When is the best time to visit Colombia?
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Loading... - Alexis White
- 04 May 2022
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The changes in altitude also mean Colombia has many microclimates and mini dry and wet seasons to factor in, although most places have little temperature variation between seasons. Once you know where you’d like to go in Colombia, spend some time researching the weather in the area.
Here’s our guide to the best time to visit Colombia and experience the best festivals the country has to offer.
High Season (December to February)
December to February is a fantastic time to travel through Colombia because it’s dry everywhere except the Amazon. In the Andes, expect sunny skies and warmish days – perfect for hiking in the country’s clutch of outstanding national parks, while the Caribbean coast is at its most gorgeous – and busiest. It's a popular time to visit (including for domestic travelers), so prices are at their highest throughout the entire country. Advance bookings for hotels and flights are essential, particularly along the northern coast.
Shoulder Season (March to September)
Check the weather carefully before booking a trip between March and September because the temperature and rainfall have massive regional variations. Bogotá, Medellín and Cali suffer a secondary rainy season in April and May while Cartagena shines through April but hard rains begin in May.
July through August is another mini dry season, although you can expect short tropical showers in highland cities. For animal lovers, the best time for whale-watching on the Pacific coast is July to October. Festivals around Easter are a spectacle worth traveling for.
Colombia’s Caribbean islands, San Andrés and Providencia, remain dry until May, so shoulder season is an opportunity to explore their glorious beaches and remarkable coral reefs.
Low Season (October to November)
Across the country, prices are at their lowest, and it’s a wonderful time to visit the Amazon, where low water levels mean excellent hiking and wildlife spotting opportunities, white-sand beaches and fewer mosquitoes. Elsewhere though, flash floods often wash out roads in the Andean region, and Medellín, Cartagena and the Caribbean coast are disproportionately wet in October.
January
January is ideal for exploring the Caribbean coast. Toward the end of the month, the holiday crowds dissipate, but the festivals and parties carry on. Low levels of humidity and warm temperatures make sunbathing and swimming an appealing prospect. Cartagena and Santa Marta are extremely busy in the first few weeks of January. Surfers will enjoy the big swells that bring waves to the beaches close to Barranquilla, Santa Marta, Cartagena and Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona.
January is the perfect month for hiking in Colombia, with trail conditions typically dry and the sky clear, ensuring excellent views from the top of many of the country’s lofty peaks. If you dislike crowds, head to Bogotá, which is deserted thanks to residents hitting the coast for their vacations, or go to a secluded eco-lodge along the Pacific coast.
Key events: Carnaval de Blancos y Negros, Festival Internacional de Musica, Fiestas de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria, Hay Festival, Feria de Manizales
February
The Andean region remains pleasant, and Cartagena is almost drought-stricken, making February a great time to beach-hop along the Caribbean coast, although Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona typically closes from February 1 to February 15 for park maintenance. With kids back in school and domestic merrymakers returning to the grind, Colombia is tranquila. Bogotá experiences a less than usual quantity of rain, making this a good month to check out the capital’s glut of restaurants and cultural activities. This is also a great time to explore some of the country’s most popular destinations, with savings on hotels and airfare for places such as Cartagena and Santa Marta.
Depending on when Easter falls, verbenas (pre-carnival warm up events) will begin in the carnival capital, Barranquilla, this month. Expect a buzz of music, dancing and plenty of food at these public parties held in open-air locations around the city.
Key events: Carnaval de Barranquilla, Fiesta de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
March
Semana Santa (Easter) is big business in Colombia. Whether it falls in March or April, the country is seriously tuned in, with celebrations taking place in all of the main cities. However, crowds flock to those held in the handsome, colonial era town of Popayán, where thousands spill out onto the cobbled streets and plazas to join solemn religious processions and costumed parades that have taken place every year since 1566. Mompox, Pamplona and Tunja also hold colorful celebrations for Holy Week.
High water levels in March and into April mean the white water rafting in adventure capital San Gil is at its most thrilling, and conditions are typically good for other adrenaline-fueled activities, including paragliding and caving.
Key events: Semana Santa, Concurso Nacional de Belleza, Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogotá, Francisco el Hombre, Festival Nacional de Música Colombiana
April
By April, high season is well and truly over, and wet weather is starting to make its presence known across the country. For visits to the City of Eternal Spring, Medellín, and the capital Bogotá this month, get up early to avoid the afternoon showers and bring a rain jacket or consider making the most of the lower airfare and accommodation costs to head north to Cartagena, San Andrés, Providencia or Santa Marta. Alternatively, explore La Guajira, where hot year-round temperatures haven’t quite hit their July and August highs. Visitors to the Amazon will find high water levels that cover jungle hiking trails and make wildlife watching more complicated. On the Colombian–Panamanian border, leatherback turtles take the opportunity to arrive on the beaches near Capurganá and begin laying their eggs.
If Semana Santa falls this month, be sure to book all your transportation and accommodations well in advance. Prices will be high.
Key events: Semana Santa, Vallenato Festival
May
May sees the rainy season continue in earnest in the Andes. If you’re lucky, you might be able to squeeze a vacation in the sweet spot before the worst of the weather and while prices are still low – no guarantees, though. Cartagena might be damp, but it’ll be quiet, a rare occurrence. For surfers, swells from the southwest bring world-class waves to the surfing hotspots of Nuquí and Buenaventura, where it’s also prime fishing season.
Key events: Primero de Mayo, Festival de la Cultura Wayúu
