December starts out with lower prices and occupancy during the tail end of the rainy season.
By Christmas the dry season is normally beginning and hotels are sold out at for Christmas and New Years. The trails, zip-lines and white-water rivers are flowing with tourists.
If you’re considering a “must see vacation” any time in the second half of December you should book before the end of October or you’ll find yourself scrambling. The second half of December is not a recommended time to try to wing it and travel without reservations.
trip planning | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | best trips ever | weather | cost | notes
Planning Ahead & Reservations
December competes with whichever month Easter falls in (April in 2019) as the most popular for Costa Rica travel. About 90% of lodge and hotel rooms are booked by the end of September for the week before and after Christmas. It’s the heart of the high season for sun seeking international travelers plus Tico schoolchildren are on holiday.
In 2017 the Caribbean Islands from Barbuda, and the Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico were devastated by hurricane Maria, Irma and 15 other named storms in the most active season in nearly 100 years leaving palm trees were snapped off at the base and many buildings leveled by winds.
In contrast Costa Rica was relatively undamaged. Although the flooding that accompanied tropical storm Nate (October 2017) was tragic and destructive in Costa Rica there was relatively little damage to tourist infrastructure. Within a few weeks the beaches were back to normal.
Large numbers of travelers decided to forgo their traditional island destinations and try Costa Rica instead setting records for occupancy in December of 2017. As of the end of October the second half of December of 2019 is effectively sold out in the more popular destinations.
Reservations (as far ahead as six months to a year for some of the more popular hotels) are strongly advised. If you’re going to try traveling without reservations consider that the inland and mountain destinations are not quite as popular as the beaches so you might have a bit more flexibility there.
Getting Around
December (especially the first half of the month) can be tricky on the roads. Just like November the earth is totally saturated from months of rain and any significant storm is likely to set off landslides that frequently cause havoc with getting around. (see rainy season driving tips)
CONAVI tries to have things cleaned up by the holidays but we’ve seen every major road in Costa Rica shut down for a week or more at some point in December (once it was every one of them all at the same time!)
trip planning | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | best trips ever | weather | cost | notes
Costs & Availability for Travel in December
Hotels and lodges have higher peak season pricing (20% to 50% more than high season) around Christmas and New Years Eve and many resorts and lodges have mandatory dinners and parties on those two nights (usually $50 to $100 per person). Minimum stays of three to seven nights are also common during the holidays so plan accordingly.
For the second half of December we strongly recommend booking your lodging and airfare at least three months in advance and six to twelve months ahead is better for availability.
December Weather in Costa Rica
Early December weather is unpredictable. Often the rains taper off and the Pacific enjoys perfect beach weather most of the month. However, occasionally the rainy season continues full force right past Christmas (2017 was abnormally wet well into January along the central and southern Pacific).
On the other hand, in 2013 through the El Niño drought of 2015 it was like someone threw a switch in mid-November. The rain stopped in the Pacific northwest and tapered off fast across all of the west slope.
For 2019 NOAA is predicting that neither El Niño or La Niña will occur which would imply that the dry season would start on schedule a few weeks before New Years however La Nada years are unpredictable.
On the Caribbean side of the central mountains it’s wet at the beginning of the month and getting wetter by the end. Flooding is possible, especially in the northeast lowlands where polar air pushes across the Gulf of Mexico picking up heat and moisture then depositing it as continuous days of rain referred to locally as temporales del Atlantico.
Another December weather phenomenon is strong winds called “Papagayos.” These winds are most common in the northwest and are caused by cooler, dry air moving down from the north and displacing the moist, warm dense, tropical air mass. The air moves across Costa Rica as a result of the pressure difference and accelerates through gaps in the central mountain ranges and can exceed 100 kph.
The beaches and lowlands experience high temperatures in the seventies to mid-eighties and low temperatures in the sixties to mid seventies. A day or two of temperatures in the mid nineties is possible at low elevations and especially on the Nicoya coast during December. Around San José and the Central Valley temperatures are 5-10 degrees cooler and temperatures at high elevations over 5,000 ft can be 20 or even 30 degrees lower in December.
trip planning | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | best trips ever | weather | cost | notes
Alternatives to December in Costa Rica
or see when to travel summary
If you like the sound of Dry Season, but would prefer more predictable weather and to avoid the Christmas crowds try traveling in February or early March before the Spring Break and Easter crowds arrive.
