When to travel to Peru? Customers often ask when is the best time to travel to Peru. Although Peru is located in the Southern Hemisphere and its summer falls in our winter, it is often not the best time to travel. This is because summer in Peru corresponds to the rainy season. Especially in the highlands and in the Amazon rainforest. This means that there is a high chance of rain every day.
Now a real Dutchman is of course not afraid of a little rain. But when he goes on holiday to Peru, he prefers as little rain as possible. Few people will enjoy navigating the whole day around on Lake Titicaca in the pouring rain. A visit to the famous Machu Picchu in the pouring rain is not exactly a dream visit to one of the new seven wonders of the world. In addition, December to March is also the breeding season of the Andean condor and it is therefore more difficult to see these impressive birds flying in the Cañon del Colca during this period. Rain and gray skies also make for less appealing holiday photos. Something that is certainly a disappointment for Social Media enthusiasts.
Flooding in Peru
The rainy season in Peru doesn’t just bring gray skies and wet clothes. Unfortunately, the rainy season in Peru also regularly causes (small) landslides, temporarily blocking roads. Every few years, mainly during the period of the El Niño phenomenon, excessive rainfall also causes rivers to overflow their banks. The Amazon area around Iquitos and northern coastal provinces in particular suffer from this. In March 2017, there stood even more than half a meter of water in the historic center of the city of Trujillo. Trujillo is the third largest city in Peru
When to travel to Peru if you want to hike
The best time to travel to Peru if you want to hike or take a multi-day trek through the mountains is between May and November. For a multi-day trek in Peru, May is probably the best month of the year. Just after the rainy season, everything is still nice and green, while the chance of rain decreases sharply. On the other hand, in the mountain regions there is still a lot of snow on the mountain tops. What is be more beautiful than walking under a blue sky with beautiful views of snow-capped mountain peaks and turquoise lakes with melt water?
Camping in Peru
A multi-day trek in Peru often includes camping. But when to go camping in Peru? This is of course not very attractive in the rainy season, but in the dry season it is also good to take the lower temperatures into account. Especially in July and August, the clear skies provide more sun during the day, but it can cool down considerably in the evening and at night. A few years ago, during our first overnight stay on the Salkantay Trek, we left our leftover pasta in the pan in the awning. The next day it was a lump of ice. That night, the air mattress we brought with us also developed a leak, causing us to sleep on frozen ground…
When to travel to Peru if you want to go surfing
When to go surfing in Peru? The coastal towns of Huanchaco and Chicama are among the best places on the South American coast to learn to surf. This is because there are good waves for surfing almost all year round. Surfing competitions are regularly held in Huanchaco. In addition, Chicama is also in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest wave in the world. The length of this wave can reach 4 kilometers! Often surfers are happy if they can stand on their surfboard for a few seconds before the wave breaks, but in Chicama it is even possible to surf the same wave for several minutes! In summer the weather and water temperature are much more pleasant for surfing, but the highest waves occur with a strong southwest wind between April and October.
In short, when to travel to Peru depends on what you want to do in Peru. But usually we will recommend customers to travel to Peru between May and November.
