Chasing an Endless Summer in Costa Rica

Summer break is closer than you think.

In a few months the kids will be out of school, the hustle and bustle on college campuses will come to a crawl, and the weather is really going to heat up.

There are a lot of great vacation options to make Summer 2020 one for the record books, a summer vacation in Costa Rica tops them all.

Here’s our top suggestion: spend some quality time in the tropical surf town of Dominical, Costa Rica, where white-face monkeys swing from trees and toucans take flight day and night.

From January through April, the weather in the southern Pacific zone of Costa Rica is pretty predictable, with mostly sunny skies all day and warmer temperatures. Starting in May, however, things change pretty rapidly. Afternoon showers become more prevalent — the local rivers really start to flow — and temperatures tend to drop from the high-season peak. If you don’t mind a little cool-down thunder and lightning in the evening to go with your fresh snapper and wine, you’re going to love a summertime visit to Dominical.

So for the North American/European summer months — let’s say June through August — the best local tours include river rafting, off-road ATVs, ziplining and pretty much anything that has to do with a waterfall. Speaking of which, there are some insane waterfalls to visit in Uvita, Dominicalito and Platanillo, including the world-famous Nauyaca Waterfall. With an age range of 5 to infinity, horseback rides to Nauyaca are one of the most popular activities for our guests.

This time of year typically features more families traveling together, so we try to suggest activities for groups of various age ranges.

Manuel Antonio National Park is located 45 minutes north of Dominical and is always a popular destination. We have many guests who do a canopy zipline tour in the morning near Manuel Antonio, and then explore the town/beach/park in the afternoon. It’s kind of a 2-for-1 and makes for a nice, full day of discovery without too much driving (less than an hour in each direction).

Much closer to Dominical, only 2 miles north of town, is Hacienda Baru Wildlife Refuge. This is a great spot for guided hiking tours, and is much calmer than Manuel Antonio. Birders, in particular, really enjoy Hacienda Baru. It’s not uncommon to see semi-pro birders here, head to toe in high-tech gear, stealthily snapping wildlife photos with pricey camera lenses. They’re almost more fun to watch than the animals! There is also a mellow zipline tours for young kids here. Overall, Hacienda Baru is a fantastic family spot and super affordable as well.

Ready for an endless summer?

Our property management team can help you find the perfect vacation villa for your summer vacation in Costa Rica. Contact us at [email protected] and we’ll have you exploring the jungle and surfing the tropics by the Fourth of July.