Manuel Antonio National Park sits in a tropical rainforest on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, so the temperature barely moves all year — daytime highs stay between 27.1 °C and 28.4 °C (81–83 °F) every single month — and the only thing that really changes is how much rain falls. December through April is the dry season; May through November is the green season. This page gives you the month-by-month numbers with the source named, then answers the questions that actually decide a booking: what December 2026 and January 2027 look like, what happens if it rains on your tour day, what time of day to walk, and which dates the park is closed.
Booking a December or January date? Book a December Manuel Antonio tour or message us on WhatsApp at +506 8514 1361 — a person answers, not a bot.
Here is the full year for the park, measured at the Quepos station 7 km away. Rainfall is the number that swings: from 135 mm in March to 940 mm in August — a seven-fold difference — while the daytime high moves by 1.3 °C across the whole year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg night low | Rainfall | Rainy days | Sunshine / day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27.6 °C / 81.7 °F | 23.0 °C | 222.7 mm | 10.5 | 9.0 h |
| February | 28.1 °C / 82.6 °F | 23.4 °C | 150.8 mm | 7.7 | 8.7 h |
| March | 28.4 °C / 83.1 °F | 23.9 °C | 134.8 mm | 7.0 | 9.0 h |
| April | 28.3 °C / 82.9 °F | 24.0 °C | 349.1 mm | 8.5 | 8.0 h |
| May | 28.1 °C / 82.6 °F | 23.9 °C | 779.4 mm | 17.3 | 6.3 h |
| June | 27.9 °C / 82.2 °F | 23.7 °C | 805.3 mm | 21.8 | 4.9 h |
| July | 27.6 °C / 81.7 °F | 23.5 °C | 881.1 mm | 21.3 | 5.0 h |
| August | 27.6 °C / 81.7 °F | 23.4 °C | 939.7 mm | 21.9 | 5.1 h |
| September | 27.5 °C / 81.5 °F | 23.2 °C | 834.8 mm | 21.8 | 5.1 h |
| October | 27.3 °C / 81.1 °F | 23.1 °C | 938.4 mm | 21.1 | 5.2 h |
| November | 27.1 °C / 80.8 °F | 22.9 °C | 935.0 mm | 16.6 | 5.8 h |
| December | 27.4 °C / 81.3 °F | 22.8 °C | 503.1 mm | 14.1 | 8.3 h |
Source: weather-and-climate.com, Manuel Antonio National Park page, data from the Quepos station 7 km from the park — Foreca / Copernicus C3S climate averages 1991–2020, read on 25 September 2026. Annual total on that dataset: 7,474 mm (294 in).
Because the two most-cited sources disagree by roughly a factor of two, and we would rather tell you than pick the flattering one. The Copernicus gridded dataset above gives about 7,474 mm a year. Weather2Travel, reading the Quepos station directly, publishes monthly maximum daytime temperatures of 29–32 °C and 5–8 hours of sunshine a day, with a much lower annual rainfall total. Gridded datasets average a square of terrain that includes steep coastal hills, and hills catch more rain than the beach does. Treat every rainfall number on this page as an order of magnitude, not a promise, and treat the rainy-day count as the more useful figure: 14 rainy days in December means roughly one day in two has some rain on it, not that it rains all day.
December is the month the green season ends: rainfall drops from 935 mm in November to 503 mm, sunshine climbs from 5.8 to 8.3 hours a day, and the daytime high sits at 27.4 °C (81 °F) with nights near 22.8 °C. That is the single biggest month-on-month improvement of the year, and it happens inside the month — the first week still feels like November, the last week already feels like the dry season.
What that means for a tour: the rain that does fall in December arrives in the afternoon or evening, not at dawn. About 14 days of the month get some rain, so if you have a week in Manuel Antonio you should expect three or four afternoons with a shower and plenty of clear mornings. Trails are still wet and the main trail has exposed roots and slope — closed shoes, not sandals.
The honest version of the green-season objection: December is not a gamble, it is a transition. You are not paying dry-season-peak prices for green-season weather; you are getting dry mornings with the forest still full from the rains, which is why animal activity and birdsong are high. Our tours start early on purpose, so you walk in the good half of the day.
January is the sunniest month of the year in Manuel Antonio — 9.0 hours of sunshine a day, the highest of any month — with 222.7 mm of rain over about 10.5 days and highs of 27.6 °C (82 °F). Rainfall is less than half of December’s and less than a quarter of August’s.
What that means for a tour: January is the most reliable month to plan an outdoor day in the park, and it is also the busiest, which is the trade-off nobody puts in a weather forecast. Clear skies bring crowds, and the park caps daily entries. The practical consequence is that in January the constraint on your tour is not the weather, it is availability — guides book out before park tickets do.
The tour runs. This is a rainforest, rain is the normal condition, and the park keeps its normal hours through ordinary tropical showers — it does not close for rain. Your guide adapts the route and the pace rather than cancelling: animals go quiet during a heavy downpour and reappear as soon as it eases, so a wet start often turns into the best hour of the walk.
Two things can change on the day, and both are decided at the park, not by us: individual trails can be closed for safety during a real storm, and in that case your guide reroutes to the trails that are open. SINAC makes that call on the day.
On money, here is our published policy stated plainly, with no separate weather clause: bookings for tours between 15 December and 15 January are not refundable at any time. Outside that window you get a full refund if you cancel 72 hours or more before the tour. If the park itself closes for weather we reschedule your tour at no cost. For ordinary rain there is no refund exception — we say so up front rather than letting you discover it. The reason is concrete: in those weeks we buy park entrance tickets, boat spaces and ranger permits well in advance. What we do do, whenever the calendar allows it, is move your start time within the same day or shift you to another day rather than have you walk in the worst of a storm. Ask us on WhatsApp at +506 8514 1361 and we will tell you straight whether a move is possible on your date.
