Costa Rica has a subtropical climate, being hot year-round and coming with two seasons, wet and dry. The driest time is between December and April, with the wet season running from May to November. Cartago largely follows this climate pattern, although it is located at a higher altitude than many Costa Rican cities and so cools off a lot at night.
Cartago gets boiling hot during the summer daytime and experiences rainy weather for most of the year - it is a very wet city. You could visit at any time of year, however, as even during the wet season it seldom rains all day long, with rainfall generally occurring in the afternoon.
Seasonal Variations / When to Go
The best time to visit Cartago is at the beginning of the dry season, around December. The climate is cooler and the weather is drier at this time of the year, plus you get to experience lots of greenery from the previous wet season, which usually ends in November. Beware that in the mid-dry season, January and February, it can get particularly cold at night-time.
The rain kicks in during the month of May, although it can rain in Cartago at any time. While the official wet season is from May to November, most of the rain falls between July and September. This is the most humid time and if you were to avoid any 'worst' time to be here, this is it. Temperatures are slightly cooler than San Jose on average, although there are higher peaks and lower troughs, namely summer daytime temperatures and winter night-time temperatures, respectively.
Cartago Weather and Climate Chart
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