The Best Time To Visit Colombia
Colombia Weather Guide
The Best Time To Visit Colombia
{Colombia Weather Guide}
There’s one thing that everyone who has traveled to Colombia has in common… we all have fallen in love with this wildly beautiful country.
I am yet to meet someone who didn’t like their visit to Colombia.
In a country so rich in culture, beauty, and endless amounts of Aguardiente you can’t really go wrong!
I suppose the next question that needs to be answered before you book your flights, is when exactly is the best time to visit Colombia?
The answer is more complex than you may think, so keep reading to find out the best time to travel to Colombia…
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When is the best time to visit Colombia?
Let’s just clear something up. There’s no wrong time to visit Colombia.
With Colombia being situated near the equator, there are two seasons only: wet season and dry season.
Dry season: December – March (also the high season for travelling)
Wet season: April – November
The good thing about Colombia during the high season is that it still isn’t overcrowded by tourists like other parts of the world are (such as Europe) during their high season!
And if you’re planning on traveling to Colombia during the wet season, don’t worry! It doesn’t rain all day during the wet season, the rain is on and off and when it does rain, it lasts for maybe 30 minutes before it stops!
The temperature itself doesn’t vary too much at different times of the year.
Instead, the weather depends more on the altitude of the specific city you are visiting.
Cartagena is located nearest to the equator and the Caribbean Sea, not to mention it is only 2 meters above sea level, so the weather is naturally very tropical and quite warm.
However, the more Southern cities such as Medellin do not have the same tropical weather as Cartagena does.
Medellin is mountainous with an elevation level of 1495 meters (4900 feet) and is further away from the equator, so the weather is slightly cooler there.
Bogota, Colombia’s capital located within the Andes Mountain Range is even higher in altitude with an elevation of 2640 meters (8600 feet) above sea level, so it’s even colder than Medellin.
The thing about Colombia is that if you’re planning to travel to all of the major cities, you’re going to have to pack clothes for both hot and cooler weather!
With that in mind, keep reading to find out the weather in Colombia for every major city.
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Weather in Cartagena
Altitude: 2 meters or 7 feet
High Temp: 31°C or 88°F
Low Temp: 24°C or 76°F
Cartagena is situated along the Caribbean Coast, and therefore the weather in Cartagena is always very warm and very tropical.
The temperature in Cartagena is generally floating somewhere between 24-31°C or 76-88°F all year round.
In terms of rainfall, Cartagena doesn’t generally rain from December until the beginning of April, which is when, in my opinion, the best time to visit Colombia.
The wet season is from April until November with October being the month that has the most rain, where it rains for an average of 16 days in the month.
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Weather in Santa Marta
Altitude: 6 meters or 20 feet
High Temp: 31°C or 88°F
Low Temp: 24°C or 76°F
The weather in Santa Marta is very similar to Cartagena in terms of temperature and rainfall.
The dry season lasts from December until the end of April, and the wettest month is in October, when you can expect it to rain for most of the month.
Again, as you can probably tell, the best time to travel to Colombia to experiance the dry weather in Santa Marta, is anywhere between December until April.
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Weather in Medellin
Altitude: 1495 meters or 4900 feet
High Temp: 29°C or 84°F
Low Temp: 17°C or 63°F
Medellin is a little bit cooler than Cartagena due to its higher altitude, but that doesn’t change the fact that the best time to visit Medellin is during the dry season from December until March.
The Medellin temperature sits somewhere between 17°C-29°C or 63°F-84°F all year round.
It rains more frequently in Medellin, however the driest months are still between December to March.
Again, the wettest month is in October where it rains for about 24 days out of the month.
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Weather in Bogota
Altitude: 2640 meters or 8600 feet
High Temp: 20°C or 68°F
Low Temp: 6°C or 43°F
Bogota is one of those places where you’ll be warm in the sun, but cold in the shade, so be sure to bring a sweater and long pants when traveling to Colombia’s capital.
The weather in Bogota is quite different to the rest of Colombia, so keep this in mind when planning your Colombia backpacking trip.
Bogota’s temperature is definitely colder than other parts of Colombia, with the temperature ranging between 6°C-20°C or 43°F-68°F.
Also keep in mind that the temperature in Bogota drops to around 6°C during the night and rises to 20°C during the day, which is quite consistent all year round.
It rains quite a lot in Bogota for most of the year. The driest months are typically January & February with rain for 7 days during these months.
Weather in Cali
Altitude: 1018 meters or 3340 feet
High Temp: 31°C or 88°F
Low Temp: 18°C or 64°F
The weather in Cali is quite consistent and dare I say, perfect, all year round.
The temperature generally ranges from 18°C-31°C or 64°F-88°F.
It’s hot, but not as hot as Cartagena and definitely not cold at any point like Bogota.
The rain slows down from June – August with rainfall only occurring 9-12 days during these months.
The dry season is from December until April and is therefore the best time to visit Cali.
Weather in San Andres Island and Providencia Island
Altitude: These are small islands where you’ll be spending most of your time on the beach (so obviously at sea level, however the following altitudes are according to their highest points on the island).
- San Andres Island: 55 meters or 180 feet
- Providencia Island: 360 meters or 1180 feet
High Temp: 31°C or 88°F
Low Temp: 25°C or 77°F
Ahh our beloved Colombian Caribbean islands.
They are located a 20-minute plane ride from each other which is why we’ve put them in the same category in this blog.
San Andres Island and Providencia Island are just literally always scorching hot, with the temperature sitting between 25°C-31°C or 77°F-88°F all year round.
The dry season is from January-April and it will be raining for a good part of the months following.
Remember that the tropical weather means the rain will probably last a few minutes before moving on.
When we went in early February it actually did rain once, and it lasted for about 5 minutes, so no big deal… especially when it’s still hot!
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