When is the best time to visit Peru?

Planning a vacation and not sure where to go? Most people have South America on their travel list; the continent has a wide variety of things to do along all its countries. And Peru is the ice on the cake in any South American journey: whit an exotic Amazon, a high and dry mountain range, and a warm and humid coast, practically it can be enjoyed of each of them any time of the year. Therefore, if you love to travel, there is no bad time to visit Peru, every month and season has its benefits, including festivals to make your visit an unforgettable memory. Therefore, in this article that we prepared with Machu Travel Peru, we will go through the best seasons and months to visit the magical Andean country.

Everything you must know about the seasons in Peru and what is the best one to visit it

• Best time to visit Peru
• 3 Peruvian Regions
• The two Peru seasons
• The dry season (April to November)
• The rainy season (December to March)
• December, January, and February for beach lovers
• March, April, and May for cheap journeys
• June, July, and August for the Andes and Amazon lovers
• September, October, and November for quiet surf and walks
• What is the best time to visit Machu Picchu?

Best time to visit Peru

Peru has three well-defined natural regions that crossed it longitudinally, the coast (west end), the Sierra (central part), and the Amazon (east end) The best time to visit Peru, its Andes, and Amazon is from April to November (the dry season), with clear skies, and fresh breezes, but a crowd of people. Instead, from December to March (the rainy season) you’ll find fewer people but with cloudy skies,  heavy rains, and muddy ways.

However, it all reverses on the Peruvian coast, when the rainy season comes, between December to March in the Amazon and Andes, the coast enjoys sunny and clear days, with warm breezes and humidity.

On the contrary, the coastline suffers from cloudy skies, cold, fog, and drizzle from April to November, in the dry season, of sun, blue skies, and fresh breezes on the Andes and jungle. Yes, this is how crazy the weather is in Peru!

3 Peruvian regions

As we mentioned before, the Andean country has 3 nature regions, the coast (board the Pacific Ocean), the Andean Highlands, and the Peruvian jungle (to the east end). These natural areas are the result of the longitudinal crossing of the Andes Mountain Range throughout the Peruvian territory (from north to south). And these have different weather conditions one from another, and all will depend on the season that you want to visit this magical country:

A. The coast

This is a desert strip that borders the Pacific Ocean (east end) with an elevation of around 150 – 600 m.a.s.l. Usually, the north coast is hotter than the south coast, but both have a temperature of around 25-35 ºC throughout all year.

The south and center coasts reach their peak heat between December to March, the time of summer in Peru, and it is perfect to visit attractions like Nazca lines, the Huacachina Oasis, the Arequipa beaches, the Paracas National Reserve,  the Ballestas islands, or the restaurants of Lima, the capital of Peru. The rest of the year cloudy skies, humid, and a misty gray fog called garúa that covers their sky are present.

On the other hand, the north coast presents sunny days and clear skies for most of the year and it is famous for its beaches, like Mancora, Lobitos, Huanchaco, Pocitas, and Cabo Blanco, among others. Many of them have nothing to envy about the paradisiacal islands of the Caribbean of Central America.

B. The Andean Highlands

This Mountain range is located between the Peruvian coast and the Amazon jungle with an elevation of 600 to 6768 m.a.s.l. Snow-capped peaks, mountain chains, and inter-Andean valleys are the most important characteristic here. The area presents temperatures around 05 – 25 ºC.

The months between December to March are the coldest (the temperature can drop to 15º C during the day and 0 ºC at night), and even this sensation can continue until May, besides rains and grey days.

Between April to November, the dry season is present with clear and sunny days and a pleasant climate that doesn’t drop below 15 ºC. Also, it is considered the best time to visit Peru, in its Mountain ranges and Amazon region.

Most Incas buildings, archaeological rests, and colonial structures (a mix of Spanish and Inca architecture) are located in Andes cities like Cusco, Puno, and Ayacucho. Its maximum examples are Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, and Ollantaytambo. Also, nature attractions like glacial lagoons (69 lagoon, Humantay), snows like Salkantay, Ausangate, and even a rainbow mountain can be found.

C. The Peruvian Jungle

The Peruvian Amazon is located at the east end of the Peruvian territory, it borders Colombia, Brazil, and Bolivia with an altitude between 80 – 3800 m.a.s.l. (Low jungle 80 – 800 m.a.s.l. And high jungle 800 – 3800 m.a.s.l) It has sub-tropical weather with temperatures around 20 – 32 ºC.

Between November to March, hard rains occur throughout all of the Amazon, the rest of the year,  clear skies, and humid and hot breezes are present. However, rainfalls can be also present during the afternoons during this period.

The meteorological characteristics of the Peruvian Amazon coincide with those of the Andes, but not with those of the coast. For this reason, the major part of visitors who visit Machu Picchu, Cusco, or the Sacred Valley (The Andes) takes advantage to visit the Amazon, too.

