Costa Rica in December: weather by region, holidays and crowds

December is a good month for Costa Rica if you pick the right coast. The Pacific side, Guanacaste and the Central Valley enter the dry season, while the Caribbean coast has its wettest month. The first half of December is calm; from about 20 December to 3 January comes the busiest and most expensive stretch of the year.

What is the weather like in Costa Rica in December?

Dry on the Pacific side and in the Central Valley, wet on the Caribbean. The Instituto Meteorológico Nacional (IMN) puts the Pacific dry season from December to March, with November as the transition. On the northern Pacific, which covers Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula, only 4 percent of the year’s rain falls in those four months. The central Pacific coast lags a little: the IMN treats December there as a transition month and January to March as the dry core.

The Caribbean runs on its own calendar. The IMN says that slope has no defined dry season, that November to January is its period of maximum rain and that December is its wettest month, driven by cold fronts from the north. About 40 percent of the year’s rain falls there between November and February.

This year has a twist. As of October 2026, the IMN expects a very strong El Niño from November 2026 to January 2027, per CRHoy, and La Nación reports its forecast of a dry season starting on its usual dates (3 to 15 November on the northern Pacific, 8 to 23 November in the Central Valley, 13 to 30 November on the central Pacific) with 30 percent less rain than usual from November to January in the northern zone and the Caribbean. A forecast is not a promise, but it favors a drier December.

Region	December per the IMN	Typical December highs
Guanacaste and Nicoya (Sámara)	Dry season; December to March bring 4% of the year’s rain	31 to 34 °C
Central Pacific (Punta Leona)	Transition month; dry season January to March	30 to 32 °C
Central Valley (San José)	Dry season; the trade wind blows all day	24 to 25 °C
Monteverde	Moderate rain, often drizzle (Costa Rica Vibes)	20 to 22 °C
Caribbean (Cahuita, Puerto Viejo)	No dry season; wettest month of the year	28 to 29 °C

Highs from Costa Rica Vibes (updated October 2026); patterns from the IMN’s 1961 to 1990 regional climate baseline.

How December compares with the rest of the year is in Costa Rica weather by month, and the month after in Costa Rica in January.

Is December a good time to visit Costa Rica with kids?

Yes, and you will not be the only family. The Ministry of Education’s 2026 calendar ends lessons on 9 December, with graduations on 10 and 11 December, so Costa Rican children are on vacation for the rest of the month. The 2026 school year began on 23 February, and the ministry announced on 27 October 2026 that 2027 classes start on 1 March, per La República.

With small children, the dry Pacific is the easy choice: beach in the morning, pool in the afternoon. Monteverde is cooler, with nights that Costa Rica Vibes says can drop to about 14 °C, so pack layers for the kids. Punta Leona with kids covers the beaches, the pools and the drive.

How crowded and expensive are Christmas and New Year’s?

Very, from about 20 December to 3 January, which Costa Rica Vibes calls the busiest and most expensive time of the year. The first two weeks of December are calmer and still carry shoulder-season prices, and many hotels set minimum stays between Christmas and New Year’s. Enter Costa Rica, a tour operator, says most hotels are booked solid by July for holiday peak dates.

Costa Ricans travel too. Private employers must pay the aguinaldo, the year-end bonus, by 20 December, and the public sector pays on 4 December 2026, per El Financiero. Costa Rica Vibes says the roads to the beaches get packed over the holidays.

On timing, Costa Rica Vibes suggests flights three to six months ahead, lodging as soon as you have flights, then the rental car or shuttle, and tours and park tickets two to four weeks ahead. If your trip is a long flight away, our flight times guide shows which US routes start in December.

Which holidays and events fall in December and January?

Three national holidays, per the 2026 list published by La República: 1 December (Abolition of the Army, a Tuesday, with optional pay), 25 December (a Friday) and 1 January 2027 (also a Friday), a paid holiday under the Labor Code, as the Ministry of Labor notes. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are not on the list, but with both holidays on Fridays, both weekends become long ones.