…Other Bests… best trips ever, best to do, best kept secrets & best places…
Notes:
December 2022 ocean temperatures are predicted to be a tossup between the La Niña persisting (wetter than average on the Pacific side) or cooling to a La Nada (extra unpredictable weather).
Take a look at the rainy season driving tips if you’re thinking about renting a car to get around.
“Summer” School Holidays—The long public school vacations in Costa Rica run from the middle of the second week in December through the beginning of the second week in February. Expect families on vacation and bigger crowds at the beach. Exact dates can be found on the Ministerio de Educación Pública calendar.
trip planning | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | best trips ever | weather | cost | notes
Calendar of Nature, Holidays & Fiestas – Costa Rica in December
The Costa Rica tide table below is for informational purposes and is not suitable for navigation. The more you see of a turtle, whale or quetzal symbol the more likely you’ll see one. A detailed explanation and legend is also included at the bottom.
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December 2022
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approximate exchange rate ¢675 per $U.S. | ||||||
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Rise & Set
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Tide Times
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Pacific
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Caribbean
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Tue 1
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↑18:29 ↓6:39 | ↑5:41 ↓17:16 | ↑3:11 ↑15:42 |
↓9:26 ↓21:33 |
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Wed 2
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↑19:21 ↓7:32 | ↑5:41 ↓17:16 | ↑3:48 ↑16:20 |
↓10:02 ↓22:11 |
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Thu 3
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↑20:15 ↓8:25 | ↑5:42 ↓17:16 | ↑4:26 ↑16:58 |
↓10:39 ↓22:50 |
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| Festival de la Luz – San José’s week long festival of lights is marked by lighting displays and concerts and fireworks after dark in the park. | |||||||
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Fri 4
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↑21:10 ↓9:18 | ↑5:42 ↓17:16 | ↑5:05 ↑17:39 |
↓11:18 ↓23:32 |
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| Fiesta Pattronale Pavas – Street fair with music, dancing, traditional food and toro a la Tica (bullfights without the bloodshed) | |||||||
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Sat 5
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↑22:05 ↓10:08 | ↑5:43 ↓17:17 | ↑5:46 ↑18:22 |
↓11:59 ↓ |
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Sun 6
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↑22:59 ↓10:56 | ↑5:43 ↓17:17 | ↑6:32 ↑19:09 |
↓0:18 ↓12:43 |
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Mon 7
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↑23:53 ↓11:42 | ↑5:44 ↓17:17 | ↑7:24 ↑20:01 |
↓1:09 ↓13:33 |
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Tue 8
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↑23:53 ↓12:27 | ↑5:44 ↓17:18 | ↑8:22 ↑20:59 |
↓2:07 ↓14:28 |
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| Immaculate conception, Fiesta de los Negritos – Formerly a national holiday now celebrated with religious processions, masses, and costumed dancing | |||||||
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Wed 9
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↑0:46 ↓13:12 | ↑5:45 ↓17:18 | ↑9:26 ↑22:00 |
↓3:09 ↓15:28 |
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Thu 10
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↑1:40 ↓13:58 | ↑5:45 ↓17:19 | ↑10:31 ↑23:01 |
↓4:15 ↓16:31 |
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Fri 11
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↑2:37 ↓14:46 | ↑5:46 ↓17:19 | ↑11:35 ↑ |
↓5:19 ↓17:32 |
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| Fiesta de la Yeguita – Bullfights and a parade followed by a party in the parque central of Nicoya with food, concerts and fireworks. | |||||||
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Sat 12
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↑3:35 ↓15:38 | ↑5:46 ↓17:19 | ↑0:00 ↑12:34 |
↓6:18 ↓18:31 |
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Sun 13
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↑4:37 ↓16:33 | ↑5:47 ↓17:20 | ↑0:55 ↑13:30 |
↓7:14 ↓19:27 |
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Mon 14
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↑5:40 ↓17:33 | ↑5:47 ↓17:20 | ↑1:49 ↑14:23 |
↓8:07 ↓20:21 |
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Tue 15
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↑6:44 ↓18:34 | ↑5:48 ↓17:21 | ↑2:40 ↑15:14 |
↓8:57 ↓21:13 |
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Wed 16
