When is the best time to visit Machu Picchu?

Machu Picchu is a fantastic destination at any time of the year, no matter the season, the time of day, or even the crowds. Everyone who visits the ruins is mesmerised by the mystery and magic of the site, and comes away with a deep sense of awe for the architectural genius and stone wizardry of the Incas.

But is there a best time visit? Certainly, the weather plays a role in most people's decisions. But so much depends on what exactly you want out of your visit. So the answer to the question "When is the best time to visit Machu Picchu?" very much depends on personal preference.

Traditionally speaking, however, the best time to visit Machu Picchu is during the dry season (peak season) of May to August as you have sunny skies and clearer views at this time of year. The shoulder seasons of April and then October and November are also good times to visit Machu Picchu if you'd prefer fewer visitors but don't mind the risk of some rain. December to March is the rainy, and therefore quietest, season at Machu Picchu.

That said, here now are all of the details you need to settle on the best time for you to visit this renowned mountain citadel.

The traditional best time of year to visit Machu Picchu is during the dry season of May to August, which is also peak season.

The dry season is your best bet for stable, sunny weather, which means clear views of Machu Picchu from afar as well as from within.

That said, the dry season is also known for the mist or fog that often shrouds the citadel, especially in the mornings. The mist can make for a very beautiful scene, but it can also obscure your view of the city or the surrounding peaks. Often, however, the mist dissipates during the morning.

A clear and sunny sky presides over the ruins of Machu Picchu

If you visit during the rainy season of December to March, you run the risk of a rainy visit. Rain means poor visibility of the ruins and surrounding mountains. It also makes good photographs difficult to capture, especially for the average person. Finally, the countless stone steps you must navigate can become slippery when wet. So you should wear comfortable walking shoes with good grip and pack proper rain gear if you visit during the wet season.

The two shoulder seasons of April and then October and November are good times to visit Machu Picchu. The crowds are smaller during these months than they are during peak season, but note that there is a higher risk of rain.

The table below summarises the differences between the rainy, dry and shoulder seasons at Machu Picchu:

Note that the best time to visit Machu Picchu is similar to the best time to trek the Inca Trail, which makes sense since the Inca Trail ends at Machu Picchu.

The only weather metric that we recommend seriously considering when timing your Machu Picchu visit is rain. Temperature, wind and humidity – these metrics don't fluctuate all that much by season nor by month. They also aren't extreme in any way, although mid winter can be very chilly early and late in the day.

For these reasons, the main considerations are just rainfall and fog, in our opinion.

With this in mind, here is a graph of the average monthly rainfall at Machu Picchu.

Graph showing average monthly rainfall at Machu Picchu

While we don't have figures for mist, please note that the dry and shoulder seasons often have morning mist or fog, while the rainy season sees little of either.

Let's now discuss the weather at Machu Picchu month by month. We also give you some handy insights and tips for visiting the site as well as travelling within Peru in general.

January is a risky month to visit Machu Picchu insomuch as there's a good chance you'll be seeing the ruins through a veil of rain. In fact, January is the wettest month of the year on average, with usually around 23 days of rain or drizzle.

That said, January is very much off-peak season, so visitor numbers are very low. Fancy having the site mostly to yourself? Then January could be a good month to visit! You'll just experience it in a different way to the classic sunny scene.

Tourists in rain jackets walk along the terraces of Machu Picchu

February is a particularly rainy month at Machu Picchu, so not many people visit at this time of year. In fact, February is by far the quietest month at Machu Picchu because it's the one month of the year when the Inca Trail is closed for maintenance.

So if you want a special sort of visit – one where you feel like you have the site more or less to yourself – then head on over for a February visit! The site has a magical, 'tucked-away' quality to it when it's largely empty of people and the close weather makes you feel even more private during your exploration.

Just be sure to wear rain gear and have shoes with good grip since, as previously discussed, you want to avoid the danger of possibly slipping on any slick steps.

March brings more warm, wet weather to Machu Picchu. The month sees an average of 19 days with at least some rain or drizzle.

One of the risks of travelling to Machu Picchu in March is that the many months of rain leading up to it can result in a waterlogged environment that experiences floods or landslides. Such events can result in commuter delays or even the temporary closure of transport routes like the train line heading in and out of Aguas Calientes.

So March is a risky month to plan to visit Machu Picchu in case you're physically prevented from travelling there! If you do make the visit, however, you can expect small visitor numbers, which many like.

