The driest months to visit Peru are from May through to September, sunshine and blue skies are going to be there pretty much every day. However, being the peak time to go means that if you are organising a trek; pre-booking will definitely be required.
I went to Peru in April time and it was beautiful then as well, we had really lovely weather, but it did get quite cold in the evenings if you are doing a trek. For example, if you decide to do any trek towards Machu Picchu you will need to bring warm clothing for the overnight stays. You can also visit from October to March which is still a good time of year to go as it is their hottest weather; but this doesn’t necessarily mean it is their driest. From May to September it may be classed as their Winter but will still get to an average of 20 degrees in the daytime.
Lima and Cusco are the two airports within Peru which connect international flights. Lima is the capital of Peru and therefore you have multiple different airlines who fly into here directly. If you are flying from South America you should be able to fly into Cusco with smaller airlines. Just bear in mind that this airport is a lot smaller, therefore there won’t be as much choice for the airlines that you’re wanting. Most tours will start off in Lima, the capital, anyway, as there is still so much to see whilst you are here.
When in Lima you can discover the Old Town with the beautiful architectural buildings and Downtown where majority of hotels will be based. The Downtown is also set on the coast where there is a lot of surfing which takes place. I recommend if you’re flying in a day before a tour starts or have a few days in Lima; grab a cerveza and head down to the beach to watch the surfers. I usually would recommend two to three nights in Lima. Particularly if you are flying internationally, it would be nice to have three nights so that you can get over any jet lag while there.
Peru is very easy to travel to independently, there are multiple buses, very similar to Asia, which will take you between the different areas of Peru. However, if you are strapped for time then you may prefer joining a tour which may be more suitable. Then you don’t have to worry about the time scale of getting around, you just have someone organise you the whole time. Also in addition, the benefits of organising a group tour would be that you can meet many different people, they are usually very cost effective, and they will organise any treks/permits that you’re wanting to do as well. For example, if you’re wanting to track Machu Picchu you’ll need to do this as part of a tour.
If you would like more information regarding Machu Picchu itself and the different treks you can take, please visit my Machu Picchu blog.
Once you have visited Lima you can head to Cusco via flight or bus. The flight is only a couple of hours however a bus ride will likely take you a few days. From Cusco you’ll be able to access the Amazon Rainforest: Puerto Maldonado, Rainbow Mountain, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, as well as Lake Titicaca. You can also find tours which take you cruising on Lake Titicaca and continue the journey into Bolivia. You can make this part of a longer trip and combine both countries if you have time.
Whilst visiting Cusco you can take a walk to the town centre, where you can visit one of the Peruvian chocolate factories and try fresh made Peruvian chocolate delicacies. There are many bars and restaurants within Cusco so you can try different Peruvian cuisine as well. A dish I would recommend, which I would of course not recommend for vegans or vegetarians, is llama/alpaca.
If you are wanting to start the Inca trail you can take the bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo. From here you can either catch the train or start the Inca Trail which will lead you to the ancient city of Machu Picchu. Ollantaytambo also has ancient Mayan ruins which you can spend the day walking around, in hindsight I would have preferred to have spent two nights here, but we only spent one as it was part of a tour. The town was very small and beautiful, with quaint little shops and lovely small home stay Peruvian restaurants.
From Cusco you can also take a day trip from here, which starts very early in the morning (3am), to take you to Rainbow Mountain. Once you arrive at Rainbow Mountain you can choose whether to walk up the whole way or to hire a horse to take you up whilst you’re there. We had just completed the Inca Trail for four nights, so we decided the horse was the nicest option as our legs were so tired.
You can head further afield from Cusco and can take a domestic flight to Puerto Maldonado, which is the airport for entering the Peruvian side of the Amazon Jungle. From the airport you’ll be taken by boat along a stem of the Amazon to whichever lodge you have booked. Most lodges will organise activities daytime and night-time for you to be able to enjoy as much of the rainforest as possible. Same as Lima, most nights in the Amazon are only two or three nights that you will be needing. Activities include trips such as night walking safari’s, river safaris, bird watching, jungle treks and watchtower lookouts. If you are heading into Puerto Maldonado you would need to definitely get a flight rather than a bus. You also aren’t able to fly from Puerto Maldonado back to Lima directly you would need to transit via Cusco on the way back. That may help when you are planning your itinerary.
If you have any further questions regarding Peru, please feel free to contact me via my contact page.
LEAH HANCOX 