Early on a December morning, the forest behind the beach fills with the rasp of howler monkeys, and the leaves still drip from the night’s rain. By the time the sun clears the ridge, the hill road above Quepos is already busy with minibuses, and the sea below has the color of green glass. This is the month when the rains loosen their grip, the hills glow a deep green, and the holiday crowds begin to arrive on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast.
What is the weather like in Manuel Antonio in December?
December in Manuel Antonio is warm, humid and still wet, though it is clearly easing after the soggy weeks of November. Typically, the morning hours are the finest stretch, while rain is more likely to arrive afterward.
| Month | Average high (°F) | Average low (°F) | Rain days | Sea (°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 78.9 | 70.3 | 28.8 | 83.1 |
| December | 79.6 | 70.4 | 25.7 | 84.4 |
| January | 80.4 | 71.1 | 19.6 | 85.7 |
Since showers remain likely on the majority of December’s days, work with them instead of counting on luck to stay dry. It often arrives as a heavy afternoon downpour, sometimes with thunder over the hills, and then the sky clears and the steam rises from the road. Some days bring a gray, drizzly stretch that lasts longer. Total rainfall is well below November’s, which you feel in fewer washed-out days and more bright mornings.
Heat is steady rather than fierce. In the sunshine, afternoons feel hot and humid, evenings remain warm enough to eat dinner on a terrace wearing a T-shirt, and nights do not get cold.
Daylight lasts about 11 hours 37 minutes in mid-December, so the sun sets early in the evening and the tropical dusk comes quickly. Light is soft and golden in the early hours, which is when the forest trails and beaches look their best.
Dress for sweat and for showers at once: light, quick-drying clothes, a thin rain layer, and shoes that can get wet. Because the water stays so balmy, leaving it never comes as a jolt, and with all that moisture in the air, towels and clothes take their time drying, a detail to keep in mind as you pack for several days.
Can you swim in Manuel Antonio in December?
The water is usually warm enough to stay in as long as you like without getting cold, but conditions change from day to day and beach to beach. The challenge is not the temperature but the currents.
This coastline’s rip currents pose a serious hazard, killing multiple American visitors annually, and at the majority of local beaches you will find neither lifeguards nor any notice of hazardous water. If you do see flags or lifeguards, obey them. Waves on the long open beach near Quepos can be strong, so it suits confident swimmers more than small children.
Inside the national park, those curving stretches of sand remain the go-to spot for a swim that feels more peaceful, since trees rise just past the shoreline, but the tide and the swell can shift how things are. If you enjoy checking out what is below the surface, pack a mask, and have sunblock and a cap within reach during the spells when it is not raining. Never enter the water alone, and do not assume that staying close to shore or following other swimmers makes conditions safe.
What to do in Manuel Antonio in December
December here is less about one big event than about a rhythm. The forest is at its greenest, the first wave of holiday visitors arrives, and the hill road fills with the sound of rental cars and cheerful shuttle drivers. The best days start early and end with a long dinner when the afternoon rain has passed.
The big festivals of the month happen in San Jose rather than on the coast. The Festival de la Luz, a night parade of illuminated floats, marks the early and middle part of December, and Christmas lights and posadas (neighborhood gatherings in the Christmas season) brighten towns across the country.
The Tope, a horse parade, follows in San Jose on December 26, and the Zapote festival runs from Christmas to New Year’s. On the coast you feel it mainly in decorated hotel lobbies, special menus and a festive mood in Quepos.
The national park at the start of the day
Most visitors arrive for the park that surrounds Manuel Antonio, where a stroll through the trees leads out to the sand. You follow shaded paths where white-faced monkeys, raccoons and agoutis often turn up near the trail, and where sloths, when you are lucky, hang in the canopy. Guided walks are the way most visitors spot animals, since a guide’s trained eye finds what you would walk past.
Head out early, while temperatures are lower, wildlife is moving around more, and the rain that comes later in the day has yet to begin. Check the park’s official website for regulations, admission information, and booking requirements before mapping out your visit. Wear shoes with grip, since the trails are damp and slippery in this month, and carry water.
Beach time and the hill road
Because all sorts of places to stay rise up the hillside on a single winding road above the ocean from Quepos to the park entrance, your location determines whether you get to the beach walking or riding the bus. Staying near the lower end puts you within reach of the open beach and the restaurants, while the upper hill gives the best views and the sound of the forest at night.
In December, with the sea warm and the mornings often bright, the beach is best before the cloud builds. Spend the morning on the sand, take a long lunch under a roof when the first drops fall, and return to the water if the sky opens again. Bring a dry bag for your phone, because sudden showers are part of the routine.
Quepos, food and the evening
Fresh fish, ceviche, and tropical fruit such as pineapple, papaya and mango are everywhere on menus along the coast. Gallo pinto, the rice-and-beans breakfast, comes with eggs and a cup of local coffee.
In December you may find tamales on holiday menus, a Christmas tradition across Costa Rica, and fruit drinks such as fresh juices and blended batidos help in the humid evenings. Sunsets over the Pacific are a popular reason to linger at a hillside bar, though cloud can hide the sun on rainy days.
Boat outings from the Quepos area, mangrove paddles and canopy or zip-line tours are the other familiar choices, and morning is the better time for any of them in this wet month. If the rain sets in, a long meal, a spa session or a slow afternoon in a hotel hammock is the local answer.
A two-day itinerary for Manuel Antonio in December
The driest and coolest stretch of the day comes in the mornings during December, which is why Day 1 begins early at the national park. Take the walk along the forest paths with a guide if you want to see animals, then let the trail end on a beach for a swim. Eat a simple lunch near the entrance, and be back under a roof by the time the clouds thicken in the afternoon.
