The Best Time to Visit Colombia
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated August 2026
Short answer: December to March is the driest and most dependable stretch nearly everywhere, and it is also the busiest and dearest. The Caribbean coast has a second dry window in June, July and August that most visitors never hear about and that is often the best value of the year. The thing that surprises people: Colombia sits on the equator, so there is no summer and no winter — the temperature is set by how high up you are, not by the month.
The one thing that matters more than the month
In most countries you choose a season. In Colombia you choose an altitude. Sitting on the equator, the country has no seasonal swing in temperature at all — Bogotá is about 66°F by day and 47°F at night in January and again in July, and Cartagena is around 88°F and humid in every month of the year. What the calendar changes is only how much rain falls.
So the question is not “when should I come to Colombia” but “which Colombia am I coming to”. A trip built around Cartagena and Santa Marta wants heat and can take a shower; a trip built around Bogotá and the coffee country wants a jacket and a waterproof in any month. Pack for both if you are doing both, because you will feel a thirty-degree difference in a ninety-minute flight.
The Seasons at a Glance
Colombians speak of verano and invierno — summer and winter — but they mean dry and wet, not hot and cold.
Main dry season — December to March
The reliable stretch, and the one to choose if you have only one trip in you. Cartagena and Santa Marta are hot, bright and breezy; Bogotá and Medellín have their clearest mornings; the coffee country is at its greenest before the April rains. The catch is that Colombians travel then too, and between roughly 15 December and 15 January coastal hotel rates can double.
The coast’s second dry window — June to August
Less well known and worth knowing. Cartagena, Santa Marta and San Andrés get a second dry spell in mid-year, at a fraction of the January price. It is hot — upper eighties with real humidity — so it suits people who plan mornings and evenings outdoors and take the middle of the day slowly. Bogotá is also drier in July and August, which makes a two-centre trip work well.
Wet shoulders — April to May, September to November
The two rainy stretches, and much less forbidding than they sound. Rain in Colombia usually arrives as a heavy hour in the afternoon rather than as days of drizzle, mornings are frequently bright, and the countryside is at its most beautiful. Prices fall, the walled city of Cartagena is quiet, and the queues at the Gold Museum disappear. October is generally the wettest month of the year.
The dates to book around
Barranquilla’s Carnaval takes the four days before Ash Wednesday and moves with Easter, usually landing in February or early March. Semana Santa, Holy Week, empties the cities onto the coast. Medellín’s Feria de las Flores fills the first ten days of August. Each is marvellous if it is why you came and expensive if it is not.
Month by Month
Temperatures below are the coast first, then Bogotá — the two ends of the country’s range. Medellín sits between them at a near-constant 72°F.
January
The best weather of the year and the most expensive. Cartagena is around 88°F with a steady trade wind and almost no rain; Bogotá is bright in the morning and cold after dark. The first two weeks are still Colombian holiday season and the coast is full; from about the 15th the crowds thin sharply while the weather stays perfect, which makes late January our favourite fortnight of the year.
February
Dry, hot and windy on the coast — so windy at times that the sea off Cartagena chops up and the boats to the Rosario Islands have a bumpy crossing. Bogotá is at its clearest. Barranquilla’s Carnaval usually falls now, and takes hotel rooms along the whole coast with it.
March
The dry season is running out but has not finished; the coast stays reliable and Bogotá begins to cloud over in the afternoons. Watch the Easter date: Semana Santa is the single busiest domestic travel week of the year, and if it falls in March the coast is full and dear.
April
The first of the two wet stretches opens in the Andes and the coffee country: bright mornings, heavy afternoon showers, spectacular green. The coast stays warm and only occasionally wet. Prices fall away after Easter and the walled city gets its evenings back.
May
Along with October, the wettest month in Bogotá and Medellín — though still in the afternoon-shower pattern rather than all-day rain. Very good value, very few visitors, and the best month of the year for photographs in the coffee country. Take an umbrella and plan museums for four o’clock.
June
The Caribbean’s second dry season opens and the coast becomes excellent again while prices stay at shoulder level. Bogotá starts to dry out mid-month. School holidays begin in Colombia at the end of June, so the last week is busier than the first three.
July
Probably the best month of the mid-year: dry on the Caribbean, dry in the Andes, and warm everywhere. It is Colombian holiday season, so the coast and San Andrés fill up, but international visitor numbers are still modest. Whale season opens on the Pacific coast.
August
Dry, hot and breezy on the coast; dry in Bogotá. Medellín gives over the first ten days to the Feria de las Flores, ending with the desfile de silleteros, the parade of flower-carriers — the best week in the city and the one week its hotels are genuinely hard to book.
September
The second wet stretch begins and international visitors thin out to almost nothing. Cartagena has warm, still, humid days with a downpour most afternoons; Bogotá is grey and showery. Rates are at their lowest of the year and the Rosario Island boats are half empty.
October
Generally the wettest month across the whole country. Take it as a bargain rather than a warning: mornings are usually usable, the rain is heavy but short, and hotels that are impossible in January have rooms at half the price. On San Andrés this is the tail of the Atlantic hurricane season — see the note below.
November
Wet in the first half, drying in the second. Cartagena’s Independence festival around 11 November fills the walled city with parades and crowds for a few days. From about the 20th the trade wind returns and the coast turns reliable again, which makes late November one of the shrewdest weeks in the calendar.
December
Dry, bright and festive. The alumbrados — the Christmas light displays in Medellín and Bogotá — are extraordinary and free. The first ten days are still quiet and well priced; after about the 15th the whole country goes on holiday and coastal prices roughly double until mid-January.
