If you are thinking of spending the winter holidays in the tropics, then a visit to Costa Rica in December should be in your books. Although the weeks of Christmas and New Years is considered the peak tourism season time, December is a wonderful month to visit Costa Rica for the weather, activities and relaxation.
If you are thinking about visiting Costa Rica in December, here is what you have to know.
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Prices quoted in USD below unless otherwise stated.
Costa Rica Quick Facts
- Sunrise and sunset is roughly the same all year round, with a difference of around 15 minutes. Sunrise is generally 6 AM with first light around 530 AM and sunset is 530 PM, dark by 6 PM.
- Costa Rica uses 110 V and drives on the right hand side of the road.
- Local currency is called the colón. Exchange rate ~520 CRC to 1 USD.
- Spanish is the main language.
- Costa Rica is 8-12 degrees from the equator.
Is December a Good Time to Visit Costa Rica?
Yes! December is a great time to visit Costa Rica. First, it’s the start of dry season so there is less rain than November but it isn’t quite as hot and dry as January – April. Mountains are green and lush and you can feel the change in the air as dry season slowly comes about.
The first couple weeks of December are kind of in a “low” season. Many people are still in school and work, waiting for the Christmas holidays to come around. By the third week of December, it gets incredibly busy and crowded as the Christmas and New Years vacationers arrive in hoards (tourists and locals). The weeks of Christmas and New Years is peak season with the highest prices, longest lines and biggest crowds.
If you want to avoid the the Christmas crowds, visit the first two weeks of December and avoid coming after the 15th or so. Christmas is celebrated in Costa Rica as most of the country is Catholic. Besides Easter, Christmas is the most popular holiday in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica in December Weather
December is the transition month from rainy season to dry season in Costa Rica. The rainforest and mountains area will still get consistent rain during the first couple weeks of the month. However, it gets less as the month goes on. By the end of December, if it rains, it’ll most likely just be at night for short periods of time.
December is generally a bit cooler in temperatures thanks to the “Christmas winds.” These winds bring a consistent strong breeze, particularly on the coasts. However, this does come with the condition that tours may get cancelled due to extremely high winds. These are activities like ziplining, parasailing, sailing and boating.
Below are short descriptions of the weather in December for popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica.
Guanacaste and Nicoya Peninsula
The Guanacaste coast and Nicoya Peninsula start their dry season a bit earlier than the rest of the country and they can go without a single heavy rainstorm in December. There may be a few overnight rains, but generally, there aren’t any more big rain storms in December in these areas.
It gets very windy which feels nice and comfortable during the day. It’s still hot in December, but the humidity does start going down as the rains let up. The mountains stay lush and green all December, even if it hasn’t rained in a few days.
Average day time average temperatures are around high 80s° F and low 90s° F (~32° C). Night temperatures go down to around mid to high 70s° F (24-25° C). Winds can go up to 50 mph, topping out at 100 mph. Hold onto your hat!
Central Valley
The Central Valley cities: San Jose, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago also enjoy comfortable weather in December. Humidity goes down a lot once the rains have stopped for several days and the cities also get a nice breeze. Up in the mountains, it’ll be even breezier, even chilly at night.
It may still rain in the early part of December during the day, but most likely it’ll be late afternoons, evenings and nights.
Average temperatures are around mid to upper 70s° F (23° C – 26° C) during the day and low to mid 60s° F (16° C) at night.
La Fortuna
La Fortuna tends to keep having rain throughout December, being the tropical rainforests of the Northern Lowlands. It may not rain as much towards the end of the month, but it can still storm, drizzle and downpour any time in December. The rain does let up towards the end of the month, however don’t be surprised if you still get a downpour at some point during the day.
This area doesn’t get as much of a breeze compared to others and humidity stays fairly high in La Fortuna. Average daytime temperatures are in the mid 80s° F (29° C). Average night time temperatures are mid 70s° F (24° C).
Jaco and Manuel Antonio (Central Pacific)
Jaco and Manuel Antonio have similar weather to La Fortuna being the tropical rainforest as well, but on the coast. The Central Pacific coast tends to have sunnier and drier mornings and rain in the evenings and nights in December.
We’ve visited Jaco and Manuel Antonio many times in December and we usually had dependable late afternoon and evening rains at the beginning of December. Towards the end of the month, the rain was less and mostly at night.
Expect hot and humid weather in Decemeber. Average temperatures during the day are around mid 80s° F (29° C) and mid 70s° F (24° C) for night time temperatures.
