San Juan del Sur (SJDS) weather by month
The best time to visit San Juan del Sur (SJDS) is January, March and April — 91/100 in March, 31°C and 1 rainy day. The best season is the dry season, December to April (88/100 on average).
The worst month is October at 60/100 — sweltering, soaked, clean air. See October →
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit Nicaragua →
Best season: December to April (88/100 on average) · worst October (60/100)
- Days
- 31°C
- Nights
- 25°C
- Wet days
- 1
- Sun
- 11.3 h
- Humidity
- 72%
- Daylight
- 12 h

San Juan del Sur, month by month
Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip San Juan del Sur is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.
What's on in San Juan del Sur through the year
Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.
- March
- Semana Santa29 Mar – 5 AprHoliday
- April
- Southern swell season1 Apr – 31 Oct (usually)Season
- July
- Arribadas at La Flor1 Jul – 31 JanNature
- September
- Fiestas Patrias14–15 SepHoliday
- December
- La Griteria7–8 DecFestival
- Christmas and New Year crowds20 Dec – 2 Jan (usually)Holiday
- Papagayo offshore winds1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)Season
Crowds in San Juan del Sur in March
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.
BusySemana Santa, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Good to know before you go to San Juan del Sur
Real experiences from travellers' own write-ups, quoted with a link to the original.
adventure
We started our lessons at the main beach in town before graduating to Playa Maderas, about twenty minutes north, once we felt steady enough to handle real swell. The sandy bottom and lack of rocks made this one of the easiest places either of us had learned to surf, cheap group classes building confidence fast. Playa Yankee further along was clearly for a different crowd, stronger waves that the more experienced surfers in our hostel headed to each morning. We came in July, squarely in the recommended window between April and November when southern swells keep conditions consistent, and never had a flat day. Sunscreen and a rash guard were non-negotiable given how intense the midday sun got.
Traveller notes on San Juan del Sur
What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.
Forum posters describe March as squarely inside the strong seasonal wind window that runs January through March, with the ocean itself running noticeably cooler (around 17C) during the windiest stretch and beach days sometimes getting genuinely uncomfortable - one reviewer described wind strong enough to feel like it was 'beating' them while trying to lie on the beach. By March the pattern shifts toward hot, dry and dusty conditions on land even as the wind persists, with posters generally naming April (before or right after Easter week) or very early May as calmer, more comfortable alternatives for travelers who prioritize a still, sunny beach day over surf conditions - Papagayo-style offshore winds like this one are prized by kitesurfers even as they frustrate sunbathers.
San Juan del Sur's forum describes September and October as the heaviest rain of the year here, but the typical day still follows a manageable rhythm: cooler and overcast at dawn, clouds burning off by mid-morning, then sunny through the afternoon before rain returns. Posters said showers roll in roughly every other day and usually last only an hour or two rather than the whole day. A few forum regulars specifically preferred August over September, since the risk of a genuinely wet stretch climbs the closer you get to the end of the month.
Add your own note from San Juan del Sur's card on the map.