January in Machu Picchu — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 5.8/10January averages 15°C (58°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
314 mm makes this the wettest stretch of the year, though about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still appear — keep an indoor fallback ready.
It scores 5.8/10 here, 8th of 12 months, against 9.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.6 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in Machu Picchu — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 5.7/10February averages 15°C (58°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
279 mm makes this the wettest stretch of the year, though about 22 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still appear — keep an indoor fallback ready.
It scores 5.7/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 9.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.7 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in Machu Picchu — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 5.7/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (58°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
This is the year's wettest stretch at 273 mm, but with about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine it is not a total loss; an indoor fallback covers the risk.
That is 5.7/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 9.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Machu Picchu — 3.7 points higher on the same scale.
April in Machu Picchu — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 6.2/10April averages 14°C (58°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Monthly rainfall reaches 178 mm — wet for this destination — but about 28 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 6.2/10 here, 6th of 12 months, against 9.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination. That combination — decent conditions at the lowest rates of the year — is the best value window on this page.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.2 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
May in Machu Picchu: strong conditions, 4th of 12
Good · 7.8/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (57°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 80 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.5 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 7.8/10 on the same scale — 4th of 12 months, versus 9.4/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Machu Picchu — 1.6 points higher on the same scale.
June in Machu Picchu — one of the year's strongest windows (2nd)
Best window · 9.3/10June averages 13°C (56°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 23 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.4 daylight hours.
A 9.3/10 puts this among the year's best months in Machu Picchu (2nd of 12); only July scores higher, at 9.4/10.
Figure on peak pricing, with crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening.
July: the best month of the year in Machu Picchu
Best window · 9.4/10July averages 14°C (56°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Expect 31 mm of rain — occasional showers rather than washed-out days — alongside about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.4 daylight hours.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Machu Picchu at 9.4/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Plan for peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening.
August in Machu Picchu — one of the year's strongest windows (3rd)
Best window · 8.8/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (57°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 53 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.7 hours of daylight to work around it.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Machu Picchu at 8.8/10 (3rd of 12), just behind July at 9.4/10.
Expect peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
September in Machu Picchu — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.6/10Temperatures hover around 14°C (58°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
151 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 6.6/10 on the same scale — 5th of 12 months, versus 9.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination. That combination — decent conditions at the lowest rates of the year — is the best value window on this page.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Machu Picchu — 2.8 points higher on the same scale.
October in Machu Picchu — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.1/10October averages 15°C (58°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
216 mm makes this the wettest stretch of the year, though about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still appear — keep an indoor fallback ready.
It scores 6.1/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 9.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
November in Machu Picchu: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 5.8/10November averages 15°C (59°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
260 mm makes this the wettest stretch of the year, though about 24 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still appear — keep an indoor fallback ready.
It scores 5.8/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 9.4/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? July scores 3.6 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in Machu Picchu — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 5.8/10Temperatures hover around 15°C (59°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
This is the year's wettest stretch at 278 mm, but with about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine it is not a total loss; an indoor fallback covers the risk.
That is 5.8/10 on the same scale — 10th of 12 months, versus 9.4/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, July is materially better in Machu Picchu — 3.6 points higher on the same scale.
