What is the current weather like in Peru and what 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, the country can be divided into a dry coastal strip in the west of the country, the Andes in the middle of the country and the rainforest in the east of the country.
Due to an interaction between the cold ocean current of the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, there is very little rain on the coastal strip of Peru. There is also a thick fog for a large part of the year in front of this coastal strip. This fog is also known as la Garua. The metropolis of Lima, for example, is shrouded in mist for a large part of the year and often gives the beautiful city a gloomy impression. For a few months of the year, from mid-December to mid-March, the sun’s rays win over the fog, the temperature rises to around 30 degrees and the hearts of the Limeños, as the inhabitants of this city are called, start beating faster. A large part of them can then be found on the beaches around the city.
In the Andes, completely different climate laws apply. The western flanks of the Andes are dry and yellow, while the eastern flanks 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 do not know is that Peru consists of about half of its surface area of rainforest. As the name suggests, it rains a lot in the rainforest and that all year round. However, most precipitation also falls here in the rainy season.
El Nino
The Little Boy (El Niño) is a phenomenon that occurs on average once every three to seven years and can seriously disrupt the above-mentioned ‘laws’ concerning 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 year.
Because the coast during this period experiences a warm gulf stream instead of a cold gulf stream, it can actually rain heavily in the usually dry coastal area, sometimes resulting in landslides and mudslides. El Niño can also change the weather in the Andes and the rainforest, but often with less disastrous consequences than along the coastal strip.
What is the best time to travel to Peru?
Most travelers will spend the majority of their trip in the highlands of the Andes. Highlights such as the former Inca city of Cusco, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, but also the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca are all located in the Andes. It is therefore advisable to travel in the dry season, from mid-March to mid-December. During the dry season, the weather is clear in the mountains, the light is beautiful for taking beautiful photos. During the day, the sun shines brightly and summer clothes can be brought out. However, always take warm clothing with you during the day, because when the sun disappears behind the clouds, the temperature can drop again very quickly. At night, it is often clear and the temperature can sometimes drop below freezing, whereby the higher you are in the mountains, the colder it will be.
If you have any questions about when the best time to travel to Peru is for your trip, please contact us, we are happy to help you.
