Sayulita (Riviera Nayarit) weather in January
January in Sayulita: hot, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#7 of 12 months in Sayulita · #200 of 1413 destinations to visit in January · comfort 89/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 26°C
- Nights
- 20°C
- Wet days
- 2
- Sun
- 9.6 h
- Humidity
- 77%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Traveller notes on Sayulita in January
Notes from nearby Puerto Vallarta (35 km away)
Sayulita doesn't have its own notes for January yet — these are about Puerto Vallarta, close enough to share the season.
January here has two fixed things about it. It is high season, effectively booked out, and it sits in the middle of the whale window - regulars date the humpbacks from about the 8th of December to the 23rd of March, which makes this the safest part of it. Their weather summary is 28 to 30C by day, and our column says 28.8C. What they warn about is the other end of the day: nights and early mornings want a light wrap, and our row has them at 17.9C, an eleven-degree fall. The sea is 25.3C, which they describe as cool but swimmable, and genuinely cold on a rare cloudy day. Rain is effectively over, 21.4mm across 2.6 days. The record: humidity 81 percent, 9.7 hours of sun, an almost still 8.3 kph wind and AQI 31.
Other months in Sayulita
Sayulita's forum draws a real distinction between the two halves of October: the first couple of weeks are still properly rainy season, with high heat, humidity and torrential downpours mostly overnight, while the back half of the month sees the heavy rain largely wind down even though it's still genuinely hot and humid. Posters pointed to late October into early November as a real sweet spot, once the worst of the humidity has broken. Warm, swimmable ocean water year-round is a constant regardless of which half of the month you catch.
Forum posters describe early April as one of the driest, most pleasant stretches of the year - mid-80sF days, mid-to-low-60sF nights, with no rain since the previous October and mosquito numbers correspondingly at their lowest. A cooling ocean breeze in the afternoon means posters recommend packing a light sweatshirt or pants even on an otherwise hot day. Posters contrast April favorably with February, noting shorts and short sleeves work fine in April versus needing light long sleeves and trousers earlier in the dry season. The one clear scheduling warning: Sayulita gets genuinely overwhelmed with domestic tourists during Semana Santa (Easter Holy Week), and posters consistently suggest avoiding that specific week if a quieter April visit is the goal.
Add your own note from Sayulita's card on the map.
Sayulita climate normals — January
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Sayulita in January
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
BusyWinter high season, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Sayulita's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherSayulita's weather peaks March–May, best around April.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Sayulita in January
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Humpback whale season
10 Dec – 25 Mar · usuallyHumpbacks come into Banderas Bay to calve and are visible from the headland at Punta Sayulita on a calm morning, never mind the boats. The Mexican norm keeps the watching season to the winter months.
- Season
Winter high season
15 Dec – 31 MarWinter-sun seasonCrowdedBook earlyNorth Americans arrive for the dry months and the village runs at capacity: rentals booked from the autumn, restaurants on a wait and the cobbled streets full after dark. September is the opposite of this.
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Sayulita — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Sayulita?
Sayulita in January — FAQ
- Is January a good time to visit Sayulita?
- January in Sayulita: hot, dry, with clean air — an excellent time to visit. It ranks #7 of 12 months for Sayulita on SeasonMap's comfort score (89/100).
- What is the weather like in Sayulita in January?
- In January, Sayulita averages a daily high of 25.9°C and a low of 20.1°C, with about 12.9 mm of rain over roughly 1.6 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Sayulita in January?
- Sayulita has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 40 in January.
Within 300 km: Puerto Vallarta's Humpback season on 8 Dec – 23 Mar.