Travel during Rainy Season - CR

No massive dust from roads = no coughing jags = lungs feel good.

Offshore winds = clean & green every day = need you say more.

 

You see more critters! Washed out of their comfy beds!

 

make sure you have a 4x4 lined up for pavones. lots of road wash outs that time of year, can't rely on public transportation or a crappy rental need all wheel drive to get through that last section if its muddy.

Also watch out for Dengue. For realz, thats when it hits hard. Besides that yes, offshore winds up towards the north. Only go to PAvones if theres a good south swell running or you will be wasting your time, might as well stay up at Santa Terressa or Playa Hermosa or Domincal until one hits.

 

my guess is that a fixed 4-5 day period in January-February in Pavones has a real high potential for getting skunked with not nearly strong enough south swell that time of year.

 

You mean watch out for mosquitos. And Dengue is only one disease travelers need to beware of when headed to tropics during wet season. It is a b1tch--I had it as a kid. It is what gave me my charisma!! But others are malaria, zika, chunkinguya, etc. Ah, the pleasantries of tropical travel!!
Next stop for me is Paris and Provence. Fvck surf trips. Gonna play tourist with my lovely french wife on my arm. Refreshing change--no mosquitos, just mooslims.....

 

Id take mosquitos over mooslims any day and twice on sundays

 

Mosquitos kill more humans than mooslims every year, no exception.
Especially malaria--that one do suck. I would take all 3- zika, dengue, and chunkinguya, at the same time, than deal with malaria. Malaria is the biggest killer of humans in the world.

 

you can take precautions against somewhat predictable mosquitoes, not so much with religious fanatics

 

+1
Fuk Paris. Go to Biarritz. Old French city on the beach with ample world class beach, point, and reef breaks all within short driving. The mountains are only 2 hours away and you can really enjoy French food and culture.
Personally after spending some time in those two places, my desire to go to Paris vanished.

 

+1
And if you can add Lyon to your travels, you can also add a few lbs of incredible French cuisine

 

Costa doesn't have malaria (but def dengue)

 

I went to CR in November several years ago. It's the tail end of the rainy season, so good chance of nice weather with the added bonus that the jungle is lush, and it's freaking gorgeous. It gets all dried out in the winter + the surf sucks.

 

Fvck Biarritz. That is a surfer community. Assholes, all of them. Don't believe me?? Look in the mirror. hahaha!

 

One of my good friends from Wrightsville caught it (Dengue) 4-5 years ago in CR. He said it was the worst experience ever. The pain he experienced was extreme. The fever almost killed him.

If I had a choice I would go from beginning of April to beginning of July. OP, traveling to Pavones during the rainy season...if it's truly dumping rain while you are there, will not be fun (unless the surf makes up for it...which I suppose is possible). Good luck

 

Oh yes it does have malaria--it is endemic in all of Central America. Read the history, if you can read, on the construction of the Panama Canal, next door. Many workers contracted and died of malaria.

 

Although very rare....especially on the Pacific side of CR.

 

On what side of the rio claro is your friends house? This is very important. I was just down there over february break. The upper bridge across the river is being torn out and rebuilt because it's too old and sketchy. It's gonna take a pretty long time because they're making it into a 2 lane bridge, and the only other bridge is a dirt and gravel one near the mouth of the river that has already almost washed out. Since it's turning to the rainy season and the river is gonna start flowing pretty damn hard, it might be impassable since both bridges will be gone. So depending on what side of the river he lives, you may have a veeery hard time getting there.

 

That would be correct--see attached link.
http://www.travelpharm.com/costa-rica-north-america-and-caribbean-i181

Having said that, a real rainy season increases malarial risk via large increases in skeeter population emerging from rain water holes.