June, when the water clarity is at its best, with a chance of spotting enormous, gentle whale sharks.
When Is Shoulder Season?
Shoulder season varies from region to region. In Costa Rica, it’s mid-May through August, when it’s rare to get extended periods of rain. Even if there is a wet spell, it will still be warm.
Belize similarly has a shoulder season from June to August, before the really heavy rains of fall arrive. In Roatan, Honduras, the shoulder season months are May and June, before the wet summer months, and November, before the Christmas rush.
When Is Low Season?
The lowest season across the region is the late summer and early fall, when rainfall is at its most intense. Generally speaking, October is the wettest month in most places. But by November, the official hurricane season is over in the Caribbean and tourist arrivals begin to pick up in Belize, Honduras, and on the Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica and Panama.
Panama
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