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Best time to visit Peru

The best time to visit Peru is the dry season from May to September. Expect clear skies and good terrain for trekking in the Peruvian highlands. This is also a good time to travel to Peru for wildlife watching in the Amazon. However, Peru has a climate that varies significantly, with altitude a big factor. Our Peru weather charts and festival highlights offer a useful guide.

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Best time to visit Peru

Peru has one of the most varied climates on the planet thanks to its wild, diverse geography.

The best time to visit Peru is the dry season between May and September, when there’s ideal weather for hiking in the Peruvian highlands. The dry season is also the best time of year to visit Peru for wildlife watching in the Amazon, as animals congregate along shrinking rivers and mosquitoes are fewer, while the arid coast is pleasantly cooler. Just be prepared for falling temperatures in the mountains at night and pack appropriately. December to March is the rainy season, when you’ll find it hard going on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The coast – especially in the south – tends to be drier, but the Amazon is always hot and wet.

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A month by month guide on the best time to visit Peru

January in Peru

Machu Picchu best by train

Inca Trail closes late January

Beach weather; wet in the Andes and Amazon

It’s beach weather on the coast, but one of the wettest months in the highlands of Peru. The Inca Trail tends to close for maintenance at the end of the month. Travel can be more challenging in Peru in January, and wildlife is harder to spot in the Amazon. Drier regions include the Nazca Lines, Lima and Arequipa. Most of our travelers pass through as part of a South America tour, traveling onwards to Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador.

February in Peru

Hot in Lima and on the coast

Inca Trail and some national parks shut

Quiet for tourists but alive with festivals

February is the best time of year for heat on the coast, especially in the north, and it’s a good time to see the Nazca Lines. You’ll have a full line-up of festivals too, from Pisco Sour Day to Carnival. The Inca Trail tends to close for conservation and maintenance throughout February. A few other national parks close in Peru in February, while the Andes and Amazon are awash with rain that puts off most travelers.

March in Peru

Easier to get trekking permits

Best time to visit Arequipa

Last of the beach weather

You can catch the last of beach weather in Peru in March, especially on the sunny northern coast. The Andes welcomes the beginning of the end of the rainy season, although plenty of wet weather remains in the highlands. However, you’ll find fewer travelers on the Inca Trail and in Machu Picchu, and permits won’t book out so far in advance. This is the best time of year to visit Arequipa, as temperatures are pleasant and rainfall is low. Lima is nice and warm, hovering around 25°C.

March is great for our Arequipa to Machu Picchu tour

April in Peru

Often blue skies in Lima

A favorite with our local experts

Unpredictable weather

One of the best times to explore the mountains is now, in mid- to late April – everything is green as the rainy season recedes. It’s the end of summer in Peru in April, so it’s still a bit warmer. That said, this is an in-between season; the weather can be unpredictable and it can be wet in the highlands. Lima usually sits under grey skies – but not in April, when the sun emerges for the last hurrah of the summer.

May in Peru

Good month for highlights tours

Beginning of the dry season in the Amazon and Andes

Quieter than the high season

Exploring Peru in May is a great idea. It’s the beginning of the dry season in the Andes and Amazon, where wildlife watching and walking is easier. Expect green vistas, quieter sights and cities, and good trekking on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Beach weather is no more, with cool fog creeping along the coast to Lima. That said, dropping temperatures make comfortable climes for active adventures and the Nazca Lines.

June in Peru

Getting busier in Machu Picchu

Great for wildlife

Sunny, spring-like north coast

The weather is at its best in the Andes and Amazon, so book your Inca Trail permit well in advance to beat the crowds, or choose less popular hikes like Lares or Salkantay. Whatever you do, you’re likely to get bright weather and views for days. Here for the wildlife? Go to Peru in June for condors in Colca Canyon and critters in the Amazon. Drizzle and thick fog soak the coast south of Lima thanks to garúa winds. Head north towards Trujillo for sunshine and spring-like weather.

June is great for our Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu

If you’re going at a time of year when getting permits might be difficult, remember that there are other routes you can take that connect with Machu Picchu.

– Simon Forster, from our partner The Beyond Tourism Co.

July in Peru

Busiest month for the famous sights

Adventure activities

Great time for the Amazon

July is the peak time to visit Lake Titicaca, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu; you’ll need to book at least six months in advance to secure permits. That said, Peru in July is busy for a reason – the weather is excellent for trekking. This is a great time to try activities like rafting and cycling, especially in the Amazon. Alternatively, head north for quieter scenes.

August in Peru

Very popular month for Machu Picchu (but chilly)

Good hiking weather in the Andes

Wildlife watching in the Amazon

August sees the last hurrah of bright, dry weather in the Andes – and therefore the last hurrah of Peru’s busy season. Popular spots like Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail and Lake Titicaca can be crowded and cold, with temperatures dropping at night. Book permits well in advance if traveling to Peru in August. It’s warmer in Arequipa, the gateway to the Nazca Lines and Colca Canyon. The Amazon basks in a relatively dry climate, with walking and wildlife watching made easier.

