La Fortuna in December (2026): Dry Season Begins, Volcano Views Return & the Pre-Christmas Window

⭐ Best December window: December 1 to 18. The rain has largely stopped, the volcano is showing itself again, the rainforest is still lush from green season, and prices and crowds are still at low-season levels. It is the best value week-for-week in the entire dry season.

💰 Average December hotel prices (La Fortuna town, mid-range):
Early December (Dec 1–18): ~$130–180/night · Christmas and New Year (Dec 20–31): ~$200–280/night
Rough mid-range estimates; rates vary by property and booking lead time.

December is the month of two completely different trips, and which one you get depends entirely on your dates. In our view the first two and a half weeks are one of the best-kept secrets of the La Fortuna calendar: the wet season has released its grip, the Arenal cone is visible far more often than it was in October, and yet the rainforest is still deep green and the town is still on low-season prices. Then, from around December 20, the switch flips and La Fortuna becomes the most expensive and most crowded place in inland Costa Rica.

We'd book this if you want dry-season conditions without dry-season pricing, and you can travel before the third week. The tradeoff is that December is not yet as reliably clear as January, February or March: 220mm of rain still falls, and you will likely see cloud around the summit on some mornings. Our Arenal Volcano hike guide and La Fortuna Waterfall guide cover the two experiences that benefit most from December's mix of clearing skies and still-strong water.

Temperature and Humidity

December temperatures are identical to November and January: highs around 29°C (85°F) and lows near 21°C (71°F). Nothing about the thermometer tells you which month you are in. What changes is the air. As the trade winds settle into their dry-season pattern, the heavy, saturated feel of September and October eases, and mornings in particular feel fresher. Nights at 21°C are comfortable, and a light layer is worth having for an early volcano start or an evening on the hanging bridges. The UV stays very high all year here, so sunscreen still matters on an overcast morning.

Rain Pattern

December averages around 220mm of rain, down from November's 250mm and well below October's 375mm. That is a real improvement, but it is not a dry month by most people's definition. The character of the rain is what changes: instead of the sustained afternoon systems of the wet season, December rain arrives more often as overnight showers or brief passing spells that clear within an hour. The first week or two can still carry a wet-season feel, and by the last third of the month conditions are noticeably more settled. Plan outdoor activity for mornings and you will lose very little.

Volcano Visibility and Trail Conditions

This is where December earns its reputation. Arenal spends most of the green season wrapped in its own cloud cap, and December is the month that reverses. Views rate very good, around 9 out of 10, and improve steadily as the month goes on, though January and February remain a step clearer. The rule that holds all year holds now: the cone is clearest between sunrise and mid-morning before daytime heating builds cloud, and it often clears again near sunset. Underfoot, trails are drying from months of rain, so the 1968 lava field and the waterfall staircase are far firmer than in October but can still hold soft or slick patches after an overnight shower.

No other month in La Fortuna divides so cleanly, and the money involved is substantial.

• December 1 to 18 (the quiet window): crowds stay low and mid-range hotels sit at roughly $130 to $180 a night. Tours run with space, the waterfall is manageable even mid-morning, and you get returning volcano views at green-season prices. This is the value sweet spot of the dry season.
• December 19 to 24 (the ramp): international arrivals and Costa Rican families both hit at once. Rates climb toward $200 or more, and the most-reviewed tours start selling out several days ahead.
• December 25 to 31 (peak of the year): mid-range rooms run about $200 to $280 a night, the best properties book out months in advance, and every headline tour needs reserving well ahead. This is the busiest and most expensive week La Fortuna sees.

The biggest difference is not the weather, it is the invoice. Two travellers doing the identical itinerary can pay close to double depending on whether they arrive on December 10 or December 22. Our take: if your dates are movable at all, move them earlier. If they are not, accept the pricing and book everything, hotel, transfers and headline tours, further ahead than you would in any other month.

We think the tradeoff is that early December gives you about 90 percent of January's volcano odds for about 70 percent of the price, with greener scenery thrown in. Late December gives you the same weather as early December at the highest rates of the year, which is the worst value on the calendar.

December is when the volcano comes back. Through September and October the summit is hidden for days at a stretch, and November only partially improves on that. By December the cloud cap breaks far more regularly, and visibility rates very good at around 9 out of 10, a step below the near-guaranteed clarity of January through March but a world away from the wet months.

The daily rhythm is the same one that governs Arenal all year. Skies are clearest from sunrise to mid-morning, cloud builds around the peak as the ground heats through the day, and there is often a second clear window around sunset. What typically happens in December is that early risers get a clean cone at least two mornings out of three, while anyone who sleeps in and drives out at 11 AM sees a grey shoulder and wonders what the fuss is about.

The best vantage points do not change with the season: Mirador El Silencio and the 1968 lava-flow trails on the western flank look straight up at the cone, and the open stretches of the hanging bridges circuits give wide canopy-level views. One thing to be clear about, because it comes up constantly: Arenal has been in a resting phase since 2010, so there is no visible lava at night in December or any other month. What you are here for is the shape of the mountain against a clearing sky. Our Arenal Volcano hike guide compares the trails and viewpoints in detail.