April is a fantastic month to visit Machu Picchu. It's the shoulder season, and so tends to offer the best of both worlds: fewer tourists but also drier weather as the rainy season comes to a close. On average, April sees nine days of rain or drizzle – half that of March. Also, since the land has just enjoyed much rain, everything is in bloom and very pretty.

In addition to all of the above, April is the perfect time of time of year for visiting Peru in general. What we mean here is that it's the perfect month weather-wise if you wish to visit the three main ecosystems of Peru, namely:

At no other time of year can you enjoy the best weather conditions within all three of Peru's climate zones.

May is one of the three best months for blue-sky days

May is the true start of the dry season and as such is a great time to visit Machu Picchu.

In May, almost all of the rain has gone (the month averages just three days of rain or drizzle). The days are also still relatively warm compared with what's to come. And the landscape is still beautifully green with many colourful flowers.

Visitor numbers start to wax during May, so perhaps choose the beginning of the month if you'd prefer a quieter exploration.

Overall, May is a fantastic month to visit Machu Picchu in our opinion, especially if you wish to combine it with an Inca Trail trek, as the same conditions that make May a great time to visit the city are also bestowed upon the Inca Trail.

June is the start of the peak season at Machu Picchu. It's also the driest month, averaging only three days of any rain or drizzle. That said, the landscape still retains some of the pleasant greenery from the rainy season.

Machu Picchu isn't just busy in June because of the good weather – it's also one of the biggest festival months in nearby Cusco, so many tourists are in the region. If you'd like to pair your Machu Picchu visit with a carnival, please read Travelling to Cusco? Time your visit to attend a festival!

July is peak season at Machu Picchu. It's also the coldest month, so please dress warmly, especially if you're heading up early in the morning or intend to stay till late.

While morning fog is fairly common in July, most days you enjoy primarily blue skies and excellent visibility. The dry conditions also make it great for hiking and trekking in the region, not to mention you should have nicely dry steps to navigate during your exploration the city.

The landscape in July is starting to brown from the absence of substantial rain.

Ruins of Machu Picchu in the morning mist

August is still peak season at Machu Picchu, so you can expect the site to be busy. You can also hope to have incredible visibility, both of the surrounding peaks and of the ruins themselves when viewed from one of the handful vantage points on offer like from the summit of Huayna Picchu mountain (but more on that further on in this post).

That said, the morning fog synonymous with the dry season is a bit of a risk factor for early visitors. Yet overall, August is one of the best months weather-wise for visiting Machu Picchu.

Finally, if you don't like warm weather, then please note that this is one of the coldest months in the Andes and so might be a nice time for your visit. If you head to Machu Picchu early in the morning or stay till late early evening, be sure to take a warm jacket with you.

September continues to offer great weather for visiting Mach Picchu. There's still very little rain, and mostly the days are clear and sunny, especially in the afternoons. Again, early morning mist is commonplace.

The crowds start to thin out a little in September, but that doesn't mean that there still isn't plenty of foot traffic – there is.

The vegetation is very dry by now, so you can expect more of a brownish backdrop than a green one.

October is the start of the second shoulder season, and so the weather is a little more temperamental than it has been the past few months. It's also the windiest month at Machu Picchu. That said, average wind speeds at Machu Picchu don't vary much by season nor by month, so we wouldn't really factor windiness into your decision about when to visit.

The site is still busy with visitors, but not as many as during peak season. Similarly to the dry-season months, October sometimes sees morning mist or fog over the citadel, so there's the chance that your view of it will be obscured.

This October Inca Trail group couldn't see Machu Picchu from Sun Gate owing to morning mist

November is also shoulder season, as the rains are starting to pick up. Around half the days of the month see some rain or drizzle, and these can often be prolonged rains.

The crowds at Machu Picchu continue to thin out in November, so you can enjoy a noticeably quieter exploration than if you visited in the peak season. Early morning and late afternoon are happily a little warmer than they are during the cold season.

December is the second rainiest month at Machu Picchu, averaging 20 days of rain or drizzle. So it's a risky moth to visit as you might not be able to see the city from a distance. Remember also that the stone steps can become slippery when wet, so it could be a bit of an anxious visit if you're not all that surefooted.

The plus to visiting in December is that visitor numbers tend to be low.

