Best time to cycle Colombia
December to March and July to August are the drier windows on the Pacific side. August is the one we ride: mornings clear above the cloud line and afternoon rain arrives late and softly rather than as a storm.
Month by month
- December – MarchVery good
- The main dry season inland; warm, settled, busier around the turn of the year.
- April – JuneWet
- The first rainy season. Long afternoon downpours and slick descents on the coastal road.
- July – AugustBest for this route
- The mid-year dry spell. Clear high mornings, quiet roads between holiday seasons.
- September – NovemberWet
- The heaviest months on the Pacific slope. Landslide closures are common.
Daylight
Near the equator the day is close to twelve hours all year, with first light around 05:45 and dark by 18:30. Start early: the good weather is in the morning.
Wind
Rarely a factor. The ridgelines are sheltered and the coastal wind is a light onshore breeze that builds after midday.
Roads and surfaces
Paved main descents with gravel connectors on the ridges. After heavy rain the gravel holds water for a day or two.
Multi-day routes in Colombia
- Pacific Coast Descent — 430 km, 7 days
Cloud forest ridgelines unwinding, hour by hour, toward a wide grey-blue ocean.
The full route
GPX files, offline maps, the elevation profile, day-by-day notes and the planning tools for Pacific Coast Descent all live on BicycleMovement. We keep only the season and the reason.
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Quiet routes in The AmericasHow we read the seasonThis month's ten