• Festival de la Luz, Saturday 12 December 2026. San José’s Christmas light parade. Teletica reported in September that it will run from Plaza de la Democracia to Torre Mercedes on Paseo Colón, and La Nación that this year’s edition will have no floats. Costa Rica Vibes warns that streets close and traffic gets intense.
• Tope Nacional, 26 December. The national horse parade, from Plaza Víquez to La Sabana, run this year by the Ministry of Culture (CRHoy and La Nación, 6 October 2026). San José’s municipality stopped organizing it in 2024, per La Nación. The Carnaval traditionally followed on 27 December; we found no 2026 Carnaval as of November 2026, and the ministry holds its Costa Rica de Fiesta parade that day instead, per Delfino.
• Fiestas de Zapote, 25 December to 3 January (planned). San José’s year-end fair. La Nación reported on 16 October 2026 that a third auction of the fairground had failed, and El Observador on 22 October that the city was preparing a fourth, so check before you go.
• Fiestas de Palmares, second half of January. As of November 2026, the Asociación Cívica Palmareña lists the 2027 tope for Saturday 16 January and bullfight nights from 15 to 25 January; the 2026 edition ran 15 to 26 January, per La Nación.

The full calendar, with dates and routes, is in Costa Rica’s holiday festivals. The traditions at home are in Christmas in Costa Rica, and 31 December in New Year’s Eve in Costa Rica.

What is driving like over the holidays?

Slower than usual, especially on the way back from the Pacific beaches. Route 27, the toll road from San José to the central Pacific, ran a reversible lane toward San José every Sunday in January 2026, from 14:00 to 18:00 at 60 km/h, for the families returning from their year-end vacation, per Delfino; the concessionaire posts its schedule at globalviaruta27.com. A weekday drive avoids the worst of it.

It gets dark at about 18:00 all year, and Two Weeks in Costa Rica tells first-time visitors not to drive long distances after dark. At Liberia airport, Mytanfeet (September 2026) says to allow at least two hours from landing to driving from mid-December through March. Our San José or Liberia guide helps you choose the airport.

What should you pack for Costa Rica in December?

Beach clothes, a warm layer and a rain shell. Costa Rica Vibes’ December list: light clothes and two swimsuits, a light rain jacket for Arenal, Monteverde and the Caribbean, a fleece for Monteverde and cool San José evenings, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, bug spray, sandals plus walking shoes, and a dry bag for boat tours. It puts Monteverde’s December highs at 20 to 22 °C with nights near 14 °C.

Which region fits which December trip?

Choose by what you want the weather to do.

• Sun every day: Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula, the driest part of the country in December per the IMN. Sámara is about two hours by car from Liberia airport; see where to stay in Sámara and the Sámara area guide.
• A beach near San José: the central Pacific. Punta Leona is about 1.5 hours by car from San José airport (SJO) without traffic, and closer to 2 hours with it; Punta Leona beaches compares them.
• Cloud forest: Monteverde, about three hours from either airport, for cool nights, wind and wildlife. Monteverde in two nights plans the visit.
• Caribbean: go knowing December is its wettest month; the IMN says rain there falls most often at night and in the morning. Our Cahuita guide covers that coast.

Where to stay in December: our homes

Three of our homes cover the December regions above.

• Casa Azul, Punta Leona. Our single-story family house for up to eight, with a king bedroom, a bunk room and a private pool in the middle of the house, 75 meters from the Arenas supermarket and about 15 minutes on foot from the beach. The pool has no gate, so keep an eye on small children. From $287 a night.
• Casa Almendros, Sámara. Our beachfront house on a quiet stretch of Playa Sámara, with a garden gate to the sand, three bedrooms with air conditioning for up to six, and a travel crib on request. Two-night minimum, from $303 a night.
• Calma Loft, Monteverde. Our container loft for two, three with an air mattress, 15 minutes by car from Santa Elena and facing the sunset over the forest, with a fan heater for cold evenings. The last stretch is short, steep gravel, so arrive in daylight. Early check-in from 11:00 or a luggage drop on request; not suitable for infants under two. From $103 a night.

Those are the lowest prices we have seen on Airbnb, and holiday dates cost more; the Airbnb page shows the total for your dates before you confirm. For the Christmas and New Year’s weeks, message us on WhatsApp with your dates.