Colombia has a wide range of climate types. However most parts of Colombia are affected by a tropical rain forest climate. This is characterized by high temperatures throughout the year and fairly high amounts of rainfall, especially along the western coastal areas.
On the high plains to the east of the mountains there is quite a bit of rain. As you move more eastwards, the amounts of precipitation decreases significantly. The far north-east of Colombia is the driest, here you find a combination of a warm desert climate and warm steppe climate.
Large elevation differences in Colombia causes the temperature per height to drop. The low-lying areas have an average annual temperature of 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit) inland and along the coastal areas in the west, going up to around 28 degrees Celsius (82° F) along the coast in the north and north-east. The areas that are between a thousand and two thousand meters (3280-6560 ft) have an average annual temperature of 16 to 19 degrees Celsius (61-66° F). The peaks above 4000 meters (13120 ft) are even freezing, with eternal snow in many places.
The seasons in Colombia are mostly determined by the precipitation pattern. The north has a rainy season that runs from May to November and is relatively dry in the other months. The west coast along the Pacific ocean has no real rainy season, here it rains a lot throughout the year. In the Amazon region in southern Colombia, the seasons are reversed. The period June to September here is less wet than the rest of the year, but the amounts of rain are still quite high in the so called ‘dry’ months.
As you can see it is not so easy to name a period as the best travel time. Colombia has such a great diversity in rainfall patterns that the best travel periods vary each part of Colombia. If you look at all the different climate charts, the period December to March wins as the best travel time. For large parts of Colombia, this is considered the driest period.
Interested in more detailed Weather and Climate information?
Please select the city below you wish to travel to, or the one closest to your destination. Each selected city will show you the following graphs:
1. Average minimum and maximum temperatures over the year
2. Average monthly precipitation over the year (rainfall, snow etc)
3. Average monthly hours of sunshine over the year
On certain pages we also offer other historical weather data like humidity, wind speed and water temperature.
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