The Cheapest Time to Go
Late April to early June, and mid-September to late November
These are the two wet shoulders, and they are where the value is. Hotel rates in the walled city of Cartagena — the single biggest cost in most Colombia trips — can be a third to a half below the January figure, flights from the United States are cheaper, and the sites are unhurried.
Three dates that undo the saving
Semana Santa, Barranquilla’s Carnaval and the fortnight either side of Christmas are the three periods when Colombians travel in force. Coastal rates double or worse and the good restaurants stop taking reservations. Check the dates of Easter and of Ash Wednesday for your year before you book anything.
The genuine sweet spots
If we were booking our own trip: the second half of January, when the domestic holiday is over but the dry season has months to run, or the last week of November, when the rains have finished and the Christmas prices have not yet begun. Both give you the weather of high season at something close to shoulder rates.
Crowds, Weather & Hurricanes
Colombia is largely outside the hurricane belt — but San Andrés is not
This is a real advantage over most of the Caribbean and it is worth understanding precisely. The Colombian mainland — Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta — sits south of the main Atlantic hurricane track and is very seldom affected, which is why September and October are wet there rather than dangerous. San Andrés and Providencia lie much further north and west, inside the belt: Hurricane Iota flattened Providencia in November 2020 and the island has been rebuilding ever since. If you are going to the islands between August and November, take travel insurance that covers weather disruption, and do not book the last flight of a tight itinerary.
The heat is the thing on the coast, not the rain
Cartagena runs at 88°F with heavy humidity all year and barely cools at night. For older travellers that matters more than any rainfall chart: plan the walled city for early morning and after five, keep the middle of the day for a pool or an air-conditioned museum, and choose a hotel with genuinely cold air conditioning rather than a pretty courtyard alone. February and August bring the strongest breeze and feel the most comfortable.
Altitude does not have a season
Bogotá is at 8,660 feet in June exactly as it is in December. If you are sensitive to height, no month helps — but arriving on the coast first and going up to the capital at the end of the trip does. Medellín at 4,900 feet troubles almost nobody.
Best Time by Region
Cartagena & the Caribbean coast
Two dry seasons, December to March and June to August, with the strongest breeze in February and August. October is the wettest month. Hot and humid in every one of them.
Bogotá & the highlands
Driest in January to March and again in July and August; wettest in April to May and September to November. Cool and changeable in all twelve months, with the rain arriving late in the day.
Medellín & the coffee country
The gentlest climate in the country and never uncomfortable. April, May, September and October are the rainy months. Come in the first ten days of August for the Feria de las Flores, or in December for the lights.
Santa Marta & Tayrona
Follows the Caribbean pattern but is drier still — the coast east of Santa Marta is genuinely arid. One thing to check before you book: Tayrona National Park closes for several weeks each year at the request of the indigenous communities who own the land, usually in February and again in June and October. The dates are published in advance and they move.
San Andrés & Providencia
January to April is the dry, calm, clear-water season and the best time for snorkelling. September to November is wet and inside the hurricane belt. July and August are workable but breezy.
The Pacific & the Amazon
The Pacific coast at Nuquí and Bahía Solano is wet nearly all year but has the humpback whales from July to October. Caño Cristales, the river that turns red and yellow with aquatic plants, shows its colours from about June to November. Both need dedicated flights and several days.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to visit Colombia?
December to March is the driest and most dependable stretch in nearly every part of the country, and for a first trip taking in Cartagena, Bogotá and Medellín it is the reliable answer. The Caribbean coast has a second dry window from June to August that is hot, breezy and better value. The wettest months across most of the country are April to May and September to November, though even then the rain usually comes as a heavy afternoon shower rather than a washed-out day.
Does Colombia have a hurricane season?
The Colombian mainland sits south of the main Atlantic hurricane track and is very rarely hit, which is one of the quiet advantages Cartagena and Santa Marta hold over most Caribbean destinations in September and October. The island of San Andrés is a different matter: it lies further north and west, inside the belt, and Hurricane Iota devastated neighbouring Providencia in November 2020. If you are going to the islands between August and November, buy travel insurance that covers weather disruption.
When is the cheapest time to visit Colombia?
Late April to early June, and again the second half of September through to the end of November. Those are the wet shoulders: hotel rates in Cartagena’s old city fall noticeably, flights are cheaper and the sites are quiet. Avoid mid-December to mid-January and Holy Week, when Colombians travel in force and coastal prices roughly double.
What is the weather like in Bogotá?
Cool and changeable all year. Bogotá sits at 8,660 feet almost on the equator, so the temperature barely moves: highs around 66°F by day and lows around 47°F at night, in every month. What changes is the rain. January to March and July to August are the drier stretches; April to June and September to November bring cloud and short heavy afternoon showers. Pack a light waterproof and a warm layer for the evening whatever month you come.
When is Barranquilla’s carnival, and is it worth planning around?
Barranquilla’s Carnaval runs for the four days before Ash Wednesday, so it moves each year with Easter and usually falls in February or early March. It is the second largest carnival in the world after Rio and a UNESCO-recognised piece of cultural heritage. It is also crowded, hot and loud, and hotel rooms along the whole coast are booked months ahead at several times the usual rate. Wonderful if it is the reason you are coming; worth avoiding by a week or two if it is not.
When can I see the humpback whales?
On the Pacific coast, from roughly July to October, when humpbacks come north from Antarctic waters to calve in the warm bays around Nuquí and Bahía Solano. That is the opposite coast from Cartagena and Santa Marta and needs a separate flight and several days, so it belongs in a second trip rather than squeezed into a first one. The Caribbean side has no whale season.