The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
1173 articles
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena in March: The Last Dry Month, the Film Festival, and Semana Santa When Easter Is Early
March is the end of Cartagena's dry season: around 32°C, still almost no rain, the wind fading and the heat building. The Cartagena Film Festival fills the plazas with free screenings, and when Easter is early, Semana Santa lands in March and the city fills with Colombians again. Weather, what's on, crowds, prices, what to pack.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena in July: Hot, Humid, Short Showers, and the Colombian Mid-Year Holiday Crowd
July in Cartagena is wet-season summer: around 32°C, humid, with short heavy showers rather than washed-out days, and a dry spell in the first half of the month that locals call the veranillo. Colombian schools are on their mid-year break until mid-July, so the walled city is busy and pricier until then. Weather, the crowd, what works, prices, packing.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena in August: Hot, Showery, Quiet After the Holidays, and Good Value
August in Cartagena is much like July without the Colombian holiday crowd: around 32°C, humid, short heavy showers, calm sea, and prices among the lowest of the year. The walled city is quiet, the islands have space, and the heat is the only thing to plan around. Weather, what works, prices, packing.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena in September: The Rains Arrive Properly, the City Empties, and Prices Hit Bottom
September is one of Cartagena's two wettest months: around 31°C, very humid, heavy downpours most days that flood the streets for an hour and drain, and the fewest visitors of the year. Prices are the lowest you will see. What the rain really stops you doing, what still works, and who September suits.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena in October: The Wettest Month of the Year, the Emptiest City, and the Weeks Before the Fiestas
October is Cartagena's wettest month: around 31°C, very humid, heavy rain most days, streets that flood and drain, and the fewest visitors of the year. Prices are at their lowest. Late October improves and runs into the Independence Fiestas of early November. Honest answer to whether it is worth it, and how to do it if you come.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena in 5 Days: The Walled City, Getsemaní, the Islands, Barú, and One Day Off the Tourist Map
Five days in Cartagena: the walled city slowly, Getsemaní at night, the Castillo at opening, a Rosario Islands day, a Barú or Playa Blanca day, and one day for the Cartagena that is not on the postcard, the Bazurto market, La Boquilla's mangroves or San Basilio de Palenque. What to book, where to stay, how to beat the heat and the hustlers.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Cartagena
Cartagena vs Medellín: Which Colombian City to Choose, and Why Most People Should Do Both
Cartagena is a hot Caribbean colonial city with beaches, islands and high prices. Medellín is a cool mountain city with perfect weather, the best nightlife in the country, great value and no beach. Safety is comparable with different rules. Which to pick for a week, for a couple, for a group, for a first Colombia trip, and how to do both in one trip.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Bangkok
Bangkok in May: The Hottest Month Meets the First Storms, and Prices Hit the Floor
May is the turn of the year in Bangkok: still the hot season, mid-thirties by day, but the first real afternoon storms arrive and break the heat for an hour. Low season begins, so hotels are at their cheapest. How the weather actually behaves, how to build a day around a 4pm storm, what's on, and early May versus late.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Bangkok
Bangkok in June: Rainy Season Proper, Pride Month, and the City at Its Cheapest
June is low season in Bangkok: hot, humid, a storm most afternoons, and the fewest tourists of the year. It is also Pride month, with the parade and a full calendar in Silom. Honest weather by hour, what the rain actually stops you doing (little), prices, and how to use the month well.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Bangkok
Bangkok in July: Mid-Monsoon, Summer-Holiday Crowds, and How to Travel Around the Rain
July is the middle of Bangkok's rainy season, and also the European and American summer holidays, so it is wetter than June but busier. Afternoon storms, low thirties, humid, with Buddhist Lent starting in July most years. What that means for your days, your budget and what to see.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Bangkok
Bangkok in August: Peak Humidity, Summer Visitors, Mother's Day, and the Rain Routine
August in Bangkok is the heart of the monsoon: low thirties, heavy humidity, storms most afternoons and the odd day of steady rain. It is also the last of the summer-holiday crowd before September empties the city. Mother's Day on 12 August, what the rain does to your plans, and how to do the month cheaply and well.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Bangkok
Bangkok in September: The Wettest Month, the Emptiest City, and the Lowest Prices of the Year
September is Bangkok's wettest month and its emptiest. Storms most days, some lasting hours, streets that flood and drain, and hotel prices at the bottom of the year. Honest answer to whether it is worth it, what floods actually mean for a visitor, what still works, and how to use the month if you come.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read