December averages around 220mm of rain. That is the fourth-wettest total in the dry season group and well above January's 150mm, February's 120mm and March's 75mm. Calling December a dry month is accurate only in relative terms: it is drier than every green-season month, and wetter than every other dry-season month. The reason is geography. La Fortuna sits on the Caribbean-facing slope, where trade winds push moisture against the mountains year-round, while the Pacific coast a few hours west turns genuinely arid.

In practice the constraint is mild. December rain typically comes overnight or as a short daytime shower that clears quickly, rather than the multi-hour systems of September and October. Trails drain reasonably well and tours very rarely cancel. Most guests find that the rain they do get falls at times that cost them nothing, and that the real December variable is cloud around the summit rather than water on the ground.

Two practical consequences. First, pack a light rain jacket and quick-dry layers, and treat a poncho as standard kit for the waterfall and the bridges. Second, front-load hard: put the volcano hike, waterfall and hanging bridges in the morning slots and leave hot springs, coffee tours and cooking classes for afternoons, when a shower is irrelevant.

The single most useful thing to understand about La Fortuna's climate is that temperature barely moves all year, while rainfall swings roughly fivefold. Daytime highs sit between 29 and 32°C every month and nights hover around 21°C, so you pack the same clothes in January as in July. What actually changes your trip is how much rain falls, and when.

Full Month-by-Month Figures

What the Numbers Actually Mean

Three things stand out. First, March and April are the driest months by a wide margin, at roughly 70 to 75mm, which is why the dry season peaks then rather than in December. Second, October is the wettest at around 375mm, five times March, with September close behind. Third, the shoulder months do most of the work for value travelers: May and November sit between the extremes, offering greener rainforest and lower prices without the full weight of the wet season.

The temperature column is almost a flat line, and that is the point. Most people don't realize that choosing when to visit La Fortuna is a decision about rain and cloud, not about heat. If you want the volcano visible and the trails firm, come in the dry season. If you want thundering waterfalls, fuller rivers, and lower rates, the green season delivers, and you accept afternoon rain as the price.

ℹ️ Figures are rounded monthly averages from a single climate dataset and are indicative rather than exact. Published figures for La Fortuna vary noticeably between sources and weather stations, particularly for rainfall totals and rain-day counts, because the town sits on the Caribbean slope where conditions shift over short distances. Treat these as the shape of the year rather than a forecast.

Beyond the headline tours, December's mix of clearing skies and still-green rainforest suits the smaller things that round out a La Fortuna trip:

• El Salto rope swing: a free local river swimming hole just outside town, still running with good water this early in the dry season.
• Free hot springs at the Tabacón river bridge, where thermal water runs under the road; lovely on a cool December evening, and busiest at dusk over the holidays.
• Cycling or walking the road to the lake, with volcano views that are far more dependable than they were a month ago.
• Lake Arenal viewpoints and the dam road, an easy self-drive with a full lake and wide panoramas after the wet season.
• La Fortuna central park and church, decorated for Christmas through the month and lively in the evenings from mid-December.
• Butterfly gardens and frog ponds, low-effort wildlife stops that make good rain-proof fillers on a showery afternoon.
• Birdwatching around the Peñas Blancas river valley, improving as the weather settles and northern migrants are still present.

December is the busiest month on Costa Rica's domestic calendar, and that shapes the second half far more than the first.

• Christmas and New Year peak (from about December 20): Costa Rican families take their main holiday now, and international arrivals stack on top. This is the driver behind the price jump and the sold-out tours, and it runs straight through January 1.
• Fiestas de Zapote (December 25 to January 1): San José's big end-of-year fair, with bullfighting-style events, rides, food stalls and concerts. It is in the capital rather than La Fortuna, but it pulls domestic traffic and fills hotels along the route.
• Tope horse parade (December 26): a national tradition of mounted parades, biggest in San José but echoed in towns across the country, with a festive atmosphere in the days after Christmas.
• Local Christmas decorations and town atmosphere: La Fortuna's central park and church are lit through December, and evenings in town feel noticeably more festive from mid-month.

None of these need to change your plans, but if you are driving to or from San José between December 25 and January 1, allow extra time and expect heavier traffic than usual.

• Travel before December 18 if you possibly can. Same weather, same views, roughly half the room rate, and tours you can book a day ahead rather than a week.
• If you must travel over Christmas, book far earlier than feels necessary. Hotels, transfers and the headline tours all sell out for late December, often months in advance.
• Start early, every day. The volcano is clearest from sunrise to mid-morning before its own cloud cap builds, and it often clears again near sunset.
• Still pack a rain jacket. December brings around 220mm of rain. A light shell and quick-dry layers cover you for a shower on the bridges or at the waterfall.
• Take advantage of the water while it lasts. Rivers and the waterfall are still carrying green-season volume, so rafting and canyoning are better now than they will be in February.
• Expect some mud early in the month. Trails are drying but not dry, especially in the first two weeks, so wear footwear you can rinse off.
• Bring a light layer for evenings. Nights drop to around 21°C (71°F) and feel cooler on an early volcano start or up on the bridges.
• Give the volcano two mornings. Views are very good rather than guaranteed in December, so a second attempt turns a likely view into a near-certain one.
• Do not expect lava. Arenal has been resting since 2010, so night tours are about wildlife and rainforest, not eruptions.
• Visiting at a different time of year? Our La Fortuna in November guide covers the wetter, cheaper month just before, and our La Fortuna in January guide covers the clearer, pricier month that follows.