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Best time to visit Colombia

The best time to visit Colombia depends on the area you wish to visit and what you plan to do there. As Colombia lies close to the equator, the climate and temperature remain fairly constant throughout the year. Consequently, any time of year is a good time to visit Colombia.

Would you like to go whale watching, visit the Amazon or enjoy a sunny and warm end to your holiday on the Caribbean coast? If you have specific preferences, there may well be a best time to travel for your trip through Colombia. Below, we’ve summarised the key points regarding the best time to visit Colombia:

For whale watching on the Pacific coast, the best time to visit is in June and October, as this is when humpback whales come close to the coast.
The Caribbean coast can be visited all year round. Temperatures remain consistent throughout the year. The dry season, when there is the least rainfall, runs from December to March .
The Amazon region, high mountain areas and the coffee region can be visited all year round.

Bogotá

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min. temperature in °C	5	6	7	8	8	8	8	7	7	8	8	7
Maximum temperature in °C	20	20	20	19	19	18	18	18	19	19	19	19
Number of hours of sunshine per day	6	5	4	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	5	6

Due to its high altitude in the Andes, Bogotá has a temperate climate with fairly mild daytime temperatures. Due to the differences in altitude within the city, temperatures can vary depending on where you are. Another weather phenomenon that Bogotá often experiences is fog, due to its high altitude and proximity to the mountains. It is often foggy in the mornings and evenings, but the fog usually clears during the day. The rainy season in Bogotá runs from April to November. During these months, there are regular showers and many cloudy days. The dry season runs from December to March. During these months, it is somewhat sunnier and much drier.

Medellín

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min. temperature in °C	17	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17
Maximum temperature in °C	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	29	28	27	27	27
Number of hours of sunshine per day	6	6	5	4	5	6	6	6	5	4	5	5

Medellín has a temperate tropical (monsoon) climate and is not called the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ for nothing. Medellín enjoys pleasant temperatures all year round, both at night and during the day. Generally speaking, Medellín does not have distinct seasons, although there are two periods when there is more rainfall: April–May and October–November. The rest of the year, there may be the occasional shower.

Medellín is famous for its annual flower festival, which takes place in August. This falls during the dry season, making it a good time to visit Medellín.

Cartagena

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min. temperature in °C	23	23	24	24	25	25	25	25	25	24	24	23
Maximum temperature in °C	31	31	32	32	32	32	32	32	32	31	31	31
Number of hours of sunshine per day	8	8	8	7	6	6	7	6	6	5	6	7

Cartagena has a tropical climate, with high average humidity of 70%, which can make it feel quite hot. Temperatures in Cartagena are warm to tropical all year round. In Cartagena, the weather is dry from December to March, with plenty of sunny days and hardly any rainfall. This is therefore the best time to visit Cartagena. During the rainy season, from April to November, short, intense showers occur regularly.

The islands of San Andrés & Providencia

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min. temperature in °C	25	25	25	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26
Maximum temperature in °C	28	28	28	28	29	29	28	29	29	29	28	28
Number of hours of sunshine per day	6	5	4	4	4	4	5	5	4	4	5	6

San Andrés and Providencia are situated in the Caribbean, off the coast of Colombia. The islands have a tropical climate, with high temperatures throughout the year and relatively high humidity. The wind chill is somewhat mitigated by the trade winds that blow across the islands. The dry and wet seasons are quite distinct on the islands. The dry season runs from December to April. During these months, there are many sunny days and hardly any rainfall. The rainy season is from May to November. Most rainfall occurs during these months, with showers often being short and intense. From June to November, there is a risk of tropical storms and/or hurricanes due to the Atlantic hurricane season. Generally speaking, San Andrés and Providencia lie outside the main and best-known hurricane paths.

Coffee region

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Min. temperature in °C	12	12	13	13	13	13	13	13	12	13	13	12
Maximum temperature in °C	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	21	20	20	19	20
Number of hours of sunshine per day	5	5	5	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5

The coffee-growing region has a unique microclimate, which is ideal for growing high-quality coffee. Temperatures range from cool to pleasant and remain fairly stable throughout the year. This region receives rainfall all year round, which is beneficial and essential for the growth of the plants on the coffee plantations. Although it rains all year round, there is a distinct rainy season from April to November. Most rainfall occurs in the months of April–May and October–November.

Caribbean coast

The temperature remains the same all year round. The dry season runs from December to March . This means that there is slightly more rain between April and November , although these months are still excellent for travelling.
Whales on the Pacific coast

Generally speaking, there is slightly more rainfall here each year than on the Caribbean coast. The best time to visit is in June and October, as this is when the humpback whales come close to the coast. A truly special experience!
Central Colombia

Inland, you’ll find the high mountains, such as Bogotá and its surroundings. Here too, the temperature remains constant throughout the year, but it is cooler than on the coast. Temperatures here range from 15 to 20 degrees and it cools down in the evening.
The Amazon

You can visit the Amazon all year round. Temperatures remain constant at around 30 degrees and rain can fall at any time of year. There is slightly less rain between June and September , and these are the months with the longest hours of sunshine.

The best time to visit Colombia when travelling with children

As Colombia enjoys fairly consistent weather conditions, our school holidays are an excellent time to travel. This applies to every single school holiday. You may find that the May and Christmas holidays are too short to visit all the country’s must-see attractions? During our summer holidays, Colombians are also on holiday. This may mean that it’s a bit busier in some places and/or that you’ll need to plan your trip a little earlier due to hotel availability – we’d be happy to help you with this, of course.

Time difference between Colombia and the Netherlands/Belgium

During Dutch winter time, it is 6 hours earlier in Colombia.
During Dutch summer time, it is 7 hours earlier in Colombia.

How long is the flight to Colombia?

There is a direct flight from Amsterdam to Bogotá. The flight takes 10 hours and 50 minutes.
It is also possible to fly directly from Cartagena to Amsterdam; the flight time is 9 hours and 50 minutes. If you wish to fly from Amsterdam to Cartagena, you will always have a stopover. The minimum journey time is 13 hours and 50 minutes. The journey time may be longer depending on the flight route and stopover time.

Would you like to organise your own trip of Colombia and are you curious about the options? Then do have a look at the itineraries we’ve put together for inspiration. You can book these tours directly, but we’d also be happy to put together a personalised itinerary based on your wishes and ideas.

Do you have a question? Please feel free to contact us. Call +31 73 610 62 04 or send an email to info@sapapanatravel.nl. We’ll be happy to help.