What's on in San Andrés, Colombia through the year

Peak crowds — Colombian high season, Year-end holidays in Colombia

• Rule

  Tourist card required to land

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Everyone who is not a registered islander buys a tourist card before boarding, Colombians included, and it is checked at the airport door. The price is set each January and it is not optional. Source ↗

• Season

  Driest months

  15 Jan – 30 Apr · usuallyDry season

  The trade winds are steady and the rain is at its lightest, which is when the water around the cays is at its clearest. It is also the windiest stretch, which the kitesurfers count as a feature.

Still on: Colombian high season (15 Dec – 20 Jan)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Driest months (15 Jan – 30 Apr (usually))

Busy — Semana Santa recess in Colombia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Driest months (15 Jan – 30 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Semana Santa recess in Colombia

• Hazard

  Sargassum on the windward beaches

  1 Apr – 31 Aug · usuallySargassum season

  Some years the Atlantic drift piles brown weed on the east-facing beaches for weeks and the hotels rake it off each morning. Bad years and clear years alternate with no useful warning. Source ↗

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Driest months (15 Jan – 30 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Sargassum on the windward beaches (1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Mid-year recess in Colombia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Caribbean hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  Direct hits are rare but not unheard of here, and the season's real effect is a week of swell, rain and cancelled boats to Providencia. September and October are the months that matter. Source ↗

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Sargassum on the windward beaches (1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Mid-year recess in Colombia, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Sargassum on the windward beaches (1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually)), Caribbean hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Sargassum on the windward beaches (1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually)), Caribbean hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Caribbean hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — October recess week in Colombia

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Caribbean hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Year-end holidays in Colombia

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Caribbean hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — Colombian high season, Year-end holidays in Colombia

• Season

  Colombian high season

  15 Dec – 20 JanSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  The island runs on Colombian holidays rather than foreign ones, and the fortnight around the new year is the tightest: full flights out of Bogota and Medellin, and rooms at double.

Still on: Tourist card required to land (1 Jan – 31 Dec)