Costa Rica
Monteverde in May
🌧️ Rainy seasonPleasant, a little humid and very wet.
🎒 Pack: compact umbrella or rain jacket
Why May scores 8.3What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort7.4
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (25°C highs / 16.5°C lows)
- ✓Humid (dew point 17.5°C)
- !Wet: ~299 mm rain, ~8 heavy-rain days
- Air quality9.8
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~6 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards9.5
- !Flood: ~8 heavy-rain days in an average May
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| May | Jan | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.3 Very good | 9.6 Excellent |
| Season | 🌧️ Rainy season | 🌤️ Cool dry season |
| High / low | 25° / 17° | 22° / 14° |
| Rain | 299 mm | 22 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 18° | dew pt 15° |
| PM2.5 | 6 µg/m³ | 2 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
Other public holidays: International Labor Day (1 May)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore MonteverdeEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA highland area in Costa Rica's Tilarán mountains known for cloud forest reserves, hanging bridges, ziplines and birdwatching, including the resplendent quetzal.
Quetzal nesting seasonDate variesRoughly spring, around March to June
Resplendent quetzals are easiest to see while nesting and feeding near fruiting avocado trees.
Why go: The best time for birders hoping to see a quetzal.
Where: Cloud forest reserves
Coming up later
Independence DayEvery year15 September every year, with lantern parades on the evening of the 14th
Costa Rica's national day with school parades and the Freedom Torch relay.
Why go: Public holiday; expect parades in towns.
Where: Nationwide
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
A large private reserve of misty, epiphyte-covered forest with marked trails.
💡 Go early with a naturalist guide for better wildlife spotting.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
A community-run reserve at higher altitude, usually quieter than Monteverde.
Hanging bridges
Suspension bridges through the forest canopy at parks such as Selvatura and Sky Adventures.
Ziplining
Monteverde is one of Costa Rica's main canopy zipline areas.
Night walks
Guided evening walks to see tarantulas, frogs, sloths and other nocturnal wildlife.
Coffee farm tours
Tours of small local farms showing coffee growing and roasting.
Casado
A set plate of rice, beans, salad, plantain and a choice of meat or fish.
💡 Sodas (small local eateries) in Santa Elena
Gallo pinto
Rice and beans fried together, the classic Costa Rican breakfast.
Monteverde cheese
Cheese from the dairy tradition started by Quaker settlers in the 1950s.
Costa Rican coffee
Locally grown coffee, often brewed in a cloth chorreador.
Coffee
Beans from Monteverde-area farms.
💡 Farm shops and Santa Elena stores
Costa Rican chocolate
Chocolate made from Costa Rican cacao.
Painted oxcart souvenirs
Miniatures of the colourful carretas that are a national symbol.