Often there's morning mist or fog hanging over the city

The gates to Machu Picchu open at 6 am and close at 5 pm, and the site is open seven days a week. The buses that ferry folks up from Aguas Calientes start at 6 am and end at 5.50 pm.

Most visitors to Machu Picchu go as part of a tour group, and their tour guide usually leads them on a two- to three-hour walking tour of the site.

With this info in mind, what is the best time of day to visit Machu Picchu?

If you wish to avoid the crowds, the best time of day to visit Machu Picchu is usually late afternoon, as you miss the morning and midday rushes. Why is this, you ask?

For starters, those completing the Inca Trail walk into Machu Picchu throughout the morning, swelling the numbers until they leave the site usually around midday or early afternoon. Secondly, folks catching the bus up from Aguas Calientes are often eager to get going and so start their day's visit early.

Note that the latest time you can buy a ticket to enter Machu Picchu is 2 pm.

Early morning is when there's a higher chance of fog or mist hovering over the ruins. Often this mist burns off by around 9 or 10 am to reveal the city in its entirety. If you can manage to visit the ruins over the course of an entire day, you stand a chance that any inclement morning weather will dissipate later in the day.

View through a doorway in Machu Picchu

The truly ideal situation is to allow yourself more than one day to visit Machu Picchu, especially if you're anxious about missing out on the full spectacle should there be rain or mist. But if you can only visit for one day, then we recommend spending the whole day at the site if possible. You've travelled a long way to be here, after all – so don't rush the experience!

Note that most guided tours don't take you all over the site, as time and fitness levels don't allow for it. But if you want to see the city in its entirety, know that Machu Picchu is an enormous place – much bigger than most expect based on having seen just photos of it. So you need plenty of time if you wish to walk around and see everything (without feeling rushed).

It's also good to pace yourself during your visit, allowing for a nice long lunch break in the middle in order to feel refreshed for more exploration in the afternoon. This is especially important if you're not used to walking up and down many steep steps, as exploring the site to its full extent can prove quite tiring.

Finally, as already mentioned, the weather at Machu Picchu can be changeable. By allowing yourself a full day – or more than one day – for the visit, there's a chance that inclement morning weather dissipates as the day moves on, and that the second day brings better weather in general. Also, those who visit for a whole day witness the different angles of light and their corresponding moods settle over the city and surrounding landscape.

If you're a photographer, a full day or two days is also highly beneficial to give you time to set up your different shots and capture different lights and moods. Speaking of photographs ...

Machu Picchu is arguably more beautiful with a little mist in play

Every season and month offers a different side to Machu Picchu, making it hard to pick a best time for photographers to visit the iconic site. If you're wanting a clear, unobstructed view of the city from a higher vantage point like that offered at Sun Gate – with the surrounding peaks and Urubamba River below all in clear view – then you should aim to visit during the height of the dry season.

However, if you're keen to capture something more moody or unusual, and you're open to a little risk, then visiting Machu Picchu early in the morning or during the rainy season could be very rewarding. Firstly, the site will have far fewer visitors in the rainy season, so you stand a better chance of capturing the city or parts of it without tourists if that's what you'd like. Secondly, you could capture a beautifully atmospheric or dramatic view of the ruins if there's rain or mist.

Remember too that the Inca living in the city would've often experienced their city and its views as one of mist and rain, so there's an authenticity to this vision of the place too.

The city of Machu Picchu sits on a ridge that connects two peaks: Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.

Many visitors to Machu Picchu city like to climb one of the peaks in order to appreciate a bird's eye view of the site. This is an especially good idea for visitors who commuted to the ruins via the valley town of Aguas Calientes, as they don't get to see the classic view of Machu Picchu from the vantage point of Sun Gate as do those who approach the site via the Inca Trail.

If you're wanting to hike either of these peaks, we highly recommend visiting Machu Picchu during the height of the dry season in order to enjoy dry and therefore safer trekking conditions. As you can see in the picture below, there are sections of the trails that could be treacherous in misty weather or when the ground is slick. Also, if you're going to climb to a peak above the city, you want to be able to have a view from the top!

A treacherous section of the climb up Machu Picchu mountain

At Follow Alice, we offer two exciting Peru trekking itineraries, both of which end with a visit to Machu Picchu. These are the four-day Classic Inca Trail and the culturally immersive Lares and 2-day Inca Trail.

If you'd like to speak to one our travel experts about the best time to visit Machu Picchu, or anything besides, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! We're in the business of turning dreams into reality.