If you hear a Colombian talking about “verano” and “invierno”, summer and winter, he or she is not referring to seasons, but rather weather. If it is raining, it is winter, while if it is sunny, it is summer. Thus yesterday could have been summer and today is winter. Truth be told, in a 100 percent tropical country like Colombia, there aren’t any real seasons. There are times of the year where the tendency is for it to rain, although for several years now the weather has been impossibly unpredictable.

Bogota - Photo by Iijjccoo

Even though Colombia is geographically very tropical, it is wrong to assume that anywhere you visit in this country will be as hot as a tin roof in the scorching sun! While it is true that the closer you are to sea level the more unbearably toasty the climate will be, Colombia’s forefathers founded many of their biggest cities high up in the mountains, where the air is much cooler. Thus, in Bogota, the capital, at over 2,625 meters (about 8,600 feet) you are hardly ever going to experience a hot day (and no, you will not be gasping for air), but will most certainly have to wear a jacket virtually every day. Medellin, at 1,495 meters (about 4,900 feet), and Bucaramanga at 959 meters (3,146 feet)  tend to have a much more agreeable, generally warm but rarely scorching temperature year-round. Cali is at about the same level as Bucaramanga but its average temperature is several degrees higher than the latter. The northern coastal cities of Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta, are at sea level and consequently produce weather that will have you sweating profusely day and night!

Just remember that Colombia is built from the top down!

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