Things to Do in Costa Rica in January
January weather, activities, events & insider tips
January Weather in Costa Rica
Is January Right for You?
Advantages
- Peak dry season means consistently gorgeous weather - you'll get maybe 2 rainy days the entire month, and even those are usually just brief afternoon showers in the Caribbean lowlands. The Pacific coast and Central Valley are bone dry.
- Greenest landscapes you'll see all year despite being dry season - the forests are still lush from November-December rains, but trails are actually walkable without knee-deep mud. It's the sweet spot before everything turns brown in March.
- Wildlife viewing hits its stride as animals congregate around shrinking water sources. Waterholes in Guanacaste become wildlife magnets, and sea turtle nesting is active on both coasts. Humpback whales are still around the Osa Peninsula through mid-month.
- Cooler mornings in highland areas like Monteverde and San Gerardo de Dota mean comfortable hiking temperatures of 15-18°C (59-64°F) before things warm up. You can actually hike cloud forests without being drenched in sweat by 9am.
Considerations
- High season pricing is in full effect - expect to pay 30-40% more for accommodations compared to September rates, and popular lodges in Arenal and Manuel Antonio book solid months ahead. If you're budget-conscious, this hurts.
- Crowds peak during the first two weeks as North Americans and Europeans escape winter. Manuel Antonio National Park hits its 600-person daily cap by 8am most days, and Monteverde's hanging bridges feel like a queue at times.
- Strong Papagayo winds batter the North Pacific coast (Guanacaste) throughout January, bringing gusts up to 40-50 km/h (25-31 mph). Great for kitesurfing at Bahía Salinas, frustrating if you wanted calm beach days at Tamarindo or Flamingo - the surf gets choppy and beach umbrellas become projectiles.
Best Activities in January
Manuel Antonio National Park Hiking
January is genuinely the best month for this park - trails are dry and maintained, wildlife is incredibly active in the early morning, and the combination of rainforest and beaches works perfectly in these conditions. You'll see white-faced capuchins, three-toed sloths, and if you're lucky, squirrel monkeys. The catch is you need to arrive at 7am when gates open or you'll hit the daily cap. Temperature climbs from comfortable 24°C (75°F) at opening to sticky 30°C (86°F) by noon, so morning timing matters. The 2.6 km (1.6 mile) main loop takes about 3 hours if you stop for wildlife.
Arenal Volcano Area Hot Springs and Hiking
The volcano itself stopped its dramatic eruptions in 2010, but January weather makes this region perfect - clear mornings mean you'll actually see the cone (it's cloud-covered 70% of the year), and the combination of hiking lava fields followed by natural hot springs works beautifully when afternoon temps hit 28-30°C (82-86°F). The Arenal 1968 trail is a moderate 3.2 km (2 mile) loop through the lava flow with stunning lake views. Do the hike by 9am before heat builds, then hit hot springs in the afternoon. Tabacón and Baldi are the famous ones, but honestly the free spots along the river near the national park entrance work fine if you don't need swim-up bars.
Monteverde Cloud Forest Canopy Tours
January brings the driest conditions you'll find in a cloud forest, which is still misty and magical but means zip lines and hanging bridges are actually open most days instead of closed for lightning. Morning temperatures around 16°C (61°F) make the physical activity comfortable, and wildlife like resplendent quetzals are actively feeding on wild avocados. The famous zip line courses here range from gentle canopy tours to adrenaline-focused lines up to 750 m (2,460 ft) long. The Monteverde Reserve itself has 13 km (8 miles) of trails through primary cloud forest - wear layers as it drops to 12°C (54°F) in shaded valleys.
Guanacaste Beach and Surf Towns
The North Pacific coast is hot and windy in January - think 32°C (90°F) days with those Papagayo winds keeping things from feeling oppressive. This is peak surf season at breaks like Tamarindo, Nosara, and Santa Teresa where consistent swells arrive without the chop of rainy season. If you're learning, morning sessions before 10am offer the calmest conditions before wind picks up. The strong winds make afternoons better for kitesurfing at Bahía Salinas or just accepting beach time will be breezy. Water temperature is a comfortable 27°C (81°F) - no wetsuit needed. Sunsets from beach towns like Playa Conchal or Flamingo are spectacular this time of year with clear skies.
Tortuguero Canals Wildlife Boat Tours
The Caribbean side gets more rain than the Pacific in January - maybe 5-7 days of showers versus 1-2 - but it's still dramatically drier than other months and the canal system through Tortuguero is incredible for wildlife spotting. You'll see caimans, river otters, howler monkeys, toucans, and Jesus Christ lizards from small boats navigating narrow waterways through primary rainforest. January mornings are cool enough at 22°C (72°F) that animals are active, and water levels are perfect - high enough for boat access but not flooding trails. The village itself is car-free and charming in a rustic way. Green sea turtle nesting doesn't start until July, but the ecosystem is worth visiting year-round.
San José Central Valley Coffee Farm Tours
January falls right in the middle of coffee harvest season (November through February), which means you can actually see the picking process, not just walk through empty fields. The Central Valley around San José has dozens of working coffee farms offering tours where you'll learn the difference between washed and honey-processed beans, try your hand at picking ripe cherries, and taste fresh roasted coffee that makes grocery store brands taste like cardboard. Tours in areas like Doka Estate near Alajuela or Café Britt near Heredia include the full production process. Morning temperatures in the valley are perfect at 20-22°C (68-72°F) before afternoon heat builds.
January Events & Festivals
Fiestas de Palmares
This is Costa Rica's biggest party - a two-week celebration in the town of Palmares (45 minutes northwest of San José) featuring concerts, carnival rides, bullfighting Costa Rican style (they tease the bulls, no killing), and truly impressive amounts of beer consumption. It's chaotic, loud, crowded, and gives you a genuine look at Tico festival culture that tourists rarely see. Headliner concerts have featured major Latin artists in past years. If you want authentic local culture instead of eco-tourism, this is it.
Fiesta de los Diablitos
An indigenous Boruca celebration in the southern zone near Buenos Aires where participants wear hand-carved wooden devil masks and reenact the resistance against Spanish conquistadors through dance and ritual. It's deeply cultural and happens in a remote indigenous territory - this isn't a tourist show, it's a living tradition. The three-day event involves the symbolic battle between diablitos (devils/indigenous people) and a bull (Spanish). Respectful visitors are welcome but this requires effort to reach and cultural sensitivity.