Landing at LIR? Park hours, entry fees, and when the dry season usually falls
Guanacaste, Costa Rica, from the official sources: SINAC for the parks, ICT for the Blue Flag beaches, Guanacaste Airport for LIR, IMN for the seasonal climate and CDC for health notices.
Parks day planner
SINAC's published days, hours and entry fees for 10 protected areas, where available, with a fee calculator.
Blue Flag beaches
51 Guanacaste entries on ICT's 2025 list, filter by stars, CSV.
Flying into LIR
Entry requirements, the departure tax and routes, from the airport.
When is the dry season?
el período seco va de diciembre a marzo. En este período precipita un 4% del total de lluvia anual.Our translation the dry period runs from December to March. In this period, 4% of the total annual rainfall falls.
Our explanation: this describes the region's seasonal climate, not a forecast for your trip.
Health notices for travelers
There is an outbreak of chikungunya in northwest Costa Rica.There is an outbreak of hepatitis A (HAV) in Costa Rica.CDC's linked page provides the precautions and any vaccine information; notices may change after the date we checked.
What this site covers
This site covers three parts of a Guanacaste trip and keeps to what the official sources print for each: protected areas, Blue Flag beaches and Guanacaste Airport (LIR). The parks section covers ten areas SINAC publishes a page for, from volcano trails to cave tours and turtle beaches, with hours, fees and rules quoted in Spanish and translated by us.
The beach section lists all 51 Guanacaste entries on ICT's 2025 Blue Flag list, and the airport page gathers LIR's own entry, exit-tax and customs notes. The planner answers two practical questions from SINAC's pages: which areas list a sector open on the day you pick, and what the quoted foreign-visitor entry fees add up to for your group.
Our explanation of the quoted facts on this page; it adds no facts of its own.
Protected areas
- Rincón de la Vieja National ParkParque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja
- Santa Rosa National ParkParque Nacional Santa Rosa
- Bahía Junquillal Wildlife RefugeRefugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Bahía Junquillal
- Barra Honda National ParkParque Nacional Barra Honda
- Las Baulas Marine National ParkParque Nacional Marino Las Baulas
- Diriá National ParkParque Nacional Diriá
- Conchal Wildlife RefugeRefugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Conchal
- Ostional Wildlife RefugeRefugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional
- Palo Verde National ParkParque Nacional Palo Verde
- Tenorio Volcano National Park (Río Celeste)Parque Nacional Volcán Tenorio
Dry season, rainy season
How SINAC says the seasons change trails, roads and beach hours.
Sea turtles
Ostional's arribadas and Las Baulas's leatherbacks, and the rules for visitors.