The two Peru seasons

Besides the three nature regions previously mentioned, due to the great Peruvian biodiversity, the Andean country receives the denomination “World Climate Synthesis” and this also affects the Peruvian weather conditions of each city and region. This means that you can find almost the majority of worldwide climates in a determinate Peru place. In this form, if you want to feel the European east weather, the Andean highlands can be your zone. Otherwise, if you love tropical weather like Center America, the Peruvian Northcoast will be the best option.

In Peru, the climatic seasons are not felt so intensely. Therefore, we can say that there are only two well-delimited seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. The first one is present at the end and beginning of each year, with sunny and clear days on the coast, instead of opaque and rainy days in the Andean. The second occurs throughout the year and it is characterized by cloudy and cold days on the coast while the Highlands have sunny days.

The dry season (April to November)

The dry season in Peru is developed between April to November, with a lack of rain, clear and sunny days, dry paths and routes, and warm breezes in the Andean Highlands and Peruvian Amazon. Instead, the coast presents opaque and gray days, with cold humid winds. The temperature is around 18 to 25 ºC in the Andean Highlands and from 18 to 30 ºC in the Peruvian Amazon.

The dry season represents the main tourist season in Peru and is perfect to do Machu Picchu tours and visit Peruvian Andean cities like Cusco (Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, and Pisac inter alia). Arequipa (Colca Valley). Puno (Titicaca lake).

Also the Amazon area like Puerto Maldonado (Tambopata National Reserve and Manu National Park), Iquitos (Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve), and Kuelap citadel in Chachapoyas city.

The rainy season (December to March)

The rainy season occurs between December to March throughout all Andean Highlands and the Peruvian Amazon. Torrential rains, cloudy skies, icy winds, and humidity, beside muddy paths are the most common facts here. Of course, the people crowd is minimum. While the coast has sunny and clear skies with humid and warm weather and fresh breezes but much more people. The temperature range is 0 – 18º C in the Andean and from 15 – 20 ºC in the Peruvian Amazon.

This season is perfect to visit Peruvian beautiful beaches (Mancora, Cabo Blanco, Zorritos, Vichayito inter alia), Archeological sites located on the coast cities (Chan-Chan, Paracas, Lord of Sipan museum), the famous Nazca lines. Coast cities like Lima, the capital of Peru, Trujillo, Piura, and Tumbes.

December, January, and February for beach lovers

1. December

When planning a trip to Peru you should pay attention to December, as you would imagine this month is the rainy season in the highlands and the Amazon. On the other hand, Lima is enjoying warm and sunny weather and its surrounding beaches are one of the best places to visit. None is more special than Christmas. For most roman apostolic Catholics Peruvians, this is a time for family and to enjoy special meals together. During Christmas in Cusco, the main square is turned into a market selling nativity scenes, handicrafts, and everything else you would need for Christmas, this traditional market is called Santurantikuy. On the other hand, Lima is enjoying warm and sunny weather and its surrounding beaches are one of the best places to visit in December.

2. January

The weather in January differs from region to region. In Lima, the weather is warm and dry with the night’s balmy, sunny days and clear skies, making the stay pleasant and the enjoyment of the northern beaches. In the highlands, in Cusco and Puno will rain most days. So make sure you prepare, even the jungle experiences humid weather and it can be hot but with heavy rains, too. Festivals of note in January include the Adoration of the Magi in Lima on January 6 with processions in the city center. This is also held in other regions of Peru in January. Lima also celebrates its foundation on January 18.

3. February

February is considered the warmest month in Peru, specifically on its coast, for swimming and realizing summer activities like surfing, paddling, jet skiing, diving, and fishing among the most popular. With ocean temperatures rising compared to the other months of the year, the beaches in Peru are your best option here. On the other hand, in Cusco, it is the rainy season and the Inca Trail is closed for the month for maintenance. Even so, you may still visit Machu Picchu by train because the site is less crowded but with more fog. The month has many festivals, notably Carnival which sees much partying in the streets, complete with the throwing of water balloons (Cajamarca city has the most important Carnaval festivity). Also, in the southern town of Puno, at the beginning of February, the Virgin de la Candelaria Festival is held every year.

March, April, and May for cheap journeys

1. March

The weather in March is the same as in February. Generally, Easter is celebrated at the end of the Month. The summer season and its high visitor rates are coming to an end, at least along the entire strip of the Peruvian coast. In the Andes, the high season has not yet entered and it is the time in which several businesses lower their prices, and offer offers for lodging, restaurants, and tours. For this reason, March represents the cheapest month to visit Peru. On the other hand, all over Peru, there are street parades, and normally statues of Christ pass through the streets and the adoring crowds throw flower petals to show their love for Christ.

