Living at the Equator 6am-6pm

During my video chats with family and friends in the US, I often exclaim.... "Oh, it's still light there!  How wonderful!"  It's true.  The thing I've come to miss the most about living squarely (not barely) in the northern hemisphere is the change of the seasons.  So, as you reveled in the long summer nights and are now reluctantly tucking in earlier while the days are getting shorter, here is a glimpse of life at the Equator.

Sunrise: 6am.
Sunset: 6pm.
12 hours of daylight (plus or minus a few minutes) every day of the year.  At the Equator, we do not have a change of light to signify seasons.  Why?

I asked Google to explain...

Earth's Tilt Is the Reason for the Seasons!

Summer happens in the hemisphere tilted towards the Sun, and winter happens in the hemisphere tilted away from the Sun.

During the year, the seasons change depending on the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth as it revolves around the Sun. 

The seasons are caused as the Earth, tilted on its axis, travels in a loop around the Sun each year. Summer happens in the hemisphere tilted towards the Sun, and winter happens in the hemisphere tilted away from the Sun. As the Earth travels around the Sun, the hemisphere that is tilted towards or away from the Sun changes.

The hemisphere that is tilted towards the Sun is warmer because sunlight travels more directly to the Earth’s surface. That means that when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The hemisphere tilted towards the Sun has longer days and shorter nights. That’s why days are longer during the summer than during the winter.

In general, the Equator tends to be warmer because it receives direct sunlight. The further away from the equator you travel, the cooler summer and winter temperatures become. At the Equator there are no seasons because each day the Sun strikes at about the same angle. Every day of the year the Equator receives about 12 hours of sunlight. The poles remain cool because they are never tilted in a direct path of the sunlight therefore the light has to travel at a steep angle to reach the poles. During midwinter, when a pole is tilted away from the Sun, there is no daylight at all. The sun never rises! However, during the summer, a pole receives sunlight all the time and there is no night!

Source: Website titled Windows to the Universe

Now that you know why the Equatorial regions receive the same amount of direct sunlight daily, don't be fooled to think it's always warm.  I live at 7,300 feet and the temperature fluctuates between 40-80 degrees.  When the sun is out, it's intense.  You can literally feel a slight singe on your skin.  I have to remember to slather on the sunscreen or wear layers of clothes for protection.  But when that sun goes behind a cloud or sets for the day, I better have a warm jacket.  It gets chilly very fast.  When I go hiking to higher elevations, I have learned from experience to always take my warm coat, hat and gloves.  And, if I travel to a lower elevation near the coast, it's much warmer and humid overall, but there are still some temperature fluctuations. 

On a clear day, I can see Volcan Cayambe from my city of Ibarra.  The Equator crosses this mountain at an elevation of 15,387 feet on its south slope.  This is the highest point the Equator crosses in the world, and the only point along the Equator that is permanently snow covered.  (Cayambe's actual summit is 18,996 feet high.)

This is me sitting on the Equator line, near Volcan Cayambe.  Obviously, I'm not on the mountain.... yet. 

We Do Have Seasons... 

         They're Just Wet or Dry!  
So when should you visit?

Sunny and dry weather occurs in the Ecuadorian Mountains from June-September while the rainiest and coldest time is October - May, with the heaviest rainfall during March-May.

On the coast, the dry season from late May to November is unpleasantly cool, muggy and overcast. So if you like lying on beaches, then the rainy season from December to May is surprisingly the best time to visit Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.


Now, don't you feel a little smarter?