Choose Costa Rica for rainforest, volcanoes and wildlife, Cancun for easy beach days with calm, shallow water on the bay side of the Hotel Zone. Guanacaste is dry from December to March; Cancun is driest in March and April and wettest in October. The U.S. rates both countries Level 2. Our Cancun family sessions cost 295 to 895 USD.
Costa Rica or Cancun with kids? On paper they look alike: warm water, beaches, a rainy season. On the ground, Costa Rica is a nature trip with beaches and Cancun is a beach trip with nature a drive away. We are a Cancun family studio, so the climate data, travel advice, fees and rules below come from official sources we checked on November 14, 2026.
Wildlife and Adventure, or Easy Beach Days
Costa Rica's draw is the outdoors. Guanacaste, in the northwest, sits in what Costa Rica's National Meteorological Institute (IMN) calls the Pacific North, a long coast rich in tropical forests, dry forests and wetlands. Canada's travel advice lists Arenal and Rincon de la Vieja among the country's active or potentially active volcanoes, says national parks require a permit, and warns that rafting, canopy tours and other adventure sports can be dangerous if you go unprepared.
Cancun is the easier beach trip. The Hotel Zone is shaped like a 7: its short arm faces north onto the Bahia de Mujeres, with flat, pale turquoise water where small children can stand in the sea on a calm day, and its long arm faces the open Caribbean, deeper blue and with real waves. Split vote? Our piece on letting children pick the session location shows what happens when they choose.
Rainy Months, Side by Side
Costa Rica's green season depends on the coast. For the Pacific North, IMN's regional study (1961 to 1990 baseline) puts the dry season from December to March, with just 4% of the year's rain. April is a transition; rains set in around the last ten days of May and peak first in June; July and August bring a drier spell called the veranillo; and September and October are the wettest. The Caribbean side has no defined dry season, IMN says.
Cancun peaks at nearly the same time. In the 1991 to 2020 normals of Mexico's National Weather Service (SMN), October is the wettest month, with 277.1 mm (10.9 in) over 16.4 days with rain, followed by June and September; March and April are the driest. Winter is the big difference: Guanacaste is in its dry season, while Cancun still averages about 100 mm in December and again in January.
| Month | Guanacaste (IMN) | Cancun rain (SMN) |
|---|---|---|
| January | Dry season | 103.8 mm, 9.8 days |
| February | Dry season | 59.3 mm, 5.9 days |
| March | Dry season | 38.7 mm, 4.8 days |
| April | Transition | 42.3 mm, 3.8 days |
| May | Rains set in late in the month | 87.0 mm, 7.3 days |
| June | Rainy, first peak | 184.4 mm, 11.4 days |
| July | Veranillo, a drier spell | 67.0 mm, 8.5 days |
| August | Veranillo, a drier spell | 102.2 mm, 10.9 days |
| September | Rainiest stretch | 181.5 mm, 14.4 days |
| October | Rainiest stretch | 277.1 mm, 16.4 days |
| November | Rainy, turning dry | 131.4 mm, 12.0 days |
| December | Dry season | 96.6 mm, 10.8 days |
Hurricane seasons overlap too. NOAA's National Hurricane Center dates the Atlantic season June 1 to November 30, busiest from mid-August to mid-October, and the eastern Pacific season May 15 to November 30. Our guides to Cancun month by month and to hurricane season planning go deeper.
Waves and Small Kids
Official advice is blunt about both. For Costa Rica, Canada warns that riptides are common, that very few beaches are supervised by lifeguards and that there are no warning signs of dangerous conditions, and it suggests asking residents and tour operators where it is safe to swim. For Mexico, it also calls riptides common and says many beaches have no warning flags.
The difference is the map. In Cancun the calm water is in a predictable place, the north-facing bay side of the Hotel Zone, where a toddler can splash in the shallows on calm days; the Caribbean side is for watching the waves. Anywhere, keep small children within arm's reach.
Airports, Roads and Clocks
For Guanacaste's beaches, fly into Liberia: Guanacaste Airport (LIR) sits 12 km west of downtown Liberia, and its destinations page lists 20 destinations in the United States and 6 in Canada. Flying into San Jose (SJO) instead means a much longer drive to that coast. Canada calls road safety poor in both countries, and for Costa Rica adds that most roads are not paved, that driving can be hazardous especially in the rainy season, and that you should avoid travel at night. With car seats, plan transfers in daylight.
For Canadians, Canada says the passport must be valid for the whole stay in either country, and Costa Rican customs will ask for a return or onward ticket and proof of funds. Costa Rica requires an exit permit for its citizen and legal-resident minors, and Mexico a consent form for children who are its citizens or residents. U.S. families should check the State Department's country pages.
