What about the weather in Peru and when is the best time to travel?
We often get questions about the weather and climate in Peru and what is the best time to travel to Peru.
Peru has a large number of different climate types. Roughly speaking, however, the country can be divided into a dry coastal strip in the west of the country, the Andes mountains in the middle of the country, and the rainforest in the east of the country.
Due to an interaction between the cold sea current of the Pacific Ocean and the Andes mountains, it rains very little on the coastal strip of Peru. There is also a dense fog for this coastal strip for a large part of the year. This fog is also known as la Garua. The metropolis of Lima, for example, is shrouded in mist for much of the year and often gives the beautiful city a gloomy impression. Some months of the year, from mid-December to mid-March, the sun’s rays overcome the fog, the temperature rises to about 30 degrees and the hearts of the Limeños, as the inhabitants of this town are called, knock harder. A large part of them can then be found on the beaches around the city.
In the Andes mountains, completely different climate laws apply. The western flanks of the Andes Mountains are dry and yellow, the eastern flanks, on the other hand, are much wetter and greener. In these eastern flanks, it can rain every now and then throughout the year, but most precipitation falls in the so-called rainy season, from mid-December to mid-March.
What many people don’t know is that about half of Peru consists of rainforests. As the name suggests, it rains a lot in the rainforest all year round. However, most precipitation also falls here in the rainy season.
The boy
The Little Boy (el Niño) is a phenomenon that takes place on average once every three to seven years and can seriously upset the above ‘laws’ regarding the weather. El Niño is the name that fishermen have given to this phenomenon and refers to the Christmas child because this natural phenomenon mainly occurs around this time of the year. Because during this period the coast will be confronted with a warm Gulf Stream instead of a cold Gulf Stream, it can actually rain heavily in the generally dry coastal area, sometimes resulting in landslides and mud slides. El Niño can also change the weather in the Andes Mountains and the rainforest, but often with less disastrous consequences than along the coast.
What is the best time to travel to Peru right now?
Most travelers will spend most of their trip in the highlands of the Andes Mountains. Highlights such as the former Inca city of Cusco, the Inca citadel Machu Picchu, but also the Colca Canyon, and Lake Titicaca are all located in the Andes Mountains. It is therefore advisable to travel during the dry season, from mid-March to mid-December. During the dry season, the weather is clear in the mountains, the light is wonderful for taking beautiful pictures. During the day the sun shines brightly and the summer clothes can be taken out. However, always take warm clothes with you during the day, because when the sun disappears behind the clouds, the temperature can drop quickly. At night it is often clear and the temperature can sometimes drop below freezing, the higher you are in the mountains,
If you have any questions about when it is the best time to go to Peru for your trip, please contact us, we are happy to help you with it.
