Nosara weather in January
January in Nosara: sweltering, dry, with clean air — fine if you can take 36°C afternoons.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#2 of 12 months in Nosara · #77 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 92/100 (tier S)
- Days
- 32°C
- Nights
- 25°C
- Wet days
- 4
- Sun
- 10.6 h
- Humidity
- 71%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Traveller notes on Nosara in January
Nosara forum threads describe January as squarely in the dry season (running December through March), reliably warm with warm water too - most visitors reported needing little more than a rash guard rather than any real wetsuit. This window draws heavier crowds as North American winter escapees arrive, with one detailed trip report covering the turn-of-the-year stretch describing consistently good beach conditions throughout. Surf was described as good essentially year-round at Playa Guiones, with knee-to-head-high waves typical from November through March, making January a reliable pick for surf as much as sun.
Other months in Nosara
Regulars are specific it genuinely rains most days here this month, though showers typically stay brief, around 15 minutes, sandwiched between mostly sunny, hot mornings and afternoons and a cooler evening. Our row backs that hot, genuinely wet read, 29.9C reading as a scorching 37C, over 25.2C nights feeling 31C, with a substantial 321.2mm of rain across 27.9 days and humidity at 88 percent. Regulars are consistent long-term residents specifically call this arguably the best time of year on the Pacific coast despite the daily rain, the Guanacaste region itself running meaningfully drier than the rest of Costa Rica, surfing and diving trips still genuinely doable around the showers. The sea sits at a bath-warm 30.2C. The record: 9.2 hours of sun, a 9.7 kph wind and AQI 24.
November here is the rainy season's last real month, and regulars describe a specific daily shape to it: clear days with thunderstorms arriving reliably around six each evening, rather than rain spread evenly through the day. Our row carries the season's tail at 280.2mm across 25.5 days, still substantial, at 87.6 percent humidity - air reads 29.1C but as a real 35C, over 24.6C nights. The board's honest caveat is that Costa Rica has a dozen microclimates, so rain elsewhere on a given day says little about here. A four-wheel-drive is worth having for the last of the season's soft roads. The foliage is at its greenest now, before the dry months bleach it back. The sea is 28.7C. The record: 9.1 hours of sun, a 10.8 kph wind and one of this project's cleanest air readings at AQI 22.
April is the end of the dry season here and regulars rate it: much drier than May or June, if not quite as dry as February and March. Our row looks like a flat contradiction at 126.2mm across 19.2 precipitation days - until the second half of their answer, which is that the first rains usually begin later in the month. The monthly total is back-loaded, so early April is the dry part and the average is really two different halves added together. Heat is what they actually warn about: hot, hotter, and sand too hot to cross barefoot between the chair and the water. Our 32.8C over 25.8C nights reads as 39C and 30C. The record: humidity 75 percent, 11 hours of sun, a 30C sea and AQI 33.
The rains usually finish in November, so December catches Guanacaste in its best state - dry, but with the foliage still green before the long brown months set in. Our row is a shade wetter than the regulars' 'very little to no rain', at 64.3mm across 10.6 precipitation days, which is the turn rather than the dry season proper. December to March is also when North Americans arrive to escape their winter, so the town fills. For surfers the draw is consistency: Playa Guiones is among the most reliable breaks in the country and a typical season runs knee to head high from November to March, which is why the surf and yoga crowd is here now. The sea is 28.9C. The record: 30.5C reading as 36C, 24.5C nights, 10.3 hours of sun and AQI 24.
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Nosara climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Nosara in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsDry season, Christmas and New Year, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Nosara's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Best weatherNosara's weather peaks January–March, best around February.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Nosara in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Season
Dry season
1 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyCrowdedThe Guanacaste dry months: the forest drops its leaves, the road to Guiones turns to dust, and the town runs full of retreats and repeat visitors through to Easter.
- Holiday
Christmas and New Year
18 Dec – 3 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook earlyThe fortnight everything is taken and rates roughly double, with charter flights into Liberia and a queue of hire cars on the last dirt stretch into town. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Nosara — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Nosara?
Nosara in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Nosara?
- January in Nosara: sweltering, dry, with clean air — fine if you can take 36°C afternoons. It ranks #2 of 12 months for Nosara on SeasonMap's comfort score (92/100).
- What is the weather like in Nosara in January?
- In January, Nosara averages a daily high of 32.1°C and a low of 24.6°C, with about 20.7 mm of rain over roughly 4.4 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Nosara in January?
- Nosara has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 26 in January.
Within 300 km: Jacó's Dry season around 15 Dec – 15 Apr, and La Fortuna's Dry season and clear Arenal around 15 Jan – 30 Apr.