The Best Places To Visit in Central America for Each Month of the Year

A personal take on the best places to visit in Central America each month. Discover favorite spots and hidden gems in this subjective guide.

This is one of those pure copycat articles. You know, when you see something written somewhere else by someone else and you think, “Goddammit, why didn’t I think of that!” There are many reasons why I don’t think of things. A general lack of creativity could be one reason. Being too busy thinking about other things, another. And sometimes, when you do think of something and see someone else has done it already, you bin the idea off because, you know, if you snooze you lose.

So What Am I Talking About?

Well, just about the simplest idea for a travel article ever, that’s all. I’m talking about this – an article recently published on Modern Elder Academy about the best places to visit around the world per month. As someone who writes about travel for a living, it’s shocking I never thought of it myself but, as I say, there are reasons…

Instead of binning the idea off, I’m going to unashamedly lean into it. My version of The 12 Perfect Places For Each Month of the Year will be a little different, though. This site is about Central America, so I will stick to the region I live in and know best.

I’m also going to make this personal. That means I’m going to talk about MY perfect places around Central America for each month of the year. And mine may not be yours. I mean, it’s all subjective anyway, isn’t it? One man’s freedom fighter and all that. Some people might hate, say, October in Costa Rica because it’s rainy. Others might love October in Costa Rica because that month is great for whale watching and turtle nesting. Subjective.

All I can do is offer you my best places to visit in Central America each month and hope they coincide with yours. Let’s get started.

January: Guanacaste, Costa Rica

I love Guanacaste in January, particularly just after New Year’s, say from January 3 or 4 onwards once the peak season hordes have left. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still high season, but not peak. The place feels vibrant, buzzing. Over the past few years, the surf community of Tamarindo has been hosting a few music festivals which are – if you like electronic music – brilliant.

If you want someplace more relaxed, head to Potrero for relaxed vibes. The weather is gorgeous, too. Dry season properly kicks in, but those Papagayo winds coming off Lake Nicaragua to the north cool things down. January is Guanacaste’s “coldest” month with an average temperature of 29 degrees. For me, 29 degrees is about as perfect as it gets.

February: Panama City, Panama

Panama in February is, like many other places around Latin America and the Caribbean, all about carnival. While many residents of Panama City seek to leave during carnival, which generally takes place at some date in February to mark the start of Lent, others lean into it and have fun. The Panama City Carnival isn’t Rio or Trinidad and Tobago, but it’s still a fun-packed four days in Central America’s most dynamic city.

Carnivals also take place in other parts of Panama, notably Las Tablas on the Azuero Peninsula for revelers wanting something more rural. The Panama City Carnival is hot, sweaty, hectic, and not for everyone. But it is for me.

March: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

San Juan del Sur is one of my top two beach and surf communities in Central America, and March is a perfect time to be at the beach. It’s the peak of the dry season and nothing says summer like ice-cold Toñas and a spot of surfing on any of the amazing beaches surrounding town. This place will always be on any list I put together on the best places to visit in Central America.

Now, the best surf in SJDS is during the May-November wet season, mirroring pretty much all of Central America’s Pacific coast. But hear me out. First, I’m not a great surfer so smaller is better for me. And second, March still sees those offshore winds we mentioned in January. SJDS is next to Guanacaste and close to Lake Nicaragua, so it makes sense. Anyway, those offshores make surfing super fun, even if the swells are a little smaller. And out of the water, you get to hang out in a historical, super-fun town and enjoy it before the Easter hordes come and things go nuts.

April: El Salvador for Easter

Talking of Easter, I know it sometimes takes place in March, but it feels like it’s mostly April these past few years, so I’m using April to focus on my perfect Easter destination in Central America. For me, it’s El Salvador. I know Antigua in Guatemala has the largest Easter parade in the region, but take me to the Ruta de las Flores and the beautiful colonial towns there like Juayúa with their Easter carpets and traditions.

Other places to check out are Suchitoto and, particularly, Sensuntepeque which claims to have the largest street carpet in the country. Bottom line is these small towns have a great vibe over Easter and feel more chilled out than larger tourist centers. The great thing about El Salvador is that it’s tiny, so combine your Easter explorations with time at the beach, as we’re now at the end of the dry season.

May: La Ceiba, Honduras

The last couple of months have been pretty relaxed so it’s time for another party. May always delivers on that front, as that’s when carnival kicks off in the port city of La Ceiba, Honduras. They say this is the largest street party in Central America, even larger than Panama City, and attracts around half-a-million people. The parade and the music and the vibe are excellent, and between Panama City and La Ceiba, La Ceiba edges it for me.

La Ceiba is also close to Pico Bonito National Park for gorgeous nature and world-class rafting. It’s also the gateway to the Bay Islands for people to chill out after the festivities. Divers heading to Utila or Roatán should note that March to May is the best period to get underneath the Caribbean to check out the coral reef.

