December is the busiest month of the year in Manuel Antonio, and almost every problem travellers hit here is a timing problem: they buy tickets too early, or too late, or they arrive on a Tuesday when the park is closed. This page is the practical version — the weather you will actually get, how crowded it really is, and what to book.

If you already know your dates, start by locking the guide, because that is the part that sells out first and the part you can secure earliest: the four December options are on the book your December Manuel Antonio tour page. Every figure below comes with its source, and where we could not verify something we say so.

What is the weather like in Manuel Antonio in December?

Warm and mostly dry in the morning: highs near 27 °C (81 °F), lows near 19 °C (66 °F), and about 249 hours of sunshine across the month.

December in Quepos averages about 501 mm of rain over roughly 14 rainy days (weather-and-climate.com, Quepos station). December is the transition out of the green season into Costa Rica’s driest stretch, and it dries out noticeably as the month goes on — the last two weeks are drier than the first two.

Does it rain all day in December?

No. The pattern matters more than the total: rain here usually arrives in the afternoon or evening.

That is the single most useful thing to know about a December trip. Most December mornings are dry and bright, which is why every one of our tours starts early — you walk the trails in the good half of the day and you are back before the sky changes. Bring a light rain layer and quick-dry shoes and the afternoons are a non-issue.

How crowded is Manuel Antonio National Park in December?

It is the most visited month of the year, and entry is capped — so the crowd you meet depends almost entirely on what hour you arrive.

The park uses timed entry slots, so it never gets genuinely overrun the way an uncapped attraction does. But the main trail between 9:00 a.m. and noon in late December is busy, and the popular sloth stops get a queue. Arriving at opening time, 7:00 a.m., is the difference between a quiet forest walk and a line of people. If you want the park with fewer visitors and no ticket anxiety at all, September and October are the quiet months.

Do Manuel Antonio park tickets sell out in December?

Yes, regularly. In high season (December to April) dates commonly sell out three to four weeks ahead, against one to two weeks in the green season.

Tickets are sold only online through the official SINAC system — never at the gate. Be careful with sites that look official but are marketing companies reselling entry. And a “sold out” day on the official site is not automatically the end of your plan: message us with your date before you rearrange your whole itinerary.

When can I buy park entrance tickets for a December or January visit?

Only within a maximum of two months before your date — not any earlier.

This is the single most useful date to put in your calendar. For a 28 December visit, the window opens at the end of October. For 5 January, it opens in early November. Travellers who try to buy in August get nothing and assume the park is full; travellers who wait until mid-December for a Christmas-week date usually find it gone. Set a reminder for the day your window opens.

Will New Year’s week (December 31 to January 3) already be booked out?

Treat those dates as gone by the end of November.

New Year’s week is the single highest-demand window of the Manuel Antonio year, and it is the one where travellers most often lose the date they planned their whole trip around. If your trip includes 31 December to 3 January, contact us now and we will tell you honestly what is still open rather than take a booking we cannot honour.

Which days is the park closed in December 2026 and January 2027?

Every Tuesday — nine dates in your travel window: December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2026, and January 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2027.

Write those down before you build your itinerary. If one of them is your only free day here, use it for a mangrove boat tour, a beach day or a day trip and move the national park to another morning.

What should I pack for Manuel Antonio in December?

A light rain layer, quick-dry shoes with grip, and insect repellent — plus water, because the trails are humid even on dry mornings.

Leave the umbrella and the heavy hiking boots. Trails are well maintained but slick after rain, so grip beats ankle support. Food is not allowed inside the park (it attracts monkeys and coatis), and single-use plastic is restricted. Sun protection matters more than people expect on a 249-sunshine-hour month.

Which tour should I book for December?

If you already have your park ticket and a car, the $30 Classic Group. If you would rather not deal with tickets or driving in the busiest month of the year, the $65 Premium.

  • Classic Group — $30 per person. ICT-certified naturalist guide, group of up to 10, Swarovski spotting scope, free 4K photos and video. Park entrance and transport not included.
  • Premium — $65 per person. Group of up to 10 with park entrance, round-trip hotel transport and a fresh fruit snack included.
  • Classic Private — $69 per person. Same tour, guide to yourselves, flexible departure time. Entrance and transport not included.
  • V.I.P. Private — $100 per person. Private guide, private round-trip transport, entrance, snack, a traditional Costa Rican lunch and professional photography.

The $69 Classic Private costs more than the $65 Premium on purpose: one sells exclusivity, the other sells convenience. There is no high season surcharge — these are the same prices we charge in June. Park entrance is $18.30 for adults and $5.65 for children, set by SINAC.

How far ahead should I book a guide for December?

Now, and before you buy your park ticket — the guide is the part you can lock earliest.

Because entry tickets cannot be bought more than two months out, the guide is the only piece of a December Manuel Antonio day you can secure in advance. Book the guide, then set a calendar reminder for the day your SINAC window opens. Curious what animals you will actually see once you are in there? We covered that in what wildlife you can see in Manuel Antonio in December.

See the four December tour options and reserve your date → or message us on WhatsApp at +506 8514-1361 with your dates and we will tell you what is still open.