The clocks differ by an hour. Mexico's time law keeps Quintana Roo on UTC-5 all year, which is U.S. Eastern Standard Time. Costa Rica's official clock, kept by ICE, reads UTC-6, U.S. Central Standard Time, and the IANA time zone database shows no daylight saving time there since 1992.
Cost and Safety
Is Cancun or Costa Rica cheaper? No official source compares the two trips, so price the same week in both. Published extras differ: Costa Rica's departure tax is 29 USD per person, which Guanacaste Airport says most airlines include in the fare, and Quintana Roo charges its Visitax, which the state says all foreign tourists must pay. Canada also notes that Canadian dollars are extremely difficult to exchange in Costa Rica.
Is Cancun or Costa Rica safer? Neither government ranks one above the other. The U.S. State Department rates both Costa Rica and Mexico at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, noting that conditions in Mexico vary widely from state to state. Canada asks for a high degree of caution in both, and its regional warnings for Mexico do not include Quintana Roo.
Two Coasts, Two Photo Looks
On camera, the two coasts barely resemble each other. Guanacaste faces the Pacific, so on its west-facing beaches the sun sets into the ocean, and early: between 5:17 and 6:09 pm all year, by our calculation with NOAA's solar equations. Cancun's Caribbean side faces east, so the sun rises from the sea and sets behind the hotels, between 6:04 and 7:33 pm.
What Cancun adds is range in one trip: turquoise water one morning, a cenote another day (see our guide to a cenote family photoshoot with kids), and Tulum, where the jungle runs down to the sand, in our Tulum family photo session guide. For a candid record across the coast, see our family vacation photographer page for the Riviera Maya.
If Cancun wins, our six collections cost 295 to 895 USD at a fixed price, with no per-person charge; for families we recommend The Chapter, 60 minutes and 35 edited photos for 475 USD. There is no deposit: you pay at the end of the session, by card or in cash, and you can cancel free of charge until one day before. Online booking offers 6:30, 7:00 and 7:30 am and 5:00 and 5:30 pm, and a preview arrives within 24 hours. Some resorts charge a fee for an outside photographer, paid by you to the hotel; we confirm your resort's rule first.
Our team, led by Vianey Díaz, brings more than 20 years of photography experience and has photographed thousands of families and couples; IVAE Studios has delivered more than 500 sessions since 2023 and holds 5.0 stars across 75 Google reviews. See our Cancun family photographer page, or book online.
Sources Checked
Read on November 14, 2026; rules and fees change.
- Costa Rica climate: IMN regional studies El clima y las regiones climáticas and Pacífico Norte.
- Cancun climate: SMN, Conagua, 1991 to 2020 normals, station 23155 (issued November 6, 2026).
- Hurricane seasons: NOAA National Hurricane Center, climatology.
- Government of Canada travel advice: Costa Rica (updated November 13, 2026) and Mexico (updated October 19, 2026).
- U.S. State Department advisories: Costa Rica and Mexico, read in its official advisory feed.
- Guanacaste Airport (LIR): location, destinations, departure tax, entry requirements. Quintana Roo: Visitax.
- Clocks: ICE, official time of Costa Rica; IANA time zone database (2026f); Mexico's time zone law; 15 U.S.C. 261 and 263.
- Sun times: our calculation with NOAA's solar equations for 2027, at 10.30 N, 85.84 W (Guanacaste coast, UTC-6) and 21.135 N, 86.748 W (Cancun Hotel Zone, UTC-5).
From our Google reviews
Parents on vacation, in their words:
“We were traveling to Holbox for a week and thought it would be so special to have family photos taken while we were there.”
Niki K., Google review
“patient with our family, especially with two little kids during a windy beach session”
Ashley H., Google review
“Despite the rain on the day of our shoot, they still managed to capture beautiful photos”
Linh K., Google review
See more on our Cancun family photographer page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Costa Rica suits families who want rainforest, volcanoes and wildlife, with more time on the road. Cancun is the easier beach trip: the bay side of the Hotel Zone has calm, shallow water, and cenotes and Tulum add jungle.
The National Meteorological Institute of Costa Rica gives Guanacaste a dry season from December to March and the most rain in September and October. In the normals of the Mexican weather service, Cancun is wettest in October, with 277.1 mm, and driest in March and April.
At the country level, official advice treats them alike. The U.S. State Department rates Costa Rica and Mexico at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, and Canada asks for a high degree of caution in both. Canada also warns that riptides are common in both countries.
No official source compares the two trips, so price the same week in both. Costa Rica has a departure tax of 29 USD per person, which most airlines include in the fare, and Quintana Roo charges foreign tourists its Visitax. Our Cancun family sessions cost 295 to 895 USD.
Costa Rica runs on UTC-6 all year, like U.S. Central Standard Time, and Cancun on UTC-5 all year, like U.S. Eastern Standard Time. Costa Rica is one hour behind Cancun, and its Pacific sunsets fall between 5:17 and 6:09 pm.