Season guide · Quito · Ecuador
Quito in the dry season
June–September: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Sunny, windy and cool at night, with the best mountain views and hiking conditions; peak demand for tours and hotels. Expect highs up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 9°C (48°F), with about 24 rainy days across June–September. June–September are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- June–September
- Temperatures
- 9°C (48°F) to 20°C (68°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 24
- Crowds
- Busy
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in the dry season
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 19°C (66°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 7 | 12.1 h | 4/5 |
| July | 20°C (68°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 4 | 12.1 h | 5/5 |
| August | 20°C (68°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 4 | 12.1 h | 5/5 |
| September | 20°C (68°F) | 9°C (48°F) | 9 | 12.1 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 20°C (68°F) against a yearly 19°C (66°F), and 24 of the year's roughly 144 rainy days fall in these 4 months. Crowds rate 4/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in the dry season
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- June: Inti Raymi — Andean solstice celebrations, strongest around Otavalo and Cotacachi (around 21–29 June)
Good choices for the dry season
Gallery · Bellavista (Quito)
Capilla del Hombre and Casa Museo Guayasamín
Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador's best-known painter, designed the Capilla del Hombre as a monument to the peoples of Latin America, filled with his large expressionist canvases about suffering and resistance.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Views
Museum · Centro Histórico
Casa del Alabado Museum
Visit it before La Compañía to understand the indigenous symbolism that later appears in colonial art.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · San Juan
Yaku Parque Museo del Agua
Built around Quito's old water-storage tanks on a hillside above the Old Town, this museum explains water and the environment through hands-on exhibits, fountains and outdoor play areas.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Rainy day
Museum · Centro Histórico
Museo de la Ciudad
Visit it early in an Old Town day to put the churches and plazas in context.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Day trips in the dry season
- Otavalo market (About 2 hours by bus) — The indigenous Kichwa Otavalo people run one of South America's best-known craft markets around the Plaza de los Ponchos, selling textiles, wool, hammocks and jewellery.
- Cotopaxi National Park (About 1.5–2 hours by road) — The near-symmetrical snow-capped cone of Cotopaxi, one of the world's highest active volcanoes, rises above páramo grassland with wild horses and the Limpiopungo lagoon.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is the dry season a good time to visit Quito?
Yes: June–September are among the best months. Sunny, windy and cool at night, with the best mountain views and hiking conditions; peak demand for tours and hotels.
+What is the weather like in Quito in the dry season?
Highs of up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 9°C (48°F), with about 24 rainy days over the season.