Ojochal · When to visit
There is no bad month. There are months with tradeoffs.
The temperature barely moves all year — 72–86°F all year, and it barely moves. Ocean 80–82°F.. What changes is the rain, the crowds, the price, and whether there are whales in the water.
Dry season
Mid-December through April
Almost no rain. March is the driest month. Blue skies, clear water, and everyone else has had the same idea. This is when the region is busiest and most expensive.
Green season
May through November
Late April to July brings predictable afternoon storms with sunny mornings. August onward is less predictable, and September and October are the wettest months of the year.
Green season, honestly
Both columns are true.
Why come
- The beaches are close to empty
- Rates are materially lower
- The landscape is greener than photographs suggest
- Waterfalls run at full force
- The July-to-mid-November whale season sits inside it, peaking in August and September
Why not
- Snorkelling and diving visibility drops sharply from river runoff — the most concrete downside, and one nobody else mentions
- Trails get muddy and the climb out of Nauyaca gets harder
- The steep roads up here get slippery
- September and October can bring multi-day rain rather than afternoon showers
- Humidity means nothing ever quite dries
The one people miss
Snorkelling and diving visibility drops sharply from May through November, because the rivers carry sediment out to sea. If underwater is the point of your trip, come in the dry season. No other site in this region will tell you that.
Our answer
The sweet spots.
May, June and early November give you green-season prices without the September and October rainfall peak. August and September if the whales are the point.
August and September are the ones the region gets wrong. They are the peak of the southern humpback season — August and September is when the water is busiest — and they are priced as the quiet months because it rains in the afternoon. If whales are why you are coming, that is the trade to make.
What it costs, by season
| Season | Dates | Per night |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas & New Year | December 18 – January 5 | $750 |
| Semana Santa | Holy Week — moves annually | $625 |
| High season | January 6 – April 15 | $425 |
| Shoulder | April 16 – June 30 · November 1 – December 17 | $325 |
| September — peak whale season | September 1 – 30 | $295 |
| Green season | July · August · October | $245 |