Costa Ballena and Osa Peninsula
Dominical, Uvita and Ojochal and the Osa Peninsula still get rain in December but similar to the Central Pacific, it gets lesser towards the end of the month. Mornings are still hot, sunny and dry and by the middle of the month, it can just rain in the late afternoons and nights.
When we visited Drake Bay in December (around mid December), it only rained at night. The morning was super sunny and clear, it did get a bit cloudier and darker by mid morning but it wouldn’t rain super hard until the late evenings.
Temperatures are similar to November in this area. Average day time temperatures are around low to mid 80s° F (26-29° C) and mid 70s° F (24° C) at night.
Caribbean Coast (Tortuguero, Limon and Puerto Viejo)
Puerto Viejo, Limon and Tortuguero follow their own weather pattern as the Caribbean coast doesn’t strictly adhere to the tropical dry and rainy seasons. In December, the Caribbean coast tends to get a good amount of rain fall, it is actually one of the rainiest months for that part of the country.
We had good weather when we visited Tortuguero in December but it would rain like crazy in the evenings and nights. It also poured almost one whole day, it started in the early morning, stopped for a few hours in the afternoon and then promptly resumed well into the night.
Temperatures don’t drop much though. Day time average temperatures are around mid 80s° F (290176 C) and night time temperatures are around low 70s° F (22° C).
Monteverde
Monteverde can experience all sorts of weather in December. Expect rain, drizzles, clouds, sun, high winds and fog. We have visited Monteverde a couple times in December and were lucky to get fairly good weather.
We got rained on hard in the morning when we were at Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve and then it cleared up in the afternoon. There were lots of rainbows all throughout town thanks to the intermittent rains and drizzles.
It was also SUPER windy during our visit, so much that they had actually cancelled a couple of ziplining tours that occurred during the high winds.
You will still get sun though. Average day time temperatures are around 70° F (21° C) and around low to mid 60s° F (15-18° C) at night.
What to Know About Spending Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica
There are some extremely important things you need to know about visiting Costa Rica in December for the Christmas and New Years holidays.
First, almost all of the country goes on vacation the last two weeks of December. The Costa Rican schools get out for their summer vacation at this time and many government officials have the last two weeks of Costa Rica completely off. So not only will be there lots of international tourists, there will be tons of local tourists. The cities in the Central Valley empty out so if you go to San Jose during those weeks, it’ll be fairly empty.
Second, Christmas is a huge holiday in Costa Rica. Most of the country is Catholic so Christmas and Easter are the two most popular holidays of the year.
Key Dates
December 24: Most businesses are open but will close up early. That night, families spend time together at home, having dinner, opening presents and staying up for mass.
December 25: The day that Costa Ricans go out to spend time with friends. They go to the beach, a park or national park for a fun day, usually outdoors. Christmas is a national holiday so all government services will be closed.
December 31: is Businesses are open but may close up early. New Years Eve is for epic parties and Costa Ricans know how to ring in the new year in the most festive way. If you are in a beach town, prepare for insane crowds, lots of parties, music, drinking and festivities. Don’t plan to drive in or out of town that night because it’ll be impossible with so many people partying until the late hours of the night.
You will find parties and fireworks everywhere in Costa Rica on December 31st.
January 1: hangover day. It’s a national holiday so government services are closed. Most people are nursing a lovely headache as a souvenir from their beach Christmas vacation. Depending on what day the 1st falls on, most Costa Ricans will start heading home that day or that weekend.
Safety
The hoards of Christmas and New Years vacationers to the beach also come with an unfortunate side effect: more theft. This time of the year is peak time for petty theft so please please please be extra vigilant with your belongings. This is not to scare you as theft can happen anywhere in the world, but you need to be more cautious to stay safe in Costa Rica during all the festivities and parties.
Never leave your stuff unattended anywhere. Always have an eye and a hand on your things. Never leave anything in your car either, even if you roll up the windows and lock the doors. Always close windows and lock doors to your vacation rental. Airbnbs are more of a target for thieves who know that there are unaware vacationers.
Ladies – please be extra careful of who you take drinks from. Don’t accept drinks from strangers. If you didn’t see the drink being made, don’t accept it. Do not walk alone at night or early morning anywhere, always go in a group or call an Uber/taxi. Guys, same goes for the men. Don’t walk alone at night or early mornings, don’t put your stuff where it’s easy to steal.
