March brings 31°C daytime highs, 5mm of precipitation across about 1 wet days and 11.9 hours of daylight — best for beach days and swimming. The strongest run of the year is January to March. October is the quietest month: wetter, but peaceful, and still good for green season and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Cartagena. Month ratings compare months within Cartagena only — they are not a ranking of Cartagena against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | March — Beach days, Swimming |
| Best 3-month window | January–March |
| Quietest month | October — Wetter, but peaceful |
| Driest month | February — 2mm |
| Wettest month | October — 190mm |
| Warmest / coolest | May 32°C / December 31°C |
| Seasonality | Strongly seasonal — the months feel like different places |
| Annual rainfall | 1010mm over roughly 100 rain days |
October gets roughly 3700% more precipitation than March — 190mm against 5mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 1°C across the whole year (31–32°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
February is the driest month at 2mm across roughly 1 wet days, while October peaks at 190mm.
January is almost as good as March, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Cartagena changes character completely through the year — March and October are effectively two different destinations. Pick the month that matches what you want to do, not the highest-rated one.
Ratings compare months within Cartagena, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Cartagena beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★★★★ | 31°C / 24°C | 5mm | 1 | 8h | 11.5h | Beach days · Swimming |
| February | ★★★★★ | 31°C / 24°C | 2mm | 1 | 8h | 11.7h | Beach days · Swimming |
| March | ★★★★★ | 31°C / 24°C | 5mm | 1 | 8h | 11.9h | Beach days · Swimming |
| April | ★★★★☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 40mm | 4 | 6h | 12.2h | Beach days · Swimming |
| May | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 110mm | 11 | 4h | 12.5h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| June | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 120mm | 12 | 5h | 12.6h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| July | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 100mm | 10 | 7h | 12.5h | Beach days · Swimming |
| August | ★★★☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 130mm | 13 | 7h | 12.3h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| September | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 140mm | 14 | 5h | 12.1h | Beach days · Swimming · Green season |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 32°C / 25°C | 190mm | 19 | 4h | 11.8h | Green season · Quiet and local |
| November | ★★☆☆☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 130mm | 13 | 4h | 11.5h | Beach days · Swimming · Quiet and local |
| December | ★★★★☆ | 31°C / 24°C | 40mm | 4 | 5h | 11.4h | Beach days · Swimming |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | January | 8h daily sunshine, 31°C highs and only 1 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | January | 31°C highs with 11.5h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | March | 8h of sun and 11.9h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | April | Scores 69/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | January | 31°C highs and 24°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Cartagena is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
March is the best all-round month in Cartagena: 31°C highs, 5mm of precipitation and 11.9 hours of daylight, which suits beach days and swimming. The strongest three-month window is January to March.
October — 32°C highs, 190mm of precipitation over roughly 19 days and 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for green season and quiet and local.
February is the driest month at 2mm over about 1 rain days, against 190mm in October. Across the year Cartagena records around 1010mm.
Yes, but the months are genuinely different trips. March suits beach days and swimming, while October suits green season and quiet and local. Pick the month that matches what you want to do.
Daylight ranges from 11.4 hours in December to 12.6 hours in June, calculated from the city's latitude.