Q & A Friday: When Is the Best Time To Go To Colombia?

I’m back! It’s been a busy couple of weeks in See Colombia Towers so last week I was unable to answer your questions, but I’m back this week to offer my help to all those looking for answers about travel to Colombia!

One of the questions I see asked the most is ‘When is the best time to visit Colombia?’ The truth is that there’s no ‘best’ time; Colombia has such a diverse range of climates and such a variety of festivals that you could come any time of the year and fall in love with my country, but I’ve tried my best to give you some kind of guide to the weather and festivals here so you can tailor your trip to your own tastes.

 

Colombian Weather

Colombia is one of the few countries in the world that’s located on the Equatorial Line, giving it a tropical climate in many regions. The country is also, however, divided by the Andean Mountains, making the country’s weather unpredictable and remarkably varied. In a visit to Colombia you could experience desert landscapes such as Guajira, rich rainforest regions in the Amazon and snow-capped mountains in Sierra Nevada. In addition, a city such as Bogotá can differ in temperature as drastically as 23°C during a sunny day and 0°C at night, although temperatures on average usually sit around 19°C at day and 14°C at night. In an hour’s drive going down the mountainous regions, you can reach areas where the temperature can rise above 30°C.

The following is a list of destinations based on altitude and temperature:

Glacial

Los Nevados National Park
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Cold 12 ०C – 17 ०C

Bogota 2600m
Villa de Leyva 2143m
Zipaquira 2.652
Manizales 2.160m

Warm 17 ०C – 24 ०C

Medellin 1538m
Armenia 1,551
Salento – Cocora Valley 1895 m
Guatape 1925
Lost City 900 -1200m
San Gil 1114m
Barichara 1336m

Hot >24०C

Cali 995m
Leticia 96m
Santa fe de Antioquia 500m
Mompos 16m
Cartagena 2m
Santa Marta 3m
Tayrona National Park 0 – 900m
Bucaramanga 959m
San Andres 0m

Independent from the temperature or altitude of a destination, there are also two seasons: Summer, which is the dry season; and Winter, which is basically rain and high winds. The hottest and driest months are June to August and December to February. The periods of rain go from March to May and September to October, although these tropical rains are not permanent.

Festivals in Colombia

There are a number of festivals in Colombia that are well worth checking out. Here’s a pick of the bunch (for a full list, please click here)

Carnaval de Blancos y Negros en Pasto, Nariño
Dec/Jan

A yearly celebration remembering the freedom of black slaves back in the sixteen century, when following the struggle supported by the Franciscan Saint Pedro Claver all black African slaves gained their freedom. http://www.carnavaldepasto.org/

Carnaval de Barranquilla, Atlantico
February

Apart from the famous Rio Carnival, the Carnaval de Barranquilla is the biggest and best festival in South America. They’re very similar in many ways but this carnaval comes with a distinctively Colombian flavor. Oh, and it’s much cheaper! http://www.carnavaldebarranquilla.org/previo/default.html

Festival Internacional de Teatro de Bogota, C/MARCA
Every two years in March

Founded by a famous Colombian actress and drama director, this International Theatre Festival similar in many ways to the one in Edinburgh, has become the most respected festival of its kind in Latin America. http://www.festivaldeteatro.com.co/

Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata en Valledupar, Cesar

Feria de las Flores de Medellin, Antioquia
August/September

The city of Medellin – also called the “City of Eternal Spring” – will host this flower parade for 3 days; this unique street exhibition of flower- carts pulled by beautiful cozy donkeys, one of the main attractions of this colorful display. We wrote about the festival before here. http://www.feriadelasfloresmedellin.gov.co/

Feria de Cali, Valle del Cuaca
31st December

Similar to the Manizales fair and to other international beauty contest in Colombia, this Cali festival of ring bull fighting and beautiful candidates will be followed by a colorful horse-riding parade through the main capital streets.

I hope this helps you in deciding when to come to Colombia. In all honesty, you should just come whenever you can; Colombia is an all-year round destination offering something for everyone 🙂

Abrazos,
Marcela