Early morning — first entry, around 07:00 — for three reasons that all point the same way. First, rain in the dry-season months arrives in the afternoon and evening, so the morning is the dry half of the day. Second, animals are most active in the cooler early hours and go quiet in the midday heat, when the daytime high of 27–28 °C combines with 80–83 % humidity. Third, the park fills up as the morning goes on, so early means a quieter trail.
The exception worth knowing: if you land in Costa Rica the same day, book an afternoon start and give us your flight number rather than risk missing a 07:00 meeting point. An afternoon walk in the rain with a guide beats a missed tour.
Manuel Antonio National Park is closed on Tuesdays, and no weather forecast will tell you that. In December 2026 the closed dates are the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th. In January 2027 they are the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th. No park tour runs on those days.
If your only free day falls on a Tuesday, tell us when you write — we will point you at what does run that day instead of leaving you to find out at the gate. Check the live status any day on is Manuel Antonio National Park open today.
Book December to April if a clear forecast matters more than anything else, and May to November if you want the forest at its fullest for less money and with fewer people. The numbers behind that: the dry-season months average 135–503 mm of rain a month, the green-season months 779–940 mm. Sunshine goes from 8–9 hours a day down to about 5.
What the rainfall table does not show is that green season rain is usually concentrated: heavy, short, late in the day. September and October are the two months we would tell you to think hardest about — 938 mm and 835 mm with 21 rainy days each.
It never gets hotter than about 28.4 °C (83 °F) as a monthly average high, but relative humidity runs 79–83 % all year, so it feels hotter than the thermometer says. March and April are the warmest months by a fraction of a degree; November and December are the coolest, again by a fraction.
Practical effect on a two-to-three hour guided walk: you will sweat through a cotton shirt, and water matters more than any other item you carry. The trails are shaded rainforest, which helps a great deal compared with the beach.
Closed walking shoes with grip, a light rain jacket or poncho, at least a litre of water per person, reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellent and a dry bag or zip bag for your phone. That list works in every month of the year.
What to leave out: an umbrella (useless on a trail and awkward around wildlife), heavy hiking boots (overkill for these distances) and single-use plastic bottles, which are restricted inside the park. A towel and swimwear are worth bringing year-round — the park beaches are part of the walk.
Yes, and in a way that favours early and favours the green season. Sloths, white-faced capuchin and squirrel monkeys, toucans, iguanas and coatis are all more active in the cool early hours; a heavy downpour quiets the forest for the length of the shower and activity picks up again as soon as it passes. In the wetter months the forest is louder and greener and frogs are far more evident.
We will never promise you a specific animal on a specific day — no honest guide can. What we can say is that a trained eye and a Swarovski spotting scope change what a given hour yields far more than the weather does.
Yes — Manuel Antonio is hotter, more humid and far wetter than San José, which sits in the Central Valley at about 1,170 m and stays around 24 °C. Do not pack for the park based on a San José forecast, and do not assume a rainy morning in the capital means rain on the coast; the two are 157 km and a mountain range apart.
Arenal, on the Caribbean-influenced side, has no comparable dry season — its rain is spread through the year, so a December trip that combines both should expect drier weather in Manuel Antonio than at the volcano.
Four options: Classic Group at $30 per person, Premium at $65, Classic Private at $69 and V.I.P. Private at $100. The park entrance is separate at $18.50 for a non-resident adult — set by SINAC and subject to change, so confirm it when you buy. Two adults on the Classic Group should budget $30 plus $18.50 each, plus their own transport and parking.
All four run with an ICT-certified bilingual naturalist guide, a Swarovski spotting scope and free 4K photos and video. Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 259 travellers on TripAdvisor — that is the number TripAdvisor itself shows, not an aggregate across platforms.
Pick a non-Tuesday, take the earliest start your arrival allows, and book the guide before the park ticket — guides book out first. Then buy your SINAC entrance for that date.
Book your December or January Manuel Antonio tour, or send us the date on WhatsApp at +506 8514 1361 and you will get a straight yes or no on availability. If you are still choosing a month, read the best time to visit Manuel Antonio, and see the full tour on the Manuel Antonio National Park guided tour page.
What is the weather like in Manuel Antonio National Park? Tropical and stable in temperature, variable in rain: daytime highs of 27.1–28.4 °C (81–83 °F) every month, nights of 22.8–24.0 °C, humidity 79–83 %, and rainfall from 135 mm in March to 940 mm in August.
Does it rain every day in Manuel Antonio in December? No. December averages about 14.1 rainy days out of 31 on the Quepos record, and the rain typically falls in the afternoon or evening rather than all day.
What is the rainiest month in Manuel Antonio? August, with 939.7 mm over about 22 rainy days; October is close behind at 938.4 mm.
What is the driest month in Manuel Antonio? March, with 134.8 mm over about 7 rainy days and 9.0 hours of sunshine a day.
Do tours run in the rain? Yes. The park keeps its normal hours through ordinary rain and the guide adapts the route; only individual trails close during a real storm, and that decision is made at the park on the day.
Can I get a refund if it rains? Not through a weather clause — there is none. Tours between 15 December and 15 January are non-refundable at any time; outside that window you get a full refund if you cancel 72 hours or more before the tour.
What is the best month to visit Manuel Antonio for weather? January, on the numbers: 9.0 hours of sunshine a day, the highest of the year, with 222.7 mm of rain over about 10.5 days.
Is the park ever closed? Yes, every Tuesday. In December 2026 that is the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th; in January 2027 the 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th.
Travelling in December 2026 or January 2027? We have a page for each month with its own closed-Tuesday calendar, weather figures and ticket window: Manuel Antonio National Park in December and Manuel Antonio National Park in January.