When should you travel to Machu Picchu?

That's the #1 question asked when inquiring about travel to the magnificent ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. We get more questions about when is the best time to travel than any other topic. See the answers below to: best time of year, best time of day and how seasonal variations can affect the traffic and crowds at Machu Picchu.  If you have specific questions about your travel dates, please contact Adios Adventure Travel US Office

Link to Info About the Best Water Filters for Travelers

What time of day is the best to visit Machu Picchu?  

After entry tickets were changed to hourly entry times, more people are planning 1 day trips to Machu Picchu from Cusco or Ollantaytambo. What this means is that tickets for entry after 8AM until early afternoon are selling out first. If you want to arrange your visit to Machu Picchu based on the best time to avoid crowds, the latest trend is early morning before 8AM and late afternoon..When we have the flexibility to organize trips for our groups, we usually arrange 2 days / 1 night excursions with entry to Machu Picchu early in the morning before the trains start arriving. Machu Picchu National Park is open from 6 am to 5:30 pm 365 days a year. Early mornings can be misty and foggy which may burn off by 10-11 am especially in the dry season. Travelers seeking the enigmatic sunrise over Machu Picchu have low chances in the rainy season. (follow this link to find out about weather and seasons in Machu Picchu)  With the new hourly entry tickets and 1 entry per person, we are delighted to report that overall congestion is reduced. Sunrise is about 7 am daily and sunset is about 5:30 pm. If you're planning to buy entry tickets on the government website here's a link to the story about buying entry tickets on the new Joinnus website

There's two important things to realize about Machu Picchu and the weather. One is that there are basically two seasons.  A dry season and a wet season. By late December, the rainy season begins, then by late March, tapers off to the "dry" season. The other important thing is that Machu Picchu is located in the mountains at 8000 ft/2438 m above sea level, and the altitude can affect weather patterns causing sudden shifts and changes, sometimes in a matter of minutes. 

Should you visit Machu Picchu during the rainy season? 

Just how bad is the rain? Rainy season does not mean non-stop monsoons. It does mean the threat of rain is greater during this time of year and the incidence of rain is more prevalent. February is the peak of the wet season and the most rainfall (6"/150 mm) can occur during January and February. The least amount of rainfall is in June/July (.2"/5 mm)  The Inca Trail is closed in February for annual maintenance, which makes sense during the wettest time of year. The rainfall in Cusco, Peru is about the same as Seattle, Washington in January, but less than Townsville, Australia, which absorbs over 220 mm in February.  Here's a link to our packing guide which includes annual rainfall charts for Machu Picchu. (and charts for Galapagos Islands and Amazon rain forest)

What time of year should you travel to Machu Picchu? 

If you live in the northern hemisphere, you are likely to have "summer" vacation in June, July, August, when the weather in Peru is the most dry. Of course, this is also the high travel season, and we suspect that many small countries are vacant during this time of year, as all their citizens come to tour the ruins of Machu Picchu! If you have the flexibility to travel from March through early May or late September through November, you may see fewer tourists with tolerable levels of rainfall. Some consider a worthwhile tradeoff. Everyone is advised to carry raingear at all times. 

Traveling from the southern hemisphere, you'll enjoy your "summer" vacation in December, January & February. The fact that it's the rainy season does not mean you can't travel to Peru and to Macchu Pichu during this time. It means you should be prepared for fog, mist, clouds, sunshine and rain. All in the same day. That's the beauty of the high mountains. If you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes, it might change. 

Are holidays a good time to travel to Machu Picchu?  

Well, yes and no. It depends on how far in advance you book your trip and how much you like being around crowds. Here's a list of annual holidays where you can expect to see an increase in visitors. And congestion at Machu Picchu.

• Easter and Easter week.  Families from the USA take vacations during spring break. March or April. Dates change each year
• June 24 - Inti - Raymi Festival.  Cusco is the center of the Sun God festivities and on weekends the historical city center may to be closed to traffic. Congestion begins around mid-June and continues through the end of the month.
• July 28 - Peru Independence Day.  Peruvians take their family vacations and the last 2 weeks of July can be very busy. Includes Machu Picchu as well as other parks and attractions throughout the country.
• August - Machu Picchu entry tickets always sell out. Visitors from northern hemisphere are on their summer vacation. This is one of the "busiest" months of the year at Machu Picchu. (Link to 2018 Stats for Ticket Sales)
• October - according to Machu Picchu ticket sales, this is the second busiest month. We don't know why. Our sales support this data.
• November - USA Thanksgiving week. Tickets and permits for Inca Trail sell out at the end of the month before they sell out in the beginning of the month.  Many people travel during US Thanksgiving week.
• December - Christmas and New Year holidays.  Please book your holiday trip early. Inca Trail permits will sell out at the end of the month of December before they sell out at the beginning of the month.  And hotels will be booked to capacity from approximately Dec 20-Jan 2.  Fortunately, Cusco has an abundance of hotels of all classes although luxury hotels seem to fill up first.

Is there a low season at Machu Picchu?

Kind of. Prices for trains and entry tickets remain the same year round. Some luxury hotels will offer seasonal discounts on their websites or hotel search engines. If we had to choose a low season, it would be mid-January to end of February.

When should you hike the Inca Trail?  

Both the Classic 4-Day and the easier 1-Day Inca Trail hike (AKA the short 2-day Inca Trail hike) require permits that we can get year round if available. The Inca Trail is closed every February for maintenance. (Machu Picchu is still open and accessible by train.) The number of people on the 4-day Inca Trail doesn't change from year to year because it is limited to 500 people per day including porters and guides.

The "low" season for Inca Trail hikes is January. when It's easier to get permits  Starting in 2018, hiking permits quietly went on sale in October and have done so every year since. This early release eliminated the opening day scramble for permits for hikes in May, but it means that people who booked 6 months or more in advance were more likely to get their 1st choice for hikes during the month of May, and portions of April (Easter holiday) and early June. This is the single most important factor in determining if you can get a permit in May on your 1st choice date. You must confirm your reservation for hikes in May no later than the beginning of October.  It is impossible for any operator to guarantee hike dates in May until the office opens and we buy the permits. Annual Inca Tral hiking season begins March 1 and ends January 31 of the following year. Once the office is open and the government website is updated, we can tell you immediately what dates are available. In 2016, the government separated the booking system for the 4-day Inca Trail hike from the 2-day Inca Trail hike, and added 250 more spots per day to the 2-day hike.  

If you need help choosing dates, click here to email Adios US office, or give us a call in our US Office:  757-714-6649