South America
The best time to visit Peru
Machu Picchu has a dry season, a wet season, and one month when the Inca Trail simply closes.
- Best months
- Apr to Jun and Sep to Oct
- Think twice
- Feb
- Quietest
- February
- Cheapest
- February
The straight answer
The best time to visit Peru is the Andean dry season from May through September, with April, May, September, and October the smart shoulder plays; the Inca Trail closes every February for maintenance, though Machu Picchu itself stays open year-round.
Go between May and September if Machu Picchu and the Andes are the point, and they usually are. That is the highland dry season: day after day of crisp sunshine over Cusco and the Sacred Valley, clear ridgelines on the treks, and the best mountain views of the year. The tradeoff is cold nights, with Cusco regularly dropping to around freezing in June and July, and peak crowds from June through August, when permits, trains, and the best hotels sell out months ahead.
The wet season runs roughly November through March, peaking January through March, and it plays differently by region. Cusco and Machu Picchu stay very much open: mornings often start clear before afternoon clouds and rain roll in, the terraces turn intensely green, and crowds and prices drop. The one hard calendar fact is February: the Inca Trail closes for the entire month for maintenance, every year. Machu Picchu itself does not close, and the train-based route from the valley runs all year.
The connoisseur's answer is the shoulders: late April and May, when the landscape is still rain-green but the dry sky has arrived, and September into October, when the crowds thin before the rains build. And remember that Peru is three countries in one: while the Andes are dry in July, Lima sits under its gray coastal mist, and the Amazon is simply warm and wet all year, with lower rivers and better trail access in the dry months.
Peru, month by month
Every month gets a verdict. Tap one for its own page: weather, crowds, prices and what is on.
- 01JanuaryTradeoffsWet season in the Andes, Cusco highs near 66F (19C), frequent rain; Lima sunny and warmGreen terraces, low crowds, real rain. Trek conditions suffer, but Machu Picchu by train works fine between showers, and this is Lima's summer.CrowdsPrice
- 02FebruaryThink twiceWettest month in the highlands, Cusco highs near 66F (19C)The Inca Trail is closed all month for maintenance, and heavy rain can disrupt trains and trails elsewhere. Machu Picchu stays open; coastal Peru is at its sunny best.CrowdsPrice
- 03MarchTradeoffsRains easing late month, Cusco highs near 67F (19C)The trail reopens and the landscape is at maximum green. Still gamble-y for trekking early in the month; improving fast by the end.CrowdsPrice
- 04AprilBestDrying and clearing, Cusco highs near 68F (20C), cold nights returningA superb shoulder: green valleys under increasingly dry skies, moderate crowds. Semana Santa processions in Cusco and Ayacucho are unforgettable, and busy.Hotels for April →CrowdsPrice
- 05MayBestDry season begins, Cusco highs near 68F (20C), crisp and clearMany regulars' favorite month: dry-season light, leftover green, and the June crowd wave not yet arrived. Book treks a few months out.Hotels for May →CrowdsPrice
- 06JuneBestDry and brilliant, Cusco highs near 67F (19C), nights near freezingPeak season opens with Cusco's festival month, capped by Inti Raymi late in June. Spectacular, cold at night, and busy: reserve everything early.Hotels for June →CrowdsPrice
- 07JulyTradeoffsDriest stretch, Cusco highs near 67F (19C), hard-freezing trek nightsThe height of the high season around the national holidays late month. Perfect trails, maximum demand: Inca Trail permits vanish months ahead.CrowdsPrice
- 08AugustTradeoffsDry, Cusco highs near 68F (20C), windy afternoonsStill peak: clear skies and full trains. By late month the pressure starts easing. Book far ahead or aim for September instead.CrowdsPrice
- 09SeptemberBestDry season's tail, Cusco highs near 69F (21C), warming nightsThe smart-money month: high-season weather with the crowds visibly draining away. Excellent trekking, easier permits, softer prices.Hotels for September →CrowdsPrice
- 10OctoberGoodTransition month, Cusco highs near 70F (21C), afternoon build-upsMostly lovely with the first real rain risk returning. Lima's garua mist begins lifting, and the Amazon remains very workable.Hotels for October →CrowdsPrice
- 11NovemberQuiet valueRains building, Cusco highs near 70F (21C)A decent-value gamble: many fine days early month, greener valleys, thin crowds. Trekking gets muddier as the month ages.CrowdsPrice
- 12DecemberTradeoffsWet season proper, Cusco highs near 68F (20C); Lima brightening into summerHoliday travel bumps crowds despite the rain. Fine for a Cusco-plus-train trip with flexible days; less fine for multi-day treks.CrowdsPrice
Book Peru for May.
