Otavalo in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Otavalo sees average daytime highs around 18°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 547 mm of rain over about 65 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the 2nd-wettest season.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Otavalo's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Otavalo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 18°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 9°C
- Rainfall
- 547 mm
- 65 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.9
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Otavalo in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 18°C.
A typical winter day in Otavalo reaches about 18°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
Otavalo weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 9° | 175 | 20.8 | 12 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 18° / 9° | 170 | 20.6 | 12 | 3.9 |
| Mar | 18° / 9° | 218 | 25.5 | 12 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 18° / 9° | 241 | 26.1 | 12 | 3.4 |
| May | 18° / 9° | 167 | 24.6 | 12 | 3.7 |
| Jun | 17° / 8° | 84 | 17.7 | 12 | 4.4 |
| Jul | 17° / 8° | 56 | 13.7 | 12 | 5.0 |
| Aug | 18° / 8° | 32 | 8.7 | 12 | 5.8 |
| Sep | 19° / 8° | 74 | 13.9 | 12 | 5.2 |
| Oct | 18° / 9° | 161 | 22.5 | 12 | 4.1 |
| Nov | 18° / 9° | 216 | 25.3 | 12 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 17° / 9° | 202 | 23.4 | 12 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Otavalo gets around 547 mm of rain over 65 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 4 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 12 hours in early December to 12 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 4.8 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Otavalo?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Otavalo.
What to pack for Otavalo in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Otavalo sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 9°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 65 days see rain.
UV index in Otavalo in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Otavalo peaks around March 11 at about 18 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 18 at about 13 (extreme).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Extreme |
| Feb | 17 | Extreme |
| Mar | 18 | Extreme |
| Apr | 15 | Extreme |
| May | 15 | Extreme |
| Jun | 13 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 13 | Extreme |
| Sep | 15 | Extreme |
| Oct | 15 | Extreme |
| Nov | 13 | Extreme |
| Dec | 14 | Extreme |
Where is Otavalo?
Otavalo sits at 0.2°N, 78.3°W, 2,532 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Atuntaqui, 11 km away.
Topography around Otavalo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Otavalo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Otavalo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 386 m around an average of 2,617 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,572 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,569 m.
The land around Otavalo is covered by trees (26%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (24%) within 3 km, grassland (41%) and trees (34%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.
Ecuador travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 2
- Exercise Increased Caution
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 43% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $7,125
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.1 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 70%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 45.7
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 20.1
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- Upper middle
- World Bank
- English
- Low
- EF EPI 466
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Otavalo (0.2346°, -78.2625°, elevation 2,532 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.