Ecuador Climate

Climate is the average weather in a location over a long period of time.

A place that rains much of the year, year after year, has a wet climate – like Oregon, in the US. A place where it stays hot for most of the year has a hot climate, like Australia.

Climate is useful for weather forecasting. It helps you plan your vacation and helps the farmers determine the best time to plant a crop.

When you look out your window (over a short period of time) you see weather, whether it is raining, sunny, snowing, hailing, etc. Observing the weather over a long period of time determines the climate.

Ecuador, due to it’s diverse regions has a variety of micro-climates:

• The Coast (La Costa), being influenced by ocean currents, is hot all year long, with a humid rainy season between December and May. The sun is bright and strong in the morning hours. If you hit the beaches between May and December, it rarely rains and the temperature is cooler by a few degrees. Temperatures average about 80°F (27°C). The occasional high is around 95°F (35°C) and low of 68°F (20°C), very similar to El Oriente.
• The Andes Mountains (La Sierra) climate depends on the altitude, becoming cooler the higher you are. The central valley is generally spring-like all year long, with temperatures no higher than 24°C (66°F). In the highlands, the dry season is between June and September and around Christmas. In the Andes the wet season isn’t all that wet.
• The Amazon Region (El Oriente) is hot, wet and humid. El Oriente experiences rain year round. July and August are the wettest months, September through December are their driest. The temperatures are comparable with La Costa’s. Temperature average about 80°F (27°C). The occasional high is around 95°F (35°C) and low of 68°F (20°C).
• The Galápagos Islands are dry with a fabulous stable year-round average temperature of 77ºF (25ºC) despite their influence by the ocean currents. The Islands are hot and rainy between January and April. June through September are generally dry and August and September are cool, cloudy and windy. Temperatures range from 65°F (18°C) to 90°F (32°C).

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Depending on where you venture in Ecuador will depend on what you will bring to wear.

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The locals have a few sayings on the local weather: “The only thing predictable about Ecuador’s weather is it’s unpredictability” and “It’s not uncommon to experience all “seasons” in the course of one day.”

As a general rule of thumb, Ecuador has two seasons, wet and dry, however, depending on the region the local weather patterns vary greatly. Due to it’s location on the Equator, Ecuador does not have seasons per se and each day lasts for 12 hours, all year round!

Ecuador is split into four distinct regions, 24 provinces & 216 cantons (as of 2001). The provinces within each of the four regions are found below along with their capitals.

I have provided a link to the weather for each corresponding capital city/town to make it easier to find. If you are looking for the weather for another town, other than the capitals, then please use “Ecuador Weather” tab above for the full list.

The Coast (La Costa):

• 1. Esmeraldas – Capital: Esmeraldas,
• 2. Manabí – Capital: Portoviejo,
• 3. Los Ríos – Capital: Babahoyo,
• 4. Guayas – Capital: Guayaquil,
• 5. Santa Elena – Capital: Santa Elena,
• 6. El Oro – Capital: Machala

The Andes Mountains (La Sierra) often referred to as the Highlands:

• 7. Imbabura – Capital: Ibarra,
• 8. Carchi – Capital: Tulcán,
• 9. Pichincha – Capital: Quito,
• 10. Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas – Capital: Santo Domingo de los Colorados,
• 11. Cotopaxi – Capital: Latacunga,
• 12. Tungurahua – Capital: Ambato,
• 13. Chimborazo – Capital: Riobamba,
• 14. Bolívar – Capital: Guaranda,
• 15. Cañar – Capital: Azogues,
• 16. Azuay – Capital: Cuenca
• 17. Loja – Capital: Loja

The Amazon Region (El Oriente):

• 18. Sucumbíos – Capital: Nueva Loja,
• 19. Napo – Capital: Tena,
• 20. Pastaza – Capital: Puyo,
• 21. Orellana – Capital: Puerto Francisco de Orellana,
• 22. Morona Santiago – Capital: Macas,
• 23. Zamora-Chinchipe – Capital: Zamora

The Galápagos Islands:

• 24. Galapagos Islands – Capital: Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Ecuador Providences

We have spent a few days compiling 25+ pages of Ecuadorian Items for you. We have included clothing made in Ecuador, some really good books on Ecuador, Ecuadorian Collectibles, Music, and more.

There are also some very informative books on the popular sports of Ecuador, like mountain climbing, backpacking and bird watching. Also some Frommer’s guides, although not specifically for Ecuador. These guides are invaluable when travelling.

Want to find some out of date Sucres (the old paper money – pre USD) or how about some pre-Columbian ceramics from Ecuador? Maybe an Ecuadorian flag or a military medal from years ago? There is no telling what you may find on these pages.

These pages, so far, are all eBay items — and yes we know you can go to eBay directly. We have taken the time to organize and gather these searches for you so you don’t have to worry about that at all. Please feel free to let us know if there is something you would like us to add to these listings. Simply leave us a comment below or use the Contact button above.