Costa Rica
Monteverde in December
🌤️ Cool dry seasonPleasant and mostly dry.
Why December scores 9.5What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort9.5
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (21.3°C highs / 14.6°C lows)
- ✓Slightly humid (dew point 15.6°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~48 mm rain)
- Air quality10.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~4 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Dec | Jan | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.5 Excellent | 9.6 Excellent |
| Season | 🌤️ Cool dry season | 🌤️ Cool dry season |
| High / low | 21° / 15° | 22° / 14° |
| Rain | 48 mm | 22 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 16° | dew pt 15° |
| PM2.5 | 4 µg/m³ | 2 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Christmas Day 25–27 Dec · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore MonteverdeEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA highland area in Costa Rica's Tilarán mountains known for cloud forest reserves, hanging bridges, ziplines and birdwatching, including the resplendent quetzal.
No major events on our calendar for December.
Coming up later
Quetzal nesting seasonDate variesRoughly spring, around March to June
Resplendent quetzals are easiest to see while nesting and feeding near fruiting avocado trees.
Why go: The best time for birders hoping to see a quetzal.
Where: Cloud forest reserves
Independence DayEvery year15 September every year, with lantern parades on the evening of the 14th
Costa Rica's national day with school parades and the Freedom Torch relay.
Why go: Public holiday; expect parades in towns.
Where: Nationwide
Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve
A large private reserve of misty, epiphyte-covered forest with marked trails.
💡 Go early with a naturalist guide for better wildlife spotting.
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
A community-run reserve at higher altitude, usually quieter than Monteverde.
Hanging bridges
Suspension bridges through the forest canopy at parks such as Selvatura and Sky Adventures.
Ziplining
Monteverde is one of Costa Rica's main canopy zipline areas.
Night walks
Guided evening walks to see tarantulas, frogs, sloths and other nocturnal wildlife.
Coffee farm tours
Tours of small local farms showing coffee growing and roasting.
Casado
A set plate of rice, beans, salad, plantain and a choice of meat or fish.
💡 Sodas (small local eateries) in Santa Elena
Gallo pinto
Rice and beans fried together, the classic Costa Rican breakfast.
Monteverde cheese
Cheese from the dairy tradition started by Quaker settlers in the 1950s.
Costa Rican coffee
Locally grown coffee, often brewed in a cloth chorreador.
Coffee
Beans from Monteverde-area farms.
💡 Farm shops and Santa Elena stores
Costa Rican chocolate
Chocolate made from Costa Rican cacao.
Painted oxcart souvenirs
Miniatures of the colourful carretas that are a national symbol.
Airport transfer Kiwitaxi
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