Best Time to Visit Cartagena: Month by Month (2027)
Updated: October 4, 2026 · Written by Marta Fernández, founder of CABÚ Viajes, a local operator in Cartagena de Indias (RNT 215668). Climate data: IDEAM 1991-2020 climate normals for Rafael Núñez airport.
In short:
The best time to visit Cartagena is December to April, the dry season: from January to March it barely rains. The trade-off is that the northeast trade winds blow hard in those months, especially in February, and the sea to the islands gets choppier. October is the wettest month, with about 240 mm of rain. It is hot all year, with highs of 31-32 °C (88-90 °F) and lows of 24-26 °C (75-79 °F), so what changes from month to month is rain, wind and crowds, not temperature.
Cartagena month by month
| Month | Weather (high/low, rain) | Sea and boat days | What's on and how busy |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31/24 °C · under 1 mm | Strong wind; the ride back from the islands is bumpy | High season until after Epiphany. Buena Vida Beach festival January 8-10, 2027. |
| February | 31/24 °C · under 1 mm | The windiest month: book a bigger boat | Dry and quieter than January. A very good month for a house. |
| March | 31/25 °C · about 3 mm | Wind easing | Holy Week March 21-28, 2027: full city and processions. Spring break season. |
| April | 32/26 °C · about 19 mm | Calmer sea | End of the dry season. Cartagena Film Festival April 6-11, 2027. |
| May | 32/26 °C · about 117 mm | Light wind | Rains begin, mostly in the afternoon. Low season: better house prices. |
| June | 32/26 °C · about 93 mm | Light wind | Mid-year holidays push demand up. |
| July | 32/26 °C · about 121 mm | Good between showers | Mid-year high season; large houses book months ahead. |
| August | 32/26 °C · about 128 mm | Good between showers | Busy in the first half of the month. |
| September | 32/26 °C · about 133 mm | Variable | Low season, the quietest city of the year. |
| October | 32/26 °C · about 237 mm | Most rainy days of the year | The wettest month: heavy afternoon downpours. Plan the boat day with a spare day. |
| November | 32/26 °C · about 178 mm | Improving | Independence festivities around November 11: a full city that weekend. Thanksgiving falls at the end of the rains. |
| December | 31/25 °C · about 45 mm | Wind returns | Night of the Little Candles on December 7; December 20 to January 5 is the most expensive fortnight of the year. |
Temperature barely moves: what you feel is the humidity, which is higher in the rainy months.
Which month for which trip
- For the best weather: January, February and March, with almost no rain. If the island day matters most, book a bigger boat because of the wind.
- For fewer people and better value: late April, May and the second half of November.
- For New Year: the city at its most beautiful and most expensive. See Christmas and New Year in Cartagena.
- For Holy Week: see the Holy Week 2027 guide.
- Travelling from the US around a long weekend: Cartagena long weekends 2027. From Mexico: Cartagena desde México (in Spanish).
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to visit Cartagena?
December to April, the dry season. January to March has almost no rain, although the trade winds make the sea choppier, especially in February. For fewer people and better value, go in late April, May or the second half of November.
What is the rainiest month in Cartagena?
October, with about 237 mm of rain and around 12 rainy days on average according to IDEAM normals. Rain usually comes as short, heavy afternoon downpours.
Is it ever cold in Cartagena?
No. Highs run 31-32 °C (88-90 °F) and lows 24-26 °C (75-79 °F) all year. What changes is rain and humidity.
When is the sea calmest for the Rosario Islands?
With the least wind, from April to June. January to March is dry but the trade winds chop up the sea, especially in February, and the ride back is bumpier. In October the issue is rain, not wind.
When is high season in Cartagena?
Mid-December to mid-January, Holy Week, June and July, and the Independence long weekend in November. For those dates large houses book 60 to 90 days ahead.
Sources: IDEAM 1991-2020 climate normals for Rafael Núñez airport (as tabulated in Wikipedia's Cartagena climate table); Cartagena Film Festival 2027 (El Tiempo); Buena Vida Beach 2027 (official site).
Write to us now, and what happens next
Message us on WhatsApp → +1 754 201 9833 · answered at any hour, 24/7. Prefer email or a form? Ask for your quote here.
Send these five things and nothing else is needed: the dates or the month, how many nights, how many people, what is non-negotiable for this group, and the city everyone is flying from.
- Within 24 hours on a working day you get two or three houses or boats that actually fit those dates, with what we checked on each one, and an itemised quote: each line priced separately, what is included and what is not, and the payment calendar. No agency fee.
- You choose. Nothing is held or booked until you confirm in writing. If nothing fits, we say so instead of pushing a substitute.
- Deposit against a company invoice — never 100% upfront, never to a personal account — and each traveller can pay her own share and receive her own receipt.
- One named contact on WhatsApp before, during and after the trip, who answers at eleven at night on the 31st. RNT 215668, verifiable in the public Colombian registry.
December and the first week of January are quoted on the actual house, in writing, because those two weeks sell out first.
Last updated: October 4, 2026.
Written by Marta Fernández, founder of CABÚ Viajes, a local tour operator in Cartagena de Indias registered in Colombia's National Tourism Registry under RNT 215668.
