Season guide · Cusco · Peru
Cusco in the dry season
May–September: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Sunny days, clear skies and freezing nights; peak season for Machu Picchu and treks, with festivals in June. Expect highs up to 21°C (70°F) and lows around 0°C (32°F), with about 12 rainy days across May–September. May–September are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- May–September
- Temperatures
- 0°C (32°F) to 21°C (70°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 12
- Crowds
- Very busy
- Hotel prices
- Highest
Weather in the dry season
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 20°C (68°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 3 | 11.5 h | 4/5 |
| June | 19°C (66°F) | 0°C (32°F) | 1 | 11.3 h | 5/5 |
| July | 19°C (66°F) | 0°C (32°F) | 1 | 11.4 h | 5/5 |
| August | 20°C (68°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 2 | 11.7 h | 5/5 |
| September | 21°C (70°F) | 4°C (39°F) | 5 | 12 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 20°C (68°F) against a yearly 20°C (68°F), and 12 of the year's roughly 101 rainy days fall in these 5 months. Crowds rate 5/5 and hotel prices 5/5 on average.
What's on in the dry season
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- May: Qoyllur Rit'i pilgrimage in the mountains (late May or June)
- June: Inti Raymi — Inca festival of the sun at Sacsayhuamán (24 June)
- June: Corpus Christi (May or June)
- July: Virgen del Carmen festival in Paucartambo (around 16 July)
- July: Fiestas Patrias — Independence holidays (28–29 July)
- August: Pachamama offerings — traditional Mother Earth ceremonies (August)
Good choices for the dry season
Religious site · Historic Centre
Cusco Cathedral
Built from the 16th century on the site of an Inca palace using stones from Sacsayhuamán, the cathedral holds hundreds of colonial paintings of the Cusco School, including a Last Supper by Marcos Zapata in which Christ and the apostles eat roasted cuy (guinea pig).
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · Historic Centre
Qorikancha and Santo Domingo
Look at the curved Inca wall from Avenida El Sol below, which survived earthquakes that toppled the Spanish church.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Historic Centre
Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP)
In a colonial mansion on the Plazoleta de las Nazarenas, this museum displays a selection of pre-Columbian ceramics, gold, silver and woodwork from the Larco Museum's collections, shown as art in well-lit rooms.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Historic Centre
Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco
Visit before shopping for textiles elsewhere; you will know how to judge quality.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Day trips in the dry season
- Machu Picchu (About 3.5–4 hours each way by train and bus) — The 15th-century Inca citadel on a ridge above the Urubamba River is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites.
- Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca) (About 3 hours each way by road) — Mineral-striped slopes of red, yellow and turquoise rise above 5,000 metres in the Andes southeast of Cusco.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is the dry season a good time to visit Cusco?
Yes: May–September are among the best months. Sunny days, clear skies and freezing nights; peak season for Machu Picchu and treks, with festivals in June.
+What is the weather like in Cusco in the dry season?
Highs of up to 21°C (70°F) and lows around 0°C (32°F), with about 12 rainy days over the season.