September in Peru

Quieter spring season

Last dry(ish) month in the Amazon

Excellent trekking weather

Here to see wildlife? This is your chance. Peru in September sees water levels at their lowest in many regions of the Amazon, tempting animals out of the rainforest in search of a slurp. Blooms and birds celebrate the arrival of spring. Machu Picchu is more peaceful and it’s still great weather for hiking, especially on longer routes such as the Lares Trek. Late Titicaca sees the crowds depart, while beach weather returns along the coast north of Lima.

September is a great time for our Peru tailor made adventure

October in Peru

Sunny coast and Nazca Lines

Good but changeable weather

Spring flowers and festivals

Overall, the weather is unpredictable in Peru in October, but it can still be a good time for quieter archaeological sites and hikes. We recommend choosing shorter treks as the rains increase. The coast is gearing up for summer, with sunny, warm climes around Mancora and towards Arequipa. It’s great weather for a flight over the Nazca Lines. Spring flowers such as orchids bloom, celebrated with festivals in the Amazon city of Moyobamba.

November in Peru

Summer on the coast

Good time for Lima

Wet trekking, so catch the train to Machu Picchu

Rains return to the highlands and Cuzco in Peru in November, as well as Amazon areas in and around Puerto Maldonado. Hiking the Inca Trail, wildlife watching in the Amazon and island-hopping at Lake Titicaca are all trickier. Shift your focus to cultural tours for weather-proof coffee and chocolate tastings, city tours and homestays. November is a great time to see Lima, with mist departing to allow for sunny, warm weather.

November is a great time for our coffee, chocolate and Machu Picchu tour

December in Peru

Best beach weather

Nazca Lines and Lima

Heavy showers and cool weather in the highlands

The beaches are at their best in Peru in December. A mini high season towards the end of the month pushes prices up as people head to the coast over the Christmas and New Year vacations. It’s rainier in the highlands and Cuzco, so not the most enjoyable month for seeing Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail and Lake Titicaca. It’s also wet across the Amazon and around Puerto Maldonado – hard work for wildlife watchers. Head to the Pacific for penguins and fur seals instead.

Cuzco & the Highlands Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

153

FEB

136

MAR

120

APR

MAY

JUN

-2

JUL

-2

AUG

-1

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

116

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Festivals & events in Peru

Three Kings Day (6 January)

Come and celebrate La Bajada de Reyes in the Cusco region, where the parades are biggest and the music liveliest, blending Catholic and Indigenous traditions and beliefs. Ollantaytambo is famous for going all out, but lots of towns in the Sacred Valley add their own twist to proceedings, whether that’s masked dances, the Three Kings riding through the streets on horseback, or bakeries piled high with roscón sweetbread.

Carnival (February)

Rio’s not the only place to celebrate Carnival in South America. Throughout February you are likely to get drenched as Peruvians indulge in traditional water fights. To mark the end of Carnival, a symbolic tree called a yunsa is adorned with gifts. Couples compete to fell it with an axe, releasing the gifts. Cajamarca and Puno have some of the biggest carnivals.

Pisco Sour Day (first Saturday February)

The first Saturday of February is set aside to honour Peru’s national drink: the pisco sour, a cocktail of pisco (Peruvian grape brandy), lime juice, sugar syrup, egg whites and Angostura bitters. It’s also a great opportunity to discover Peru’s fantastic food, as well as music and dance.

Inti Raymi (24 June)

Inti Raymi is a winter solstice festival that honours Inti, a sun god and the most important Inca deity. The biggest celebration is in Cusco, where it was outlawed by Spanish colonists for almost 400 years, before being revived by local folklorists. The event in Cusco is a theatrical reenactment, starting with an opening ceremony at the Temple of the Sun and proceeding with parades through the main street.

Independence Day (28 July)

Peru gained independence from Spain in 1820 – declared in the Plaza Mayor of Lima by revolutionary Jose de San Martin and now celebrated with Fiestas Patrias. Official flag-raising ceremonies and parades are all well and good, but some of the most joyful celebrations spill into the streets and squares as revellers showcase Andean dances like the huayno.

Christmas Eve (24 December)

Peruvians don’t mess around at Christmas – and especially not on Christmas Eve. This is when the big celebrations happen, including the Santurantikuy market in Cusco, famous for the artisans that sell handmade pieces for sprawling Nativity scenes that include stone bridges and hanging moons. Silversmiths, leatherworkers, potters and woodworkers sell their wares too. Come midnight, local people head home to feast and open Christmas presents.

Our travelers also ask…

When is the best time to visit Lima, Peru?

If it’s good weather you’re after, Lima is best between December and March, during the sunnier, warmer summer. La garúa arrives between May and September, when a fog sinks the city under cool grey weather. However, many visitors still arrive, as it aligns with the best trekking weather in the Andes.

When is the best time to visit Cusco, Peru?

April and May are two of the best months to visit Cusco – the dry weather has started but it’s more peaceful than the midwinter high season. Check the calendar too, though, as Cusco celebrates many festivals throughout the year, from Inti Raymi at winter solstice to Christmas markets in the summer. You might want to tweak your visit to catch them.

When is the best time to visit Rainbow Mountain, Peru?

You’ll want dry weather to take to the trails around Rainbow Mountain, so visit in from April to October for more sunshine and better visibility. It can get very busy in the sunniest months of June, July and August. January and February can be rainy; that said, expect rain at any time in this changeable neck of the woods.