Cartagena · Month comparison

September vs February

February ranks #1 overall vs September at #10. The driest month with Carnaval — perfect Caribbean weather and Colombia's biggest street party.

Cartagena September — a narrow street in the walled city lined with vivid yellow, red and orange colonial facades, quiet in the wet season

September

#10 of 12 months

Strong option

Peak of wet season — heaviest rain and highest hurricane risk; avoid unless budget is everything.

  • ↑Lowest accommodation prices of the year: the best boutique hotels in the walled city at 50–60% below January rates
  • ↑The old city virtually empty of foreign visitors: Cartagena at its most authentic and local
Cartagena February — a row of brilliantly painted colonial houses with flower-covered balconies in the old walled city

February

#1 of 12 months

Best match

The driest month with Carnaval — perfect Caribbean weather and Colombia's biggest street party.

  • ↑Carnaval de Barranquilla (80km north, early February): Colombia's most famous carnival is accessible by bus or driver, and Cartagena runs its own parallel festivities
  • ↑8mm of rain: February is statistically the driest month on the Caribbean coast — Angélica María weather, as Colombians say
FactorSeptemberFebruary
Weather score
4
9
Value score
9
5
Crowd score
9
4
Events score
3
7
Atmosphere
4
9
Avg high temp31°C31°C
Monthly rain135mm8mm
Daily sunshine6hrs8.5hrs

September trade-offs

  • ↓135mm of rain — the wettest month on the Caribbean coast: extended multi-day rain events are common and outdoor plans are frequently cancelled entirely
  • ↓Atlantic hurricane season at its most active peak: September has the highest statistical risk of tropical storm impact on Cartagena and the surrounding coast
  • ↓Boat services to the Rosario Islands and Barú beach suspended or severely disrupted; the Caribbean sea experience largely unavailable

February trade-offs

  • ↓Carnaval week brings additional visitors to the region: accommodation fills rapidly and prices rise accordingly
  • ↓Heat can feel more intense in February without the sea breeze of January: midday in the walled city requires shade
  • ↓Carnaval de Barranquilla itself is 1.5 hours from Cartagena — access requires planning and transport, not a walk out the hotel door
See all 12 months for Cartagena →September in detail →February in detail →
Scores compare months within Cartagena. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →