Weather and Climate in Ecuador

There are generally only two seasons in Ecuador – the rainy season and the dry season – with significant differences between geographical regions. The temperature is largely determined by the altitude and is fairly evenly distributed all year round due to the proximity to the equator. In the Sierra, the day-night differences in temperatures are pronounced.

Even during the rainy season, most days are sunny until the afternoon. Outside of extreme altitudes (more than 4,800 m), precipitation almost always falls as rain or hail.
Hits El Niño causes chaos in the road and rail links of Ecuador about once every ten years

On the coast of Ecuador it is mostly cloudy all year round with daily maximum temperatures averaging around 30 ° C. The rainy season is short (between January and April) but very humid.
The dry season in the highlands is between June and the end of September and around Christmas, but it is not particularly rainy even in the wet season. In the Orient, it rains most months – August and December to March are usually the driest months. The Galápagos Islands are unusually dry for their equatorial location, with January to April often being hot and humid. The dry season between June and December is often cool and foggy.

On the southern coast there is precipitation of less than 250 mm per year, on the western slopes of the Andes of the Costa up to 5,000 mm, on the western slopes of the Oriente in some cases even more than 6,000 mm. In the Sierra, only 250-500 mm of precipitation fall in the basin annually, while the altitudes often receive more than 2,000 mm.

Canoe tours in Ecuador are best done in the rainy season, when the water level is high, while the drier season is better for trekking. On the coast, the rainy season (around January to May) is characterized by sunny days with afternoon rainfall. From June to August, many American vacationers come to the area for beach vacations.

The Galápagos Islands are suitable for wildlife viewing all year round, with January to April being the best time for snorkeling. If you are prone to seasickness avoid the rough seas between July and October.

The peak tourist season in Ecuador is between mid-December to January and June to August – this is when accommodation prices are highest and reservations are recommended.
Every city and village in Ecuador has local festivals that are celebrated with fireworks, alcohol, music and dancing. Here it is worthwhile to plan the trip accordingly. Some of the largest are the Good Friday procession in Quito, Corpus Christi in Pujilí or Salasaca, and the Fiesta del Yamor in Otavalo.

Average daytime temperature

Region

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Esmeraldas

29 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

28 ° C

28 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

29 ° C

Galapagos

30 ° C

31 ° C

31 ° C

31 ° C

30 ° C

29 ° C

28 ° C

28 ° C

27 ° C

27 ° C

27 ° C

28 ° C

Guayaquil

31 ° C

31 ° C

32 ° C

31 ° C

31 ° C

29 ° C

28 ° C

29 ° C

30 ° C

28 ° C

30 ° C

31 ° C

manta

30 ° C

30 ° C

30 ° C

30 ° C

30 ° C

29 ° C

28 ° C

28 ° C

28 ° C

28 ° C

28 ° C

29 ° C

Puyo

25 ° C

26 ° C

26 ° C

26 ° C

26 ° C

25 ° C

25 ° C

26 ° C

26 ° C

27 ° C

27 ° C

26 ° C

Quito

21 ° C

21 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

Average night temperature

Region

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Esmeraldas

22 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

Galapagos

23 ° C

23 ° C

24 ° C

24 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

Guayaquil

22 ° C

22 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

20 ° C

20 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

manta

23 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

20 ° C

20 ° C

21 ° C

21 ° C

22 ° C

Puyo

17 ° C

17 ° C

17 ° C

17 ° C

17 ° C

16 ° C

16 ° C

16 ° C

16 ° C

16 ° C

17 ° C

17 ° C

Quito

8 ° C

8 ° C

8 ° C

8 ° C

8 ° C

7 ° C

7 ° C

7 ° C

7 ° C

8 ° C

8 ° C

8 ° C

Average water temperature

Region

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Galapagos

26 ° C

27 ° C

28 ° C

27 ° C

26 ° C

25 ° C

24 ° C

24 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

24 ° C

25 ° C

Guayaquil

24 ° C

23 ° C

24 ° C

25 ° C

24 ° C

23 ° C

23 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

22 ° C

23 ° C

Average hours of sunshine / day

Region	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Galapagos	6	7	8	8	8	7	6	6	6	6	6	6
Guayaquil	3	4	4	4	5	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
manta	5	5	5	6	5	4	5	4	4	3	4	5
Quito	5	5	4	4	5	6	7	7	6	5	6	6

Average rainy days / month

Region	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Esmeraldas	12	11	13	8	9	5	4	3	3	3	3	6
Galapagos	4	4	3	3	2	3	4	3	3	4	3	4
Guayaquil	12	13	15	10	4	1	0	0	0	1	0	2
manta	5	5	6	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Quito	9	11	11	15	10	9	3	3	8	13	13	7