What Time Of Year To Do The Inca Trail And Weather At Machu Picchu

Let's start off with a bit of information on Peru's climate and seasons.

Some quick facts

• Rainy season in Peru is typically November to April or December to March depending on what you read, our local guide said he would always say it starts in November.

• The rainiest month is February

• The Inca Trail remains closed in February, to preserve the trail, for safety and to carry out conservation work but Machu Picchu is open.

Our research told us it was best to do the Inca Trail in May or October. Permits are less likely to sell out than in peak holiday times, and it is warmer than June, July and August. Find out more about Permits over on our Inca Trail Guide. June, July and August is Peru's dry season and therefore the equivalent of 'winter'. Rain is usually sparse in the middle of 'winter' but expect to need to wrap up warm, though you may just be treated to crisp and clear days! Remember much of Peru is at altitude so although it may be warm at sea level it will soon get chilly as you head towards the Sacred Valley. September and October experience infrequent showers, or so we were told, and known as the shoulder season. However, in theory this does bring less crowds.

If you are a student and only have term time holidays, your summer holidays, are still a perfect opportunity to visit, albeit it being slightly colder but some of the most clear photos you see are probably taken in these months.

Our guide talked to us about how hard it can be in the heat, he was used to it but he's led people that have really struggled, largely as they have not drank enough!

Now, we've got the informative stuff out the way let's talk about reality. October fit in with our trip just nicely so, that is what we went with. This is what happened. For us it rained every single day, nearly all day, thats the Andes for you, you can't predict it, we saw glimpses of sun, and cloud passed the views of ours campsite, views of the valley, views at Warmiwañusca (Dead Womens pass) so we only got a short glimpse of the figure on the mountain side it gets its name after. We got views at ruins to ourselves, yet the sunrise at Into Punku was, well non existent. That didn't matter at all when we experienced Machu Picchu in glorious sunshine, so it wasn't half bad.

In all honesty, it didn't dampen our spirits, it might have made downhills more slippy, and some of us that meant going slower, for others it meant a bruised bum, but we honestly think intense heat would probably have made it harder. It's obvious ruins provide no shelter so some of our history lessons were soggy, to say the least. Sometimes waiting a bit longer for the rain to pass, meant we got ruins to ourselves, and we could appreciate them that bit more, our guide was very good at calling when to stay and when to continue walking. As we mentioned during the shoulder season it can be less busy, for us this was true, though we have no comparison, but we did also arrive to multiple ruins and encounter no one else. This is especially significant, as we were a fairly large group, we arrived staggered, from those powering ahead at the front, to those at the back, everyone goes at there own pace.

Maybe the only time we really wished it would stop raining was sitting in a dining tent, and the intense rain had started to leak in from all angles, no touching the side everyone keep still! One of the best photo opportunities was watching the clouds roll in and out at Inti Pati. At one of the classic photo stops at Machu Picchu, some of our group got amazing clear photos, others it was less clear, but that's nothing to worry about as it's not the only photo stop, of course. For reference, some of our photos at Machu Picchu, we're in shorts and a t-shirt with sunglasses and blue skies, others its raincoats and white fog.

The rain made it all the more worth it, and gave us a deeper appreciation when we arrived at Machu Picchu itself. If there's anything to learn from our experience it's the importance of packing for every weather eventuality, raincoats, gloves, and sunglasses were all used at some point or another. As they say, there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices!

Other Inca Trail and Machu Picchu Blog Posts;

• Honest Inca Trail Experience Guide

• Ways to visit Machu Picchu and Inca Trail Alternatives

• Why we chose G Adventures

• Inca Trail Kit List

• All you need to know about Inca Trail Porters and Guides

Socks and Sandals