We went out to downtown Playas del Coco to watch the New Years fireworks and someone stole Yeison’s phone out of his zipped pants pocket about 30 minutes into the party. Petty theft can happen to anyone and it can happen in a matter of seconds.
Prices
First things first – it is EXPENSIVE. Christmas and New Years are considered peak season which has the most expensive prices of the year. A hotel that costs $100 USD in normal high season can cost $250 USD a night the week of Christmas. A rental car that normally costs $500 USD a week in high season can very well be double the price (or more) for December 24-31st.
Flights are also expensive. I’ve seen Seattle – Costa Rica flights for $1500 USD for a good itinerary (no insanely long layovers and not basic economy). In normal times, it is around half that price.
If you plan to visit for Christmas and New Years, start saving up now!
Availability
Likewise, start booking all your services before October. If you wait too late, you will be left with very slim pickings… meaning it’ll be the most expensive option or a not very nice option. SUVs and passenger vans will book out months in advance, all inclusive resorts and well known boutique hotels will also book out many months in advance.
Some resorts will also have a more strict cancellation policy and longer minimum night policy. For example, a resort will have a 30 day cancellation policy for the week of Christmas instead of the normal 7 day cancellation policy. They may also require a 4 night minimum instead of the 2 night minimum.
Shuttles will book out around 4-6 weeks in advance so do NOT forget to book your Costa Rica shuttles! Private shuttles may have more possibilities of availability if they are operated by a larger company.
Crowds
If your flight is on the weekend of Christmas and New Years and lands around midday, prepare to be in line for a long time for immigration and customs at SJO and LIR Airport. Multiple flights land at the same time and they are always full. Even with all the immigration posts open, it’s not going to be super fast.
If you have to drive cross country for your itinerary, prepare for extra long driving times. Fill up on gas, buy some snacks and drinks and load up your road trip play list before you head out.
The busiest times for driving and taking the public bus will be on the weekends. Lots of city locals will be driving and taking the bus to the coast to celebrate the holidays and getting out of Juan Santamaria International Airport and Guanacaste Airport can take hours.
As most Costa Rican head to the beach for their Christmas and New Years vacation, the beaches will be super crowded.
As mentioned before, if you visit the first two weeks of December, it is WAY less crowded. The biggest rush is the weekend right before Christmas, so normally the 21, 22, 23 or whatever day it lands on that year. The other big rush is the 31st.
Read all about spending Christmas in Costa Rica in this post so you are prepared.
Best Things to Do in Costa Rica in December
So many fun things to do in December!
Surfing
Although the winds can get high on the Pacific coast, surfing is great in December. Not huge swells, but good waves, especially for beginners or first timers. It’s always a good time to take a surf lesson in Costa Rica! The winds may get really strong, making it very choppy and bombey though, so prepare for some on shore winds.
Wildlife Safari Float
With drier skies, a safari float down a slow moving river to see wildlife is a wonderful excursion. The most popular place for safari floats is La Fortuna as there are a couple of rivers that offer this excursion. Glide down the river while your guide slowly paddles the waves and points out animals like monkeys, iguanas, river birds and lizards.
Hike
Celebrate the holidays by getting your steps on a hike through a national park or private reserve. Many national parks have well maintained hiking trails. Hike to viewpoints, waterfalls or other points of interest. Recommended national parks are Cahuita National Park, Manuel Antonio National Park, Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Arenal Volcano National Park and Corcovado National Park (must go with a guide).
Volunteer at Animal Sanctuary
This is a great hands on experience for the whole family. Many animal sanctuaries allow volunteers for the day, such as Kids Saving the Rainforest and Apami. Others require longer stays from one week to 6 months.
What to Pack for Your December Trip to Costa Rica
Essentials: Valid original passport, valid original drivers license if you plan to rent a car, credit card with no foreign transaction fee, travel insurance and medicines.
Do not forget to pack your rain gear as December still has rain, being the transition month from rainy season to dry season. Bring a waterproof backpack or rain cover, lightweight poncho or waterproof rain shell, dry bags, microfiber towel, mosquito repellent, sunscreen and after bite cream.
For high elevation areas up in the mountains, you’ll need warmer clothes like a sweater, socks and long pants.
Click the links for our Costa Rica packing list and packing list for rainy season.
Itineraries
2 week coast to coast itinerary
13 days in Costa Rica itinerary (no car) coast to coast
Costa Rica By Months
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
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- Check our Costa Rica destinations map and Costa Rica restaurant map
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