Ecuador – its weather, seasons and best time to visit

Ecuador is pretty much an all-round destination with little change in weather and less pronounced dry/ rainy seasons than some of its South American neighbours – thanks to its location on the equator.

Enjoying the sunshine, Quilatoa

Weather can be defined by region, and many Andean mountain ranges in particular develop their own micro climates, making it hard to be exact about what weather to expect.

The Sierra – Andean highlands

In the Ecuadorian highlands, there is little temperature variation by season; instead weather depends largely on altitude.

Speaking broadly June to September are the warmest and driest months,  as well as December and January which often see a short dry spell.

Antisana National park

The other months of the year generally see plenty of sunshine and clear skies in the mornings but are often characterised by rainfall in the afternoon, especially from February to May.

Nevertheless many people still visit in the “wetter” months as you can plan your days accordingly, trekking and sight-seeing in dry weather for most of your day.

Temperatures range from 6 to 10ºC in the morning and from 19 to 23ºC in the afternoon, with cool/ cold nights.

The Costa – Ecuador’s Coast

On the Pacific coast, rainfall becomes less from north to south. The coast can be enjoyed year-round, although from June to Sept mornings are often grey with the “garua” mists.

Puerto Lopez

If you like to relax on sunny beaches stick to January to May, the hottest and rainiest time of year – bearing in mind that most rainfall usually occurs late afternoon while the rest of your day is hot and sunny. June to September is whale watching season in Puerto Lopez, as spectacle not to be missed if you don’t mind the slight change in weather.

The Oriente  – Ecuador’s Amazon region.

In Ecuador’s Amazonian region, rain can fall at any time, but March to Sept is usually the wettest period.

Canoe ride at Liana Lodge

The Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Archipelago can be visited at any time of year. For detailed info on the climate in the archipelago visit our Galapapos – weather and wildlife blog.

Bartholomew, Galapagos