Best Time to Visit Puerto Vallarta
The weather splits the year cleanly in two. Which half you want depends on your budget and your tolerance for humidity.
Puerto Vallarta has two seasons, not four: a dry season and a wet season. Get the timing right and you trade only money for weather; get it wrong and you're indoors watching an afternoon storm. Here's how the year actually breaks down.
The short answer
The best all-round time is November to April — dry, warm, low humidity. The best value is May and late October to early November, either side of the crowds. The months to think twice about are August and September: hot, very humid, and the wettest part of the rainy season.
Dry season — November to April (high season)
This is the postcard weather — dry, warm, low in humidity (the numbers are in our month-by-month weather guide). It's also when North Americans escape winter, so it's the busiest and priciest stretch. Peak within the peak is Christmas–New Year and Easter/Semana Santa, when the best hotels sell out months ahead and prices roughly double. December to March is also whale-watching season in Banderas Bay.
Rainy season — June to October (green season)
Don't picture all-day rain: mornings are usually sunny and the storms come late in the day, so you can plan a full morning outdoors most days (how the rain actually behaves is in our weather guide). Prices drop sharply, the landscape turns lush and green, and the town feels local again. The downside is humidity, which peaks in August and September and is genuinely draining if you're not used to it — that, more than the rain, is why we'd steer first-time visitors elsewhere in the calendar. It is also the Pacific hurricane window — direct hits on Vallarta are uncommon, but it is worth knowing before you book.
So when should you go?
- First trip, want reliable weather: December to April.
- Best weather, cost no object: January to March.
- Whales: December to March — see whale watching, often combined with the Marietas Islands.
- Snorkelling and diving: November to April, when the water is clearest — see snorkelling.
- Hiking, ziplines and inland trips: the dry months, before the rains make jungle trails slippery — see ziplines.
- Best value, decent weather: May, or the second half of October.
- Tight budget or fewest people, don't mind humidity and storms: August–September.
- Avoid if you hate crowds and high prices: Christmas–New Year and Easter week.
Month by month
| Month | Weather | Crowds & price | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Dry, warm days, cool evenings | High | Peak whale season |
| February | Dry, very pleasant | High | Whales; coolest sea |
| March | Dry, warming | High; Easter spikes | Whales tail off late month |
| April | Warm, still dry | High early, easing late | Semana Santa is very busy |
| May | Hot, mostly dry | Good value | Vallarta Pride (late May) |
| June | Humid, first storms | Low | Green season begins |
| July | Hot, humid, evening rain | Low | Lush scenery |
| August | Hottest, wettest | Cheapest | Warmest sea |
| September | Very humid, wettest | Cheapest, quietest | Peak hurricane window |
| October | Rain easing through month | Great value late | Shoulder sweet spot |
| November | Dry season returns | Climbing | Día de los Muertos (1–2) |
| December | Dry, ideal | Very high from mid-month | Whales return; Fiestas de Guadalupe |
Events worth planning around
A few dates change the character of a trip: Vallarta Pride in late May, Día de los Muertos on 1–2 November, and the Fiestas de Guadalupe from 1–12 December, which is the city's biggest festival. Food lovers should look at the Festival Gourmet International (12–22 November 2026) and Restaurant Week (mid-May to early June). And if you want to avoid the crowds, steer clear of Semana Santa, 21–28 March 2027, the busiest week of the year. Full calendar in events.
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