June: Monteverde, Costa Rica

I’m back home in Costa Rica for June and heading up to the cloud forests of Monteverde. June is a great month to be here – it’s misty and rainy but not too rainy yet. That means the trails are open and explorable. Birdwatchers will also find June as their last chance for great quetzal-viewing opportunities, as this is the last month of the breeding season. Put simply, June is a great time to chill out, recharge batteries, and get back to nature. And Monteverde is the perfect place to do that.

July: Belize Lobster Fests

The lobster fishing season is a big deal in Belize. It runs from the beginning of July to the end of February. Between February and July, traditional lobster fishermen were out of work, so when the season started again, they greeted it with a party. Today, those parties – or Lobster Fests – are organized festivals taking place over days in Caribbean communities like San Pedro, Caye Caulker, and Placencia. Expect music, merriment, and tons of tasty lobster to eat in all sorts of forms. You can enjoy lobster pizza or lobster burgers if you want, but the best way is the old way – grilled up on the traditional drum barbecues you find all over Belize.

August: The Corn Islands, Nicaragua

If you’re ever exploring Central America, you should head out to the Corn Islands for some authentic Caribbean vibes that more well-known hotspots in the West Indies haven’t seen for a while. Think of an ultra-budget Barbados or St. Lucia before the rise of mass tourism. That description misses the target somewhat because the Corn Islands are tiny. These two specks of land sit some 70 km off the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and if you like ultra-chilled laid back island style, you’ll love the Corn Islands, especially Little Corn where the main mode of transport is the wheelbarrow!

Why August? Well, the three times I’ve been out there were always in August, and the weather was spectacular! That’s not dumb luck – while it rains quite a bit in August around the rest of the region, the Corn Islands see sunny, balmy weather as a rule.

September: Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Weather-wise, in Central America, you gotta think two things. First, think south and then think Caribbean. Heading south means you avoid the hurricane belt. We don’t really get properly hit by hurricanes much in Central America. It does happen, of course, but it’s relatively rare. Being anywhere south of northern Nicaragua puts you well below most possible hurricane paths. The Caribbean thought comes from the fact that south of Nicaragua, the Caribbean side of Central America has by far the best weather. That puts me in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, a gorgeous beach and surf community surrounded by jungle. Come around September 15th and you’ll also enjoy the independence celebrations!

October: Bocas del Toro, Panama

Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama, comprising a ton of mainland. For our purposes, though, when I say Bocas del Toro I mean the archipelago off the Caribbean coast where most of the people live. Bocas Town is a fun, vibrant community on Isla Colón and makes a perfect base for exploring. Bocas in October is good weather (remember, think south think Caribbean) and the snorkeling is perfect at this time. Sunshine and Caribe vibes in October. What more could anyone want?

November: Guatemala for Day of the Dead

Guatemala is the one country in Central America that really gets into the Day of the Dead celebrations and for a real cultural experience, there’s no country better to visit in the region in November. My favorite town in Guatemala is Antigua, and you’ll no doubt spend time here during your travels. Aside from soaking in the delights of what many say is Central America’s most beautiful town, the precursor to Day of the Dead, All Saints Day on November 1, has a fantastic procession, which I personally find extremely moving.

To experience the actual Day of the Dead, it might be worth heading to the highlands and places like Chichicastenango. Also don’t miss Santiago Sacatepéquez and their kite festival to honor the departed. There might well be no deeper cultural experiences to, well, experience, in Central America than in Guatemala around this time of the year.

December: Montezuma, Costa Rica

Back in March, I mentioned that San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua was one of my two top beach communities in Central America. The other one is Montezuma, down at the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. It’s tiny, bohemian, not-too-easy to get to, and utterly chilled out and beautiful. When I’m talking about my personal best places to visit in Central America, I’ll always say Montezuma. Over the years I’ve spent many Christmases and New Years here and it never gets old. If you love sunshine, waterfalls, deserted tropical beaches, and a small-yet-eclectic restaurant and bar scene, then you’ll love Montezuma at any time of the year. I love it all the time, but my December memories of this place are strong, so here’s where I want to be in December.

What Do You Think Are the Best Places in Central America To Visit Each Month?

That sums up my personal overview of the best places to visit in Central America each month. It was harder to put together than I thought, because there are really so many places I want to be at any given time of the year. Looking over my list, it might look like I’m some kind of party guy, just liking carnivals and raves. I’m really not, and in any case, I’m getting a bit long in the tooth for all that stuff anyway. But I do like cultural events and “people things” more than natural things. That’s what drives great travel for me. Yet again, it’s all subjective, and there are a few nature-focused reasons to find a location perfect up there – I’m no nature hater!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this. It was fun putting it together. Thanks to Chip from MEA for the inspiration and remember, all the places I’ve listed here are good anytime of the year, so get out there and explore them!

James Dyde is the editor of centralamerica.com. He lives in Escazu, Costa Rica.