Considering a luxury private tours Peru for your next vacation and wondering what month is the best to travel? Most months in Peru have their advantages and their disadvantages and you must do your research before making this important decision.
In this article, we will give you some advice on what is happening and the best time to visit Peru month to month, so let us start at the beginning of the year in January.
Depending on what part of Peru you travel to the weather is quite different. If you start your tour in Lima, the weather will be warm dry and sunny and the anniversary of Lima is also celebrated on January 18th every year. In the Inca city of Cusco and in all of the Andes, January is cold and wet, but in this month the sacred sites of the Inca´s are less crowded making visiting more comfortable.
The month of February has many notable religious festivals that should be on your must-see list. In the southern city of Puno for the month of February is the festival of the Virgin of Candelaria which is a colorful mix of dancers and street art with influences from the native cultures mixed with catholic traditions. This town fills to capacity for the month of February but it is worth the journey to Puno for the festival. The weather is mostly the same as in January, but one important thing to remember in February the Inka Trail trek closes for maintenance, so if you plan to trek the Inka Trail plan to travel to Peru another month. In the jungle region of Peru, it is still the rainy season and the river levels are high. The downside to this is that trekking may be available but it will be muddy underfoot and there will be more mosquitos.
March is still considered the rainy season in the highlands of Peru, with fewer crowds at the important sites it is a great month to visit. Don’t discount a trip to Peru in March, in Lima the climate is warm and sunny. At the end of March Peru celebrates Easter week, prices for hotels, transport, and tours go up but the beautiful parades and celebrations you will experience will live with you forever. In all of the cities in Peru, you will experience Easter, with statues leaving their homes in churches and carried through streets, with the local people throwing flower petals at the passing statues.
April sees the weather in the highlands improve and the heat in Lima decrease. The Amazon Jungle still experiences a hot and humid climate with high rainfall in the Iquitos region in the north of Peru. Tourism numbers start to rise as the crowds start to return as the weather gets better. Hotels start to charge the high season rate and the Inka trail starts to sell out. As in the previous months, April has its religious festivals in most of the big towns and cities.
In May as the rainy season finishes the highlands are very green and filled with beautiful flowers. May is a wonderful time to do the Inka Trail, the fresh crisp air is alive and clean. The weather in Lima is dry and cool, the Amazon region is dryer and the rivers are high and full of fish. On May 1, the city of Arequipa celebrates the Virgin of Chapi, many thousands of people walk for many miles, singing and praying, May is possibly the best month to travel to Arequipa.
June in Machu Picchu you will see plenty of sunshine and dry weather, the nights are cold but also dry. June in Cusco sees many festivals including Corpus Christi where all the saints are paraded through the streets and traditional dishes are sold, like a guinea pig. Later in the month the Anniversary of Cusco and also the famous Inti Raymi, where thousands of tourists immerge on Cusco to see the grand ceremony that starts in Cusco and finished in the Inka temple of Sacsayhuaman. June is probably the best month to travel to the Jungle because of the good weather and the lower temperatures.
The weather in Cusco in July is generally warm days, cold nights and little or no rainfall. In the capital Lima, a constant cover of cloud, the jungle experience clear skies and little rainfall covers the city. All over Peru, the people celebrate the festival of the Virgin del Carmen, her image is paraded through the streets accompanied by dancers and celebrated in most homes with a large party that goes into the night. In the highlands the number of tourists is high and the lines at Machu Picchu are long.
Again in August, the tourist numbers are high but the weather is dry and hiking is popular. If you plan to do the Inka Trail in August, you will have to book months in advance. The Santa Rosa de Lima festival is celebrated on August 30. August is a great month to visit Peru and the best month to hike the Machu Picchu so book early.
September is dry and sunny in the highlands and cold cloudy days in Lima, the jungle regions are hot dry and sticky. The crowds are still large in most of the popular attractions but the prices are starting to lower as the low season starts. The Festival of Spring is held in Trujillo each year, the number of tourists is growing each year and the streets turn into a kaleidoscope of color and music.
October the weather in Lima is starting to improve and the rainy season is starting in the highlands. The weather in the jungle regions sees the rainfall increasing. In Lima you must go to the Mistura Food Festival, which is the largest in South America, this festival is a chance to try some of Peru’s world-famous flavors. October is considered the best time to travel to Peru and experience the countries famous cuisine.
November in Lima is warm and sunny with the highlands experiencing rainfall and a visit to Machu Picchu there will be a chance of rain, the crowds will be less and the lines shorter. Puno has folkloric festivals and you can see the first Inka Manco Capac and his wife Mama Ocllo emerged from Lake Titicaca as part of the festival. Peru also celebrates all saints’ day in November.
Lastly, December has as you would expect many religious festivals around Christmas. The main cities are alive with Christmas celebrations. Peruvians celebrate Christmas in family with Christmas eve the main celebration. Families gather and celebrate the birth of Christmas. December is a special time in Peru and a lovely time to visit. The climate in Lima and on the coast is warm where the highlands are cold and wet and the jungle experiences rainfall.
So what is the best month to visit Peru? You will have to decide when the best for your Peru and Cusco Peru travel adventure is. But no time is a bad time for visiting Peru.
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