Manuel Antonio in December 2026: Closed Days, Tickets, Weather and How to Plan

01The days the park is not open

SINAC runs Manuel Antonio National Park Wednesday to Monday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and closes it every Tuesday for trail and wildlife recovery. The closure does not lift for Christmas or New Year. Across December 2026 and January 2027 that leaves 53 operating days, and December 29 and January 5 are the two Tuesdays that catch the most families because they fall inside the week most people are already here.

A closed Tuesday is not a lost day. The Damas mangroves, a night walk and the birding mornings all run outside the park boundary, so the usual fix is to move the park by one day and give the Tuesday to one of those.

02Tickets, fees and the order that works

Park entry tickets are sold through SINAC’s own system and cannot be bought more than two months ahead. For late December 2026 the window opens in late October; for January 2027 it opens in November. The fee is set by SINAC: $16 plus 13% tax for adults over 12 (about $18) and $5 plus tax for children aged 2 to 12 ($5.65); under 2 enters free. It is per person, per entry, and separate from any guide.

The guide is the part that runs out first and the only part you can lock months ahead. December 20 to January 3 goes first. The order that works is simple: reserve the guide now, buy the park ticket the day your window opens, and choose a non-Tuesday backup day in the same week before you commit to anything else. If you would rather not deal with the SINAC ticket at all, the Premium tour includes the entrance, transport and a snack.

“Our guide spotted a sloth that forty people had just walked under. Book the early slot.”Guest review, TripAdvisor, high season

03Weather, crowds and the 7:00 a.m. rule

December is the turn from green season to dry season. Quepos averages about 501 mm of rain over roughly 14 rainy days, but the pattern matters more than the total: showers arrive in the afternoon, mornings stay mostly clear, and the month dries out as it goes. Highs sit near 27 °C, lows near 19 °C. Bring a light rain layer and give the park its own morning.

By mid-morning in high season the main trail is full and the animals have moved off the edges. The first two hours after the 7:00 a.m. opening are when sightings happen and the trail is quiet. The common mistake is arithmetic: the drive from San José airport is 3 to 4 hours, so the park should never be the same day you land, and ideally not the morning after a late arrival. What you can expect to see once you are on the trail is in our December wildlife guide.