October connects directly with September — Independence Month extends one week further in the Caribbean, while the country’s skies and beaches enter two completely different natural seasons. Here is an organized overview in several sections, with the sources for each piece of information so you can verify them before publishing.

1. Limón Carnival: the biggest celebration in the Costa Rican Caribbean

From October 9 to 18, Puerto Limón hosts its most important celebration of the year. Limón Carnival began in 1949 as a local commemoration of October 12, and today it is the country’s largest public expression of Afro-Caribbean culture, with parades featuring feathered costumes, calypso, soca, floats and Caribbean food filling the streets for more than a week. The central date of the celebration coincides with Día de las Culturas, a national holiday commemorating the encounter between Indigenous peoples and the arrival of the Spanish to the continent. The exact schedule is confirmed each year by the Carnival Commission, so it is advisable to check the final times closer to the date.

2. Raptor migration: a phenomenon few people in the country have seen up close

Between September and November, peaking in mid-October, the Caribbean lowlands become the setting for one of Costa Rica’s lesser-known natural events. Millions of raptors, including hawks, falcons and ospreys, cross the country on their southbound migration route. On the busiest days, up to 500,000 birds have been counted in a single day. Costa Rica has the second-largest raptor migration in the world, after Veracruz, Mexico, and is home to the largest recorded migratory population of peregrine falcons on the planet. The best observation point is Kèköldi, an Indigenous territory located a few kilometers from Puerto Viejo de Talamanca.

3. Leatherback turtles: the season begins on the North Pacific coast

While the Caribbean receives migratory birds, the North Pacific welcomes leatherback turtles, the largest of all sea turtles on the planet. Their nesting season begins in October and extends through February, with beaches such as Nombre de Jesús and Isla Murciélago among the country’s main nesting sites. Unlike green or olive ridley turtles, which we saw in September, leatherbacks have their own cycle — October is one of the few times of the year when two different turtle species begin or maintain nesting activity on opposite coasts of the country at the same time.

4. Other events

• Iron Maiden: Thursday, October 8, 2026, National Stadium, San José. One of the most anticipated rock concerts of the year.

• Oktoberfest Costa Rica, 13th edition: October 2 to 4, Centro de Eventos Pedregal, Belén. More than 100 national and international beer brands, live music and German cuisine.

• Carmina Burana: National Symphony Orchestra, October 17 and 18, Teatro Popular Melico Salazar, San José.

• Feria Blanca 2026 with Los Karkiks: Saturday, October 17, Cámara de Ganaderos de Liberia.

5. Weather: the rainiest month of the green season

October falls within the green season (May–November), and is usually one of the months with the highest rainfall of the year in the Central Valley and the Pacific:

• Frequent afternoon downpours, with some days experiencing prolonged rain from midday onward.
• Rural or mountain roads are more likely to be muddy than in September.
• The Caribbean, as in September, tends to have more clear days than the rest of the country during this period.

The constant rain also keeps the surf strong on the Pacific coast; Dominical and Pavones remain at their best time of year for experienced surfers.