Peru is a country that enjoys many different climates, so when you visit you must be sure to pack for all eventualities!

Peru has four regions: the coast, desert, mountains and the jungle – and all enjoy their own distinct climates.

The coast

The coast – including Lima – never really gets cold. Summer lasts from November to March, with temperatures into the 30’s, and from April through to October temperatures drop to as low as 18 degrees.

And although the local population will be seen with coats and scarves, it really is not cold. It never rains here and is dry and dusty.

The desert

The desert – including Ica and Paracas – is, as you might expect, hot most of the year. It does drop during May to October, but again it’s still warm.

The mountains

Things get more complicated in the mountain regions. Here we have a climate that is warm in the day with temperatures up into the late 20´s when the sun shines, but they get chilly at night.

Between December to March you can have rain, but we are only talking about showers, and it should not put you off coming (in reality less people do come at this time, so it’s a good time to visit and take advantage of the reduced numbers at the popular sites!).

By the way, just to complicate matters, Machu Picchu has a tropical climate all year round. It’s right by the cloud forest, so when you come from Cusco, be prepared for mosquitos.

The jungle

Last but not least, we come to the jungle, which again is hot all the year.

It has a rainy period from December to March, but again do not be put off, as this is the breeding period and Mother Nature is in full flow, so it can be a very interesting experience.

Please be aware that in August there is a cold wind that blows off the snow mountains called the “surazo” or “friaje”. It only lasts for a few days but does drop the temperatures in the jungle to about 12 degrees, so quite cold.

Many thanks