2. April

In April, the weather starts to change in Cusco, and in the highlands, the rain stops, and the intensive cold starts. Despite this, it is considered one of the best months to visit the region as the valleys are green and the tourist crowds are lower. The jungle, however, sees higher rainfall in April, the rivers are higher but more areas are accessible by boat. In the mountain city of Ayacucho, the celebrations of Holy Week in Peru take place in the first week of April. The week features cultural activities and there will be a lot of food and reflection.

3. May

May sees the weather start to turn colder and cloudy in Lima, the highlands are dryer and clear, and in the jungle, the rains have stopped. This is a good month to travel to Peru especially the highlands, as the landscape is green and lush with blue skies. On May 1 in the southern city of Arequipa, the Festival of the Virgin of Chapi is celebrated. Thousands of people walk around 28 miles to pay respect to the Virgin. Musicians pilgrimage alongside the worshipers and this usually takes around 15 hours to reach the virgin.

June, July, and August for the Andes and Amazon lovers

1. June

June the weather in Cusco is dry (like the jungle region) with days warm and the nights cool, perfect for entering the jungle and exploring its charms, yes, together with a specialized guide. Instead, Lima is colder and the sun has disappeared, in the same way, in the other coastal cities. Also, June sees some notable festivals in the highlands such as Corpus Christi in Cusco. Fifteen statues of saints from all over Cusco neighborhoods are paraded around the main square and its close streets, making it a spectacular sight. Do not forget the Inti Raymi festival, which is held on 24 June every year.

2. July

Next, we have July; and in this month one of the best things to see in Peru is Machu Picchu and the nature parks and reserves in the Amazon, like Manu, Pacaya-Samiria, Tambopata, and Bahuaja Sonene, and enjoy the awesome biodiversity in Peru, jaguars, black caimans, pumas, harpy eagles and more. Both sites experience a dry and warm climate with beautiful blue skies and fresh weather. This month is the most popular in Peru with a high tourist flow. Sites like Cusco can get very crowded and for most is the best time to visit Machu Picchu. Also, in the town of Paucartambo around 4 hours from Cusco, the festival of the Virgen del Carmen is celebrated. The town is overflowing with people who come to see the traditional dancing that many groups offer to Virgen del Carmen.

3. August

April to October (especially June, July, and August), is considered by experts the best time to do the Inca Trail, which crossed Sierra and the jungle. It is due to its excellent trekking weather conditions. Instead, in August, the weather in Lima is cold. In the jungle, it is dry and very warm, and the rivers are low, perfect to do trekking, and even sailing by the Amazon river. Also, in the capital on 30 August, there is the religious festival of Santa Rosa de Lima, she was South America and Peru’s first saint declared by the Vatican.

September, October, and November for quiet surf and walks

1. September

September continues to be cold with drizzle in Lima and the highlands; the weather drops at night but can get warm during the day. The Festival of Spring is held in Trujillo (north of Peru) every year. The festival features folkloric dancers of Marinera and artists and they turn the streets into a feast of color and music.

2. October

In October, the rains are starting to return to Cusco and the highlands. Lima is in spring, and it is getting rid of that gray drizzle that had accompanied it since June. In the jungle, the cloud cover is increasing and it is perfect to sailing by the Amazon river before to rains appear. If you are going to stay in Cusco, you should know that it is good that you know about altitude sickness. This can affect everyone who is not used to the altitude. So it is advisable to stay for a few days to acclimatize.

3. November

In Cusco in November, the rainfall is increasing and it will rain most days. Lima and in general the entire coast are warming up and clearing and the jungle will be getting set for the rainy season. At northern beaches, the temperature is increasing, the sea is getting warmer and the sand is perfect to get a tan or practicing surfing without still a lot of people. There are many festivals and special days in November. Day of the living day of the dead, and Puno Festival Week just to name a few.

What is the best time to visit Machu Picchu?

The best time to visit Machu Picchu is in the dry season, from April to November, specifically in July. Sunny days, clear skies, warm and humid weather, and dry path (In the case of the Inca Trail). So you will have perfect photos, a memorable experience, and secure trekking over paths. Regarding the hour of visit, the early schedules (from 06:00 am to 10:00 am) or during lunch time (from 1:00 to 3:00 pm) are perfect, because there are not many people and you can enjoy the entire Inca citadel for you.

Also, we recommend spending 1 to 2 weeks in Peru during July to enjoy all the natural, archaeological, and even cultural attractions that the Andean country has to show you. Dare you to take your backpack, and make a plan about things to do in Peru, Machu Picchu returned to normal since 2022 and receives tourists at pre-pandemic levels.

“OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO”

In conclusion, with a variety of climates and many cool things to do, any time is the best to visit Peru, don’t you think? Even so, your decision to visit Peru Month by Month will depend on when you plan to visit this wonderful Andean country. We hope together with the experts of Machu Travel Peru to have been of help. With so many places to visit in Peru, you can explore Peru at any time of year. Book a trip today.

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