Sponsored links to Expedia and Vrbo. We may earn a commission; it never changes a verdict.
- Hotels for May
Hotels. Expedia
Hotels in PeruOpens a hotel search for Peru in May, dates filled in. Book early for the best months: the good rooms go first.
- Rentals on Vrbo
Vacation rentals. Vrbo
Vacation rentals in PeruWhole homes, condos and villas. Usually the better deal for families and groups, with a kitchen and room to spread out.
- Tours and tickets
Tours and tickets. Expedia
Tours and tickets in PeruTimed-entry tickets, day trips and guided tours in Peru for May. Popular slots sell out in the best months.
Why go to Peru
Machu Picchu earns the hype
The Inca citadel in its mountain amphitheater remains one of the few world wonders that exceeds its photos, especially in the first hour of morning light before the day-trip wave arrives.
The Sacred Valley is not a layover
Ollantaytambo's living Inca town, the terraces of Pisac and Moray, and the salt pans of Maras deserve days of their own, at friendlier altitude than Cusco.
World-class trekking beyond the famous trail
The Salkantay, Lares, and Ausangate routes and the day-hike spectacle of Rainbow Mountain surround Cusco with some of the finest high-mountain walking on Earth.
A genuine food-capital bonus
Lima has spent years ranked among the world's great dining cities, from cevicherias at lunch to tasting menus that reinterpret the whole country. Eat your layover; do not sleep through it.
Things to do, and when to do them
Machu Picchu
Entry runs on timed tickets and fixed circuits, with daily caps; buy weeks or months ahead in high season. First-slot mornings and late afternoons are the calm ends of the day.
The Inca Trail
The classic four-day approach through cloud forest and ruins to the Sun Gate. Permits are capped and sell out months ahead for May through September, and the trail closes every February.
Cusco
The Inca capital wearing a baroque colonial shell: Qorikancha, the San Pedro market, and stone alleys at 11,150 feet. Arrive two days before any trek to acclimatize.
The Sacred Valley
Pisac's market and ruins, Moray's crop-circle terraces, the Maras salt pans, and Ollantaytambo's fortress. Sleeping in the valley beats commuting from Cusco.
A Salkantay or Lares trek
The great Inca Trail alternatives: higher and wilder on Salkantay, more village-based on Lares, with far easier booking and the same dry-season calendar.
The Peruvian Amazon
Fly from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado for accessible lodges, or deeper via Iquitos. Warm and wet all year; dry-season months bring lower rivers and easier wildlife trails.
Lake Titicaca
The world's highest large lake, shared with Bolivia, with island homestays that are the antidote to checklist travel. Even higher than Cusco: acclimatize first.
Lima's food scene
Build in a full day and two serious meals, ceviche at lunch like a local. From June to October expect the coastal garua mist, gray skies with almost no actual rain.
Events and seasons worth planning around
Inti Raymi, the Inca Festival of the Sun
June 24 every year, in Cusco
A massive staged revival of the Inca solstice ceremony at Sacsayhuaman, anchoring a month of festivals. Cusco lodging books out well ahead.
Semana Santa
The week before Easter, dates vary year to year
Holy Week processions fill Cusco and, most famously, Ayacucho. Moving to witness, and a peak domestic travel week.
Fiestas Patrias
July 28 and 29, national holidays
Peru's independence celebrations put the whole country on the move at the height of high season: expect full trains, flights, and hotels.
Senor de los Milagros
October, primarily in Lima
Huge purple-robed processions through central Lima, one of the largest Catholic gatherings in the Americas.
Beat the crowds
- Aim for May or September: both sit inside the dry-weather window while dodging the June-through-August permit scramble and price peak.
- At Machu Picchu, book the first morning entry or the final afternoon slots: the site breathes at the ends of the day, while late morning belongs to the train-tour wave.
- Sleep in Aguas Calientes or Ollantaytambo the night before your visit rather than day-tripping from Cusco: you gain the quiet hours and lose the 4am bus panic.
