If you are considering a trip to Peru, especially Cusco, you can use this article as a guide for the best months of the year to suit your travel interests.
February (low season)
Traditionally the wettest month of the year in Cusco, during February the Inca Trail is closed for an annual cleanup. However, you can still visit Machu Picchu via train or one of the alternative treks like the Vilcabamba to Machu Picchu or the Salkantay trek. Expect to get wet on the trail and in the city, because this is the month of carnivales when water bombs are thrown freely. Also, if you are visiting Puno don’t miss the spectacular dances at Virgen of the Candelaria.March (shoulder season)
Easter falls in March this year, so be in Cusco for the spectacular parades which pay homage to the Lord of the Earthquakes in the week before Easter. If you are very keen to have a unique Easter experience, travel to Ayacucho where the parades are particularly special. As rain lessens, this is a good season to get out into the countryside and do some hiking. You will almost have the trail to yourself.April (shoulder season)
April 2008 won’t have any major fiestas in Cusco, but that’s not to say that there won’t be cultural activity in and around this cosmopolitan, vibrant city. Clear skies, fresh green fields, April is an excellent month to hike with mild temperatures and increasing sunshine.May (shoulder season)
As the rainclouds clear, so too do the numbers of visitors begin to increase. However, May is a month blessed with generally clear blue skies, and cool temperatures. This year the bright and colourful Corpus Christi falls in May, as well as the unique Lord of Qollur’ritty celebrations located high up on a glacier in the Andes. Adventurous travellers can participate in the Lord of Qollur’ritty pilgrimage, a challenging but extremely memorable trek in the mountains. Depending on the season, the harvest begins in May and continues through to July.June (peak season)
If you are not particularly into tourist crowds, then it’s probably preferable if you steer away from Cusco in June when accommodation and transport fills up quickly and most hotels charge high season prices. However, this is also the month of Inti Raymi, the famous festival of the sun god and also the shortest day of the year. Expect short, though sunny days and clear blue skies that go on forever. June, with its dry days, is mid harvest and you will see maiz drying in the sun.July (peak season)
The clear blue skies contrast spectacularly with the white of snow on top of the mountain peaks. This is an ideal month for trekking and enjoying the clear fresh airs of the mountains. It is also the month of the unique and brightly coloured Virgen de Carmen festival in Paucartambo – something that you should plan to attend if you are heading to Cusco in this month. On the 28th of July the intense patriotism of Peruvians and the colours of the red and white flag is fully evident during the celebration of Fiestas Patrias, their National Holiday.August (peak season)
In the Andes, 1st August represents the Andean New Year. During the month of August, many Peruvian families make "pagos" or payments to Pachamama, or Mother Earth. August is also blessed with fine, clear weather and is a very popular month for trekking.September
After several dry months, there can be some showers on the trail, but generally they are few and far between. This is a great month for visiting Cusco, with lesser visitors and also the Warachikuy festival, which is very similar to the Inti Raymi but with a more realistic atmosphere. As the first rains come, this is also a period of much activity in the fields when the campesino (rural farming people) plant maiz, choclo, potatoes and wheat.October
The purple month in Peru, so named because you will see many people wearing purple clothing in homage to the Lord of the Miracles, celebrated in Lima and high Andean towns like Cusco. While there might be some afternoon showers and wetter weather to deal with, your reward is untouristed paths and you can be certain that the planting period will be in full swing. If you are lucky enough to be around at the right time, planting is accompanied by a fiesta in Cusco where the people eat a special food called “merienda” that includes cuy (guinea pig), tortillas and toasted maiz.November
The first of November is the “Day of the Dead” when Peruvians pay homage to those that have left this world. As the rain increases, so too does tourism wind down – this has distinct advantages of less people on treks and also the ability to bargain at hotels and shops!December
The Christmas period is an awesome time to visit Cusco and surrounds as the Cusquenos celebrate the birth of Christ in a range of very unique ways. In December of each year Apus Peru offers ‘Chocolatada’ treks where you can give in a very unique, and very Peruvian way – by being part of a community celebration where children are given hot chocolate, bread and a toy. To participate in a Christmas Chocolatada trek is something that will never be forgotten and a very unique way to end the year.Thanks to Ariana Svenson, of Apus Peru Adventure Travel Specialists (http://www.apus-peru.com) for this very useful information. Apus Peru offer cultural tours to the Paucartambo festival.
