Costa Rica vs Kenya

Illuminated beachfront dining pavilion with white railings and thatched-roof bungalows reflected in the pool at dusk.

Large resort pool with blue loungers, thatched-roof structures, and palm trees lining the Baobab Beach Resort & Spa grounds.

Costa Rica and Kenya, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

By the numbers

Costa Rica compared with Kenya
Costa Rica	Measure	Kenya
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
6	Resorts in our catalog	15 (better)
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.4 (better)
$88–$285/night pp	Nightly rates	$75–$274/night pp (better)
1 of 6	Adults-only resorts	0 of 15
Low hurricane risk	Hurricane exposure	No hurricane season (better)
May–November ('green season'), with September–October seriously wet	Rainy season	Long rains April–May, short rains October–November
December–April, bone-dry in Guanacaste	Sweet spot	December–March and July–September (the latter pairs with Masai Mara migration season)
Spanish (English common in tourist areas)	Language	Swahili & English (both official)
Costa Rican colón – USD widely accepted	Currency	Kenyan shilling (KES); cards and mobile money common
120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)	Power	240V, Type G (UK-style) plugs – bring an adapter
On the right	Driving	On the left
Liberia – Daniel Oduber (LIR)	Main airport	Nairobi (NBO); coast via Mombasa (MBA) or Ukunda (UKA)
~3.5–5.5h from the US (nonstops to Liberia)	Flight time	~15–18h+ from the US, with a connection

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.

On the map

Costa Rica

Kenya

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Costa Rica and Kenya
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Costa Rica · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
Kenya · high °F	90	91	91	88	84	83	82	82	84	86	88	89
Costa Rica · rain (in)	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.7	7.7	9.0	5.9	7.9	13.0	12.2	4.3	0.5
Kenya · rain (in)	1.0	0.7	2.5	6.1	9.3	3.4	2.8	2.5	2.6	3.4	3.8	2.4

Approximate climate normals for Guanacaste / Papagayo and Diani / Mombasa coast: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.