July brings 19°C daytime highs, 22mm of precipitation across about 3 wet days and 11.3 hours of daylight — best for hiking and cycling. The strongest run of the year is June to August. March is the quietest month: wetter, but peaceful, and still good for autumn colour and quiet and local.
Long-run climate normals for Machu Picchu. Month ratings compare months within Machu Picchu only — they are not a ranking of Machu Picchu against other destinations, and they are not a forecast for a specific year.
Last updated: · Live forecast data refreshes hourly.
| Best month | July — Hiking, Cycling |
| Best 3-month window | June–August |
| Quietest month | March — Wetter, but peaceful |
| Driest month | July — 22mm |
| Wettest month | February — 155mm |
| Warmest / coolest | January 22°C / September 19°C |
| Seasonality | Fairly even across the year |
| Annual rainfall | 1950mm over roughly 135 rain days |
March gets roughly 573% more precipitation than July — 148mm against 22mm. That difference, more than temperature, is what changes how a day here feels.
Daytime highs only move 3°C across the whole year (19–22°C), so timing matters far less here than rainfall does.
July is the driest month at 22mm across roughly 3 wet days, while February peaks at 155mm.
June is almost as good as July, but usually quieter and cheaper. If your dates are flexible, it is the easier trip.
Machu Picchu stays fairly consistent all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Ratings compare months within Machu Picchu, not against destinations worldwide: five stars means the best time to be here, not that Machu Picchu beats anywhere else. Tags describe what the conditions actually suit.
| Month | Rating | High / Low | Precipitation | Wet days | Sun | Daylight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | ★★☆☆☆ | 22°C / 8°C | 155mm | 20 | 7h | 12.7h | Quiet and local |
| February | ★★☆☆☆ | 22°C / 8°C | 155mm | 20 | 5h | 12.4h | Quiet and local |
| March | ★★☆☆☆ | 22°C / 7°C | 148mm | 19 | 5h | 12.1h | Autumn colour · Quiet and local |
| April | ★★☆☆☆ | 21°C / 6°C | 90mm | 11 | 4h | 11.7h | Hiking · Cycling · Autumn colour |
| May | ★★★★☆ | 20°C / 4°C | 45mm | 6 | 6h | 11.4h | Hiking · Cycling · Autumn colour |
| June | ★★★★★ | 19°C / 3°C | 30mm | 4 | 8h | 11.2h | Hiking · Cycling |
| July | ★★★★★ | 19°C / 2°C | 22mm | 3 | 8h | 11.3h | Hiking · Cycling |
| August | ★★★★★ | 19°C / 2°C | 30mm | 4 | 8h | 11.6h | Hiking · Cycling |
| September | ★★★★★ | 19°C / 3°C | 50mm | 6 | 8h | 11.9h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| October | ★★☆☆☆ | 20°C / 4°C | 105mm | 13 | 6h | 12.3h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| November | ★★★☆☆ | 21°C / 6°C | 95mm | 12 | 6h | 12.6h | Hiking · Cycling · Spring greenery |
| December | ★★☆☆☆ | 22°C / 7°C | 145mm | 18 | 7h | 12.8h | Quiet and local |
| You are planning | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun & beach days | July | 8h daily sunshine, 19°C highs and only 3 rain days. |
| City walking & sightseeing | July | 19°C highs with 11.3h of daylight — long days without heat fatigue. |
| Photography & light | July | 8h of sun and 11.3h daylight give the widest window for golden-hour work. |
| Value & fewer crowds | September | Scores 74/100 — close to peak conditions but outside the busiest window. |
| Cooler-weather travel | July | 19°C highs and 2°C nights suit anyone who dislikes heat. |
Each month in Machu Picchu is described from long-run climate normals and then rated relative to the other eleven months in the same city. A five-star January in a cold destination means January is one of the best times to be there — not that it beats a Mediterranean summer.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Described | Average daytime high and overnight low for the month, shown as measured rather than judged. |
| Precipitation | Described | Monthly millimetres and wet-day count, labelled as snow or rain/snow where temperatures make that the likely phase. |
| Sunshine & daylight | Described | Average daily sunshine hours and astronomical daylight length at mid-month, from the city’s latitude. |
| “Best for” tags | Derived | Applied only when the conditions genuinely support the activity — snow depth-friendly cold for skiing, 13–24°C and low rain risk for hiking, dark evenings at high latitude for aurora. A month with few strong use cases gets fewer tags rather than padded ones. |
| Star rating | Relative | Ranks the month against the other eleven months in the same city. Never a comparison between cities. |
Figures are long-run climate averages, not a forecast for a specific year. Where a month lacks sourced rainfall or humidity, the value is modelled from temperature range and rain frequency.
July is the best all-round month in Machu Picchu: 19°C highs, 22mm of precipitation and 11.3 hours of daylight, which suits hiking and cycling. The strongest three-month window is June to August.
March — 22°C highs, 148mm of precipitation over roughly 19 days and 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the cheapest and least crowded time to go, and it still works for autumn colour and quiet and local.
July is the driest month at 22mm over about 3 rain days, against 155mm in February. Across the year Machu Picchu records around 1950mm.
Yes — conditions in Machu Picchu stay fairly even all year, so there is no month you need to avoid. What you plan to do matters more than when you go.
Daylight ranges from 11.2 hours in June to 12.8 hours in December, calculated from the city's latitude.