When to go:
The low/green season (mid-September to mid-October) is good for negotiating accommodation deals. Some tour operators and restaurants close for a few weeks in October. However, sport fishing companies may close even longer, depending on weather and customer demand. If you come during this time you’ll catch new plant growth, flowers, and forest greens. You’ll avoid large crowds and tour groups, but weather may restrict your range of activities and clouded afternoons will block the famous sunsets. Rafting is good all year but rivers run a bit faster during the green months. Manuel Antonio has begun to host a Chili Cook-Off in October (“because there’s nothing better to do!”) The busiest months, through December to April, host the Festival del Mar in February, bull fights/rodeo in March, and Aguirre Al Rojo Vivo in July. A month long party, the Festival del Mar takes place in Quepos and includes concerts, sports, parades, dancing, and a street carnival. Aguirre Al Rojo Vivo includes workshops, art exhibitions, clowns, theater, and performance.