Puerto Vallarta month by month · Dry & sunny
December is in the dry season — sunny days and very little rain.
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
Dry & sunny
December is in the dry season — sunny days and very little rain. Daytime highs average 30°C (86°F) and nights 18°C (64°F). The weather station records about 1.9 days with rain and 22 mm of rainfall in the month. The sea in Banderas Bay averages 27°C (80°F), and the sun sets around 18:22.
Rain and temperature, all year
Rain (mm)High (°C)
December 2026
Puerto Vallarta's most local December tradition and the one most visitors miss. For twelve days, neighborhoods, businesses and schools march to the Our Lady of Guadalupe church, the crowned church facing City Hall.
Full guide →Every winter, humpback whales migrate to the warm water of Banderas Bay to mate and give birth. Watching a mother and calf — or a full breach — is the trip most winter visitors remember.
Full guide →Mexican Christmas builds for nine nights of posadas and peaks on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day. For visitors that means one big dinner to book early, and then one of the calmest, loveliest beach days of the year.
Full guide →The Malecón has been the heart of the night: in 2025 a free party with a stage near the Lighthouse, live music and midnight fireworks. The 2026 program has not been announced yet, so here is what is known and what to confirm.
Full guide →Tours
from $79 USD
🐋 Whale season starts in about 4 weeks
Spot humpbacks and listen on the onboard hydrophone (Dec–Mar)
from $105 USD
🐋 Whale season starts in about 4 weeks
Eye-level humpback safari in a 10-guest biologist boat
from $120 USD
from $77 USD
🐢 Release season: about 7 weeks left
from $94 USD
Paddle glowing plankton waters off Boca under dark new-moon skies
from $99 USD
🐋 Whale season starts in about 4 weeks
Watch humpbacks in the morning, snorkel a calm cove after
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Where to stay
December sits in high winter dry season — rates rise near holidays and snowbird months. Compare live availability before booking.
FAQ
December is in the dry season — sunny days and very little rain. Daytime highs average 30°C (86°F) and nights 18°C (64°F). The weather station records about 1.9 days with rain and 22 mm of rainfall in the month. The sea in Banderas Bay averages 27°C (80°F), and the sun sets around 18:22.
Yes, if you want sunshine: December averages only 1.9 days with rain, and it's whale season.
About 27°C (80°F) on average in Banderas Bay (Open-Meteo, 2023–2025).
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