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↑7:45 ↓19:36 | ↑5:48 ↓17:21 | ↑3:30 ↑16:04 |
↓9:46 ↓22:03 |
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Thu 17
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↑8:42 ↓20:34 | ↑5:49 ↓17:22 | ↑4:19 ↑16:54 |
↓10:34 ↓22:54 |
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Fri 18
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↑9:33 ↓21:29 | ↑5:50 ↓17:22 | ↑5:08 ↑17:44 |
↓11:22 ↓23:44 |
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Sat 19
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↑10:19 ↓22:20 | ↑5:50 ↓17:23 | ↑5:58 ↑18:34 |
↓12:10 ↓ |
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Sun 20
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↑11:01 ↓23:08 | ↑5:51 ↓17:23 | ↑6:49 ↑19:25 |
↓0:36 ↓12:58 |
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Mon 21
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↑11:40 ↓23:53 | ↑5:51 ↓17:24 | ↑7:41 ↑20:18 |
↓1:30 ↓13:48 |
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Tue 22
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↑12:17 ↓23:53 | ↑5:52 ↓17:24 | ↑8:38 ↑21:13 |
↓2:26 ↓14:41 |
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Wed 23
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↑12:53 ↓0:37 | ↑5:52 ↓17:25 | ↑9:36 ↑22:09 |
↓3:25 ↓15:36 |
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Thu 24
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↑13:30 ↓1:21 | ↑5:52 ↓17:25 | ↑10:37 ↑23:03 |
↓4:25 ↓16:32 |
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| Misa de Gallo – Christmas eve midnight mass. (Literally, Mass of the Rooster.) | |||||||
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Fri 25
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↑14:09 ↓2:06 | ↑5:53 ↓17:26 | ↑11:35 ↑23:53 |
↓5:22 ↓17:26 |
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| Christmas Day – Family gatherings and Christmas mass | |||||||
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Sat 26
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↑14:50 ↓2:53 | ↑5:53 ↓17:26 | ↑12:28 ↑ |
↓6:14 ↓18:17 |
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| Tope Caballos – A horse parade through downtown San José proudly displays the equine traditions and unique Criollo breed. | |||||||
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Sun 27
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↑15:35 ↓3:42 | ↑5:54 ↓17:27 | ↑0:40 ↑13:16 |
↓7:01 ↓19:05 |
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Mon 28
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↑16:23 ↓4:32 | ↑5:54 ↓17:27 | ↑1:25 ↑14:00 |
↓7:44 ↓19:49 |
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Tue 29
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↑17:15 ↓5:25 | ↑5:55 ↓17:28 | ↑2:07 ↑14:42 |
↓8:25 ↓20:31 |
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Wed 30
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↑18:09 ↓6:19 | ↑5:55 ↓17:28 | ↑2:48 ↑15:22 |
↓9:04 ↓21:12 |
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Thu 31
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↑19:05 ↓7:13 | ↑5:56 ↓17:29 | ↑3:28 ↑16:01 |
↓9:42 ↓21:54 |
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| New Years Eve – Many hotels host parties | |||||||
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Rise & Set
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Tide Times
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Pacific
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Caribbean
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Calendar Legend
Averages for the month
- Approximate exchange rate
- General weather pattern for each half of the country
- Average surf wave height for each coast
Shown for each day
- The phase of the moon, and the moon and sun rise and set times for planning turtle viewing or a night hike (best under the dark skies of a new moon when nocturnal animals are most active).
- Times for each high and low tide along the outer Pacific coast (gulfs and bays vary). Average height 8 feet (2.5 meters).
Not intended for navigation. - Tides on the east coast occur about 2 hours earlier. However, the average height is only 8 inches (0.2 meters) so levels in the Caribbean Sea do not significantly impact most activities.
- Natural events are shown as shaded icons for quetzals (nesting), turtles (nesting), and humpback whales (calving) on each coast.
- The more solid color shown the more likely the event, the more shaded the less likely.
- Baby turtles hatch (usually at night) after approximately 50-70 days incubation so look for nesting activity on the calendar two months prior to your visit if you’d like to see the little ones popping out of the sand..
- Holidays – Bold indicates a government & bank holiday when most businesses are closed and buses may run on limited schedules.
- Fiesta and local festival dates are approximate – most include events spread over a week or two so check the schedule locally for more information.