Best time to visit Manuel Antonio

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart recolours live for your heat & sea limits 27°C · sea 29°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Sea feels bathtub at 29°C
26° strict 31° tolerant

Default 29 °C is the Beach Climate Index "bathtub" line (Morgan et al.) — where the sea stops being refreshing and starts feeling like a warm bath.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Sea temp cold <18° chilly 18–21° ideal 22–26° warm 27–28° bathtub 29–30° too warm ≥31°
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Sea Nov 2022 – Dec 2024 (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
911111098888768
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
11131413111010111010910
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
558886665545
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
771114119997777
January 5/10 feels 32°C (+1°C vs 1991-2020) · extreme heat caps 73 → 55/100
Day 28° · Night 23° · warm nights (23°) ☀ UV 9.3 (very high) 72% humidity 8 km/h wind 8 rain days (111h) 248h sun sea 30°C ⚠ bathtub
Thermal 4
Sky 8
Rain 7
Wind 9

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

Greyed factors are scored normally — extreme heat overrides them, so a clear sky or low rain can't lift the period.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Similar climatesJaco89% · Tamarindo83% · Miami64%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Manuel Antonio (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Manuel Antonio's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan 23–28 32 8 111 13.9 72% 8 248 9 Quiet 5
Feb 24–29 33 7 87 12.4 65% 9 242 11 Quiet 6
Mar 24–30 34 7 97 13.9 64% 10 260 11 Quiet 5
Apr 24–29 34 20 227 11.3 73% 10 227 10 Quiet 3
May 23–28 33 26 346 13.3 81% 9 196 9 Quiet 1
Jun 23–27 32 28 389 13.9 85% 9 166 8 Quiet 1
Jul 23–27 32 25 317 12.7 85% 9 167 8 Quiet 1
Aug 23–27 32 27 363 13.4 85% 9 161 8 Moderate 1
Sep 23–27 32 27 402 14.9 85% 9 168 8 Moderate 1
Oct 22–27 32 29 450 15.5 86% 10 168 7 Quiet 1
Nov 22–26 31 26 414 15.9 87% 10 157 6 Peak 1
Dec 23–27 31 13 181 13.9 79% 8 224 8 Peak 4

UV Index in Manuel Antonio by Month

UV index in Manuel Antonio peaks at 11 (extreme) in March, dropping to 6 (moderate) in November. January, February, March, April, May, August reach very high or extreme levels — apply SPF 50+, wear a hat and protective clothing, and limit direct sun between 11:00 and 17:00.

Best months in detail

January

5/10

23–28°C (feels 32°C) · 8 rain days (111h) · 248 sun hours · 72% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 9 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 11 (extreme)

February

6/10

24–29°C (feels 33°C) · 7 rain days (87h) · 242 sun hours · 65% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 11 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 13 (extreme)

March

5/10

24–30°C (feels 34°C) · 7 rain days (97h) · 260 sun hours · 64% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 11 (extreme) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 14 (extreme)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

April

3/10

24–29°C (feels 34°C) · 20 rain days (227h) · 227 sun hours · 73% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 10 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 13 (extreme)

May

1/10

23–28°C (feels 33°C) · 26 rain days (346h) · 196 sun hours · 81% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 9 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 11 (extreme)

June

1/10

23–27°C (feels 32°C) · 28 rain days (389h) · 166 sun hours · 85% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 8 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

July

1/10

23–27°C (feels 32°C) · 25 rain days (317h) · 167 sun hours · 85% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 8 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

August

1/10

23–27°C (feels 32°C) · 27 rain days (363h) · 161 sun hours · 85% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 8 (very high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 11 (very high)

September

1/10

23–27°C (feels 32°C) · 27 rain days (402h) · 168 sun hours · 85% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 8 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

October

1/10

22–27°C (feels 32°C) · 29 rain days (450h) · 168 sun hours · 86% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 7 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

November

1/10

22–26°C (feels 31°C) · 26 rain days (414h) · 157 sun hours · 87% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 6 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 9 (very high)

December

4/10

23–27°C (feels 31°C) · 13 rain days (181h) · 224 sun hours · 79% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 8 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

Frequently asked questions about visiting Manuel Antonio

When is the best time to visit Manuel Antonio?

January is the highest-scoring month (5/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 23–28°C (8 rainy days). The top three months by score are January, February, March.

What is the worst time to visit Manuel Antonio?

May is the lowest-scoring month (1/10, capped by extreme heat). Typical conditions: 23–28°C (26 rainy days).

Is Manuel Antonio too hot in summer?

12 months (January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December) trip the heat deal-breaker in our scoring: apparent temperature crosses the comfort cap, so even with clear skies and low rain the score is held down. Plan around it if heat tolerance is low.

When are crowds lowest in Manuel Antonio?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in May and peaks in December. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Manuel Antonio have good weather but fewer tourists?

February (climate 6/10, crowd index 19) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Manuel Antonio by month?

UV peaks at 11 (extreme) in March and is lowest in November at 6 (moderate). Monthly peak values: Jan 9, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 10, May 9, Jun 8, Jul 8, Aug 8, Sep 8, Oct 7, Nov 6, Dec 8. January, February, March, April, May, August reach very high or extreme levels — apply SPF 50+, wear a hat and protective clothing, and limit direct sun between 11:00 and 17:00.

What is the UV index in Manuel Antonio in March?

March is the peak UV month in Manuel Antonio, with a daily-peak UV index of 11 (extreme). At this level, sunburn can occur in under 20 minutes on unprotected fair skin. Apply SPF 50+, wear protective clothing and a hat, and avoid direct midday sun (11:00–17:00).

How high can UV get in Manuel Antonio on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. March is the worst case: typical days average UV 11 (extreme), but the top 10% of days reach UV 14 (extreme) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.