Vilcabamba weather in December

In December, Vilcabamba sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 168 mm of rain across 22.9 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of December to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Vilcabamba's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Vilcabamba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
8th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
168 mm
22.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:06 AM – 6:20 PM
Cloud cover
79%
7th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Vilcabamba is village and rural parish of Loja Province in Ecuador.

Founded
1576

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical December day in Vilcabamba reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs on par with November and on par with January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12113
22113
32113
42113
52113
62113
72113
82113
92113
102113
112113
122113
132113
142113
152113
162113
172113
182113
192113
202113
212113
222113
232113
242113
252113
262113
272113
282113
292113
302113
312113

Vilcabamba weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 13°18423.612.24.2
Feb21° / 13°22123.712.13.9
Mar21° / 13°22025.3124.0
Apr21° / 13°16622.311.94.4
May21° / 13°951811.85.1
Jun20° / 12°5813.311.85.7
Jul19° / 12°4811.911.85.9
Aug20° / 12°309.111.96.5
Sep21° / 12°4410126.3
Oct21° / 13°10317.512.15.2
Nov21° / 13°14419.612.24.7
Dec21° / 13°16822.912.24.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31585
41585
51684
61684
71684
81585
91585
101585
111585
121486
131486
141486
151486
161486
171486
181486
191585
201486
211486
221486
231486
241684
251684
261684
271783
281783
291684
301684
311684

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Vilcabamba gets around 168 mm of rain over 22.9 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 74% and peaks near 77% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
168
268
368
469
569
669
770
871
971
1072
1173
1273
1374
1475
1575
1676
1776
1876
1977
2077
2177
2277
2377
2477
2577
2676
2776
2876
2976
3075
3175

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the comfortable band about 53% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
15050
24951
34951
44951
54951
64852
74852
84753
94753
104654
114555
124555
134456
144456
154456
164357
174357
184456
194456
204456
214555
224654
234654
244753
254753
264852
274852
284951
294951
304951
314951

Wind in December

Winds average 5 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of December to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 0 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:14 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:006:14
212.26:006:14
312.26:006:14
412.26:016:15
512.26:016:15
612.26:026:16
712.26:026:16
812.26:026:17
912.26:036:17
1012.26:036:18
1112.26:046:18
1212.26:046:19
1312.26:046:19
1412.26:056:19
1512.26:056:20
1612.26:066:20
1712.26:066:21
1812.26:076:21
1912.26:076:22
2012.26:086:22
2112.26:086:23
2212.26:086:23
2312.26:096:24
2412.26:096:24
2512.26:106:25
2612.26:106:25
2712.26:116:26
2812.26:116:26
2912.26:126:26
3012.26:126:27
3112.26:136:27

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 5.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in September across the year — December's 5.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Vilcabamba

In seasonPeak

In December, Vilcabamba sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Vilcabamba's rainy season runs October–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is December a good time to visit Vilcabamba?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Vilcabamba for sightseeing.

What to pack for Vilcabamba in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Vilcabamba sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 13°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Vilcabamba in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Vilcabamba peaks around February 16 at about 17 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 12 (extreme).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 16UV 17Jun 23UV 12
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb18Extreme
Mar17Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May14Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep14Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Vilcabamba in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Vilcabamba is worst in September — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (July, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateSep 1816 µg/m³Jul 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul7Good
Aug11Good
Sep17Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Vilcabamba?

Vilcabamba sits at 4.3°S, 79.2°W, 0 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Loja, 30 km away.

Santa RosaArenillasPasaje

Topography around Vilcabamba

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Vilcabamba.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Vilcabamba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 570 m around an average of 1,715 m above sea level; within 16 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,458 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,521 m.

The land around Vilcabamba is covered by trees (54%) and grassland (42%) within 3 km, trees (49%) and grassland (46%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and grassland (29%) within 80 km.

3 km
570 m
16 km
2,458 m
80 km
3,521 m
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfaces
December weather nearby: Loja 30 km · Catamayo 34 km · Zamora 37 km · Cariamanga 38 km · Piñas 82 km · Santa Rosa 122 km · Arenillas 122 km · Pasaje 123 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
Roman Catholic 68%Protestant 19%none 8%other 2%

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 Vilcabamba (-4.2608°, -79.2227°, elevation 0 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).