- Choose the Salkantay or Lares treks over the Inca Trail if permits are gone: comparable scenery, a fraction of the booking stress, and quieter campsites.
- Skip the late-July national holiday window: Fiestas Patrias stacks domestic travel on top of foreign high season, the most compressed demand of Peru's year.
Open or closed
- The Inca Trail closes for all of February, every year, for maintenance during the rains. Machu Picchu itself stays open year-round, reachable by train and bus, and alternative treks like Salkantay continue operating, weather permitting.
- Machu Picchu runs on strict daily caps, timed entries, and defined walking circuits, with add-on peaks like Huayna Picchu capped even tighter: in high season, tickets must be secured weeks to months ahead, not at the gate.
- Wet-season disruption is real but manageable: January through March can bring landslides that occasionally interrupt the rail line and close trails; build slack days around any rainy-season Machu Picchu visit.
- Altitude is the invisible gatekeeper: Cusco sits at about 11,150 feet, higher than most visitors have ever slept. Plan two easy days before trekking, hydrate, and consider starting in the lower Sacred Valley.
- Lima runs year-round but on its own inverted coastal calendar: December through April is its warm, sunny season, while June through October brings the persistent gray garua mist, with rain still rare.
With kids in tow
- Peru works better for families than its rugged reputation suggests: the train to Machu Picchu removes the trekking requirement entirely, and the Sacred Valley's markets, salt pans, and ruins are natural kid terrain.
- For homeschool families, May and September are ideal: dry-season weather, thinner crowds, and a curriculum you can walk through, from Inca engineering to Amazon ecology to Spanish colonial history.
- Take altitude seriously with kids: schedule two gentle acclimatization days, watch for headaches and poor sleep, and base in the lower Sacred Valley first if anyone is sensitive.
- The Amazon leg suits kids of about six and up at the accessible Puerto Maldonado lodges: short boat rides, guided night walks, and wildlife checklists beat screens by a mile.
Getting there
- Lima (LIM) is the international gateway; from Texas, nonstops have run from Houston and Dallas with a flight time of about seven hours, and one-stop routings via those hubs or Miami cover the rest of the country's connections.
- Cusco (CUZ) is a short domestic hop from Lima with frequent daily flights; morning departures dodge the afternoon weather delays common in the Andes.
- There is no road shortcut to Machu Picchu: access is by train from the Cusco area or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, then a shuttle bus or steep hike up to the site, so book trains alongside entry tickets in high season.
Packing? Packing cubes and the airport kit.
Peru for the holidays
Holiday and school-break weeks where Peru makes our ranked list.
Summer Vacation
June, July, August
Ten weeks, one country on vacation, and half the world too hot or too rainy. Go north, go high, or go south of the equator.
Fourth of July
July
The biggest fireworks night of the year and the busiest summer travel week. Go to the celebration, or go somewhere cool enough to enjoy it.
Labor Day Weekend
August, September
Summer's last long weekend, and the first week of the best travel season of the year. Just keep an eye on the tropics.
Peru timing, quick answers
What is the best month to visit Machu Picchu?
May or September: dry-season weather without the June-through-August crowd and permit crunch. June through August offers the most reliable skies if you book far ahead; the wet months work for flexible travelers, with February the one month the Inca Trail itself is closed.
Is Machu Picchu closed in February?
No, the site stays open year-round. What closes every February is the Inca Trail, for annual maintenance during the wettest weeks. Visitors in February reach Machu Picchu by train from the Sacred Valley, and should build in flexible days for rain disruptions.
How far in advance do I need Inca Trail permits?
For the May-through-September high season, several months ahead is the safe answer, and the most popular departure dates sell out fastest. Permits are capped daily and sold only through licensed operators. If your dates are fixed and permits are gone, the Salkantay and Lares treks are excellent alternatives.
How bad is the altitude in Cusco?
Real but manageable: at about 11,150 feet, most visitors feel breathlessness and some get headaches for a day or two. Arrive two days before any trek, hydrate, eat light, and consider sleeping in the lower Sacred Valley first. Anyone with health concerns should ask their doctor about altitude medication.
How many days do you need in Peru?
Ten days is the classic sweet spot: Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu at an acclimatization-friendly pace. Two weeks adds a trek or the Amazon. A bare-minimum Machu Picchu trip runs five to six days, mostly consumed by altitude adjustment and transit.
Weighing alternatives
Similar trips, with their best months.
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