Quito month by month, at a glance
Hover each month for the summary. Click to pin it.
Here the sun rises and sets at almost the same time on all three hundred and sixty-five days of the year. We are less than twenty-five kilometres from zero latitude, so the day lasts twelve hours in January and twelve hours in July, and temperature does not tell one season from another either.
01 Twelve hours of daylight, every day
The practical consequence of sitting on the equator is that there are no long or short days. Dawn is around six and dusk around six, in June just as in December, with variations of a few minutes.
That forces a different kind of planning. There is no long summer evening: by half past six it is dark all year, so outings and climbs to viewpoints are organised for the morning.
Temperatures do the same. Average highs run from 20.1 degrees in November to 21.6 in August, and lows from 8.1 to 9.0. A range of one and a half degrees across the whole year.
Key moments at a glance
22 millimetres over 5.4 rainy days: the absolute minimum of the year.
31.5 millimetres, the warmest and windiest month of the year.
168.2 millimetres over more than twenty rainy days.
142.4 millimetres and 18.4 days with rain; closed afternoons.
02 The only thing that changes is the rain
The year splits into two seasons that here are called summer and winter, but which have nothing to do with temperature. Summer is the dry season and runs from June to August; winter is the wet one and takes the rest.
The figures are emphatic. July adds 22 millimetres over barely five rainy days and August 31.5 over six. April, by contrast, reaches 168.2 millimetres over more than twenty days, and March 142.4.
The daily pattern is reliable too: clear mornings almost always, clouds building over Pichincha from midday and afternoon rain. In the dry season that rain simply does not arrive.
03 Four seasons in one day
What does not change between months changes within the day, a great deal. A morning can start at nine degrees, climb to twenty-one at midday under direct sun and fall back to twelve in mid-afternoon when the cloud comes in.
Hence the packing rule that works in any month: layers, something waterproof and light warm clothing for the evening. In the sun you go in short sleeves; without it, it is genuinely cold.
And there is one factor that surprises many people: solar radiation. At 2,850 metres and on the equator, the ultraviolet index reaches extreme values even under high cloud. You can get a serious burn in a little over half an hour.
04 Altitude, the other variable
Before looking at the rain it is worth looking at the altimeter. At 2,850 metres, many visitors feel fatigue, headaches or broken sleep during the first forty-eight hours.
The advice is the usual one and it works: for the first two days, little exertion, plenty of water and no going higher. The city has steep streets in the old quarter, so exercise is already included.
If the plan includes volcanoes or the cable car, which climbs above four thousand metres, leave it for the third day. Going up on your arrival day is the fastest way to spoil the trip.
There are no seasons to choose between: you choose between clear mornings and wet afternoons.
05 How to choose
The clear window is June to August, with July the best month of the year: twenty-two millimetres of rain, open skies and the best visibility for seeing the volcanoes from the city.
If you travel in the wet half, October to May, plan outdoor activities for the morning and leave museums and interiors for the afternoon. And bring a raincoat: here the rain arrives at twelve degrees, not twenty-five.