When the rain passes, walk or ride down the hill road and have dinner at one of the terrace restaurants with a view over the dark water. If the weather turns wet for hours, spend the afternoon in a café, a hotel pool bar or at a massage studio, and keep the evening for a long dinner of fresh fish.
Day 2 shifts to the town and the water. Start in Quepos with a coffee and a gallo pinto breakfast, then take a morning boat or mangrove outing, when the surface is quieter and the birds are active. Back on land, wander the harbor and the market streets for souvenirs and a plate of ceviche for lunch.
In the afternoon, keep to the open beach near Quepos if the sky is bright, or retreat to a covered restaurant if it is not. Finish with a sunset drink on the hill and an unhurried dinner. On a rainy evening, look for a restaurant with a good roof and a long menu, and stay put until the downpour fades.
Is Manuel Antonio busy in December?
Yes, December is the start of the high season, and the coast fills steadily as the month goes on. The first weeks are calmer, while the days around Christmas and New Year’s are the busiest.
Many visitors are North American and European travelers escaping winter, joined by Costa Rican families on holiday, since this is the season for school breaks and time off. Rooms with a sea view, rental cars and restaurant tables go first for the holiday weeks, so book those early, while a trip in the first half of the month leaves more room to choose later. The hill road gets slow when traffic and shuttles build up, so build in extra time to get to the beach or to dinner.
The park is the one place where crowds are felt most directly, and the early morning is the quieter time to be on the trails. Rules and reservations for the park change, so look at its official page well before you travel, particularly for the holiday weeks. Guided tours and boat outings also fill up in busy days, so reserving them when you book your rooms is a sensible habit.
Away from the park and the beach, the mood is festive rather than frantic. Quepos stays a working town, restaurants add holiday menus, and evenings are lively without feeling packed until the last days of the year.
What to pack for Manuel Antonio in December
Pack for heat, humidity and sudden showers, and keep the bag light for the hill road and the park trails.
- For the afternoon downpours that frequently hit the trails, bring a light rain jacket or poncho.
- Quick-drying shirts and shorts, since damp clothes dry slowly in the humid air.
- Sturdy sandals or shoes with grip, for muddy forest paths and wet steps.
- Sunscreen and a hat, because the sun is strong in the bright morning hours.
- Pack phones and passports in a dry bag or zip bags so a sudden shower cannot soak them.
- Binoculars, to spot monkeys, sloths and birds high in the trees.
Good to know before you go
The U.S. State Department rates Costa Rica Level 2, ‘Exercise increased caution,’ due to crime; it says petty crime is common throughout Costa Rica and that violent crime also affects tourists, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault.
Before departure, verify Costa Rica’s passport, permitted-stay, and proof-of-onward-travel requirements, then arrange lodging and any guided tour. Getting around is simple but slow, since the hill road is winding and traffic builds in the high season, and your location on the hill decides whether you walk or ride to the beach. Rip currents are a real hazard on this coast, and most beaches have no lifeguards, so swim where others swim and follow any flags you see.
Manuel Antonio in December vs November and January
Moving the trip a month earlier brings more rain and a quieter coast. November is the wettest stretch of the green season here, with showers nearly every day and a sea a little cooler, and the high-season crowds have not yet arrived. It suits travelers who accept gray afternoons in exchange for open trails and a relaxed pace.
A month later, January is clearly drier, with brighter days, a warmer sea and more reliably sunny mornings. It also brings the full weight of the high season, so rooms and tables are harder to find, and the festive mood of December gives way to a steady stream of vacationers.
Choose December if you want a balance, with greener forest than January, fewer people than the peak weeks and the holiday atmosphere. Shift to January for the best chance of sun, and to November for the quietest trails and the lowest crowd levels.
Is December a good time to visit Manuel Antonio?
December works well for visitors drawn to a green forest, a balmy ocean and a holiday spirit, and who don’t mind rain in the afternoon. Families, wildlife watchers and anyone escaping winter will find plenty to enjoy.
It is a weaker choice for anyone who needs every outing to dodge the short showers and wetter spells, or who wants an empty beach during the holiday weeks. Those travelers will be happier later in the season, when rain comes as shorter showers and fewer wetter spells, or in the quieter early weeks of the month.
On arrival, put the morning first: head for the park or the beach early, keep the afternoon flexible for rain, and book your guide and your dinner table for the busy evenings. What sets December apart here is the meeting of two moods, a forest still dripping and green from the rains, and a coast just beginning to fill with holiday lights, music and visitors.
Sources
- Open-Meteo / ECMWF ERA5, normals 1991-2020 computed for the grid cell at 9.392N 84.1366W, checked October 8, 2026
- Open-Meteo Marine API, average 2015-2024, checked October 8, 2026
- sunrise-sunset.org, sunrise and sunset calculated for the 15th of the month, checked October 8, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Information, Safety and security (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/CostaRica.html), checked October 8, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Costa Rica Travel Advisory, issued April 1, 2026 (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/costa-rica-travel-advisory.html), read via the State Department open data API on October 8, 2026
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in Manuel Antonio: National Park Trails, Beaches, Day Trips and Food
- Where to Stay in Manuel Antonio: Quepos, the Hill Road and the Beach End
- Day Trips from Manuel Antonio: Carara Macaws, Tarcoles Crocodiles, Jaco and Quepos
- 3 Days in Manuel Antonio: Park Trails, Beaches and a Slow Final Day