Peru Weather and Climate Information from RealPeru - Click to go back to our travel guide.

CLIMATE AND WEATHER GUIDE TO Peru

Because Peru has such a varied geography the weather can be quite confusing: if it's warm on the coast it can be cold in the mountains and doing something completely different in the jungle! The upside to this is that no matter what time of year you come you can be guaranteed sunshine somewhere! Have a look at our weather guide so you can work out what the weather will be like in all the places you're going to visit and, more importantly, what clothes to bring! Have a look at our regional information below:

 North Coast South Coast Arequipa and Colca Lima
 Southern Andes Northern Andes Amazon Jungle

The North Coast: Trujillo-Piura

Destinations: Trujillo, Chiclayo, Sipan, Piura, Mancora, Chan-Chan, Tucume
Forecast: Hot and dry all year!

The north coast of Peru is blessed with great weather for your holiday, particularly once you get north of Trujillo. Around Piura and Mancora in the far north you almost never see a cloud, let alone rain. This is your guaranteed sunshine spot! The closer you get to Lima, the more the winter (May-Nov) will have an impact but even as far south as Trujillo it will rarely drop below about 18 degrees centigrade.

The South Coast and Southern Desert

Destinations: Pisco, Ica, Nazca, Huacachina
Forecast: Hot and dry all year but sometimes cloudy right on the coast

In general the weather on the coast south of Lima is good and as you move inland, you are entering what is essentially a desert so you can expect it to get hot! From May to November, however, it is winter and anywhere on the coast below about 200m will almost certainly be cloudy. Note that this only really affects Pisco among the popular destinations in the south.

Arequipa and Colca Canyon

Destinations: Arequipa, Chivay, Colca Canyon
Forecast: Warm and dry but cold at night in winter

Arequipa has a clear and sunny climate and usually feels warmer than the official temperature suggests. Rain is highly unusual even in the 'rainy' months of January and February but in winter (June-August) it can get cold, especially at night.

Colca Canyon is higher than Arequipa and consequently is colder, with temperatures at night often below zero in winter. Rain is still unusual, however, so you'll just need a warm jumper!

Southern and Central Andes

Destinations: Puno, Lake Titicaca, Huaraz, Cuzco, Machu Picchu, Ayacucho
Forecast: Dry Season: Hot days, cold nights; Rainy season: wet but warm

The dry season in the Southern Andes runs from April to October and you'll generally find clear, warm days that rapidly cool at night with temperatures dropping as low as zero in July and August. Don't worry - all our hotels have heating! In the rainy months (November-March but particularly February and March) it doesn't get that cold (around 18C in the day and 15C at night) but it does rain an awful lot. The Inca trail is usually closed in February - partly to give it a chance to recover and partly because of the weather. May and October are probably the best months to visit Puno and Cuzco as it's not too cold at night but it's fine and sunny during the day for those all-important trips to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca!

Colca Canyon is higher than Arequipa and consequently is colder, with temperatures at night often below zero in winter. Rain is still unusual, however, so you'll just need a warm jumper!

Northern Andes

Destinations: Cajamarca, Chachapoyas
Forecast: Dry Season: Hot days, cold nights; Rainy season: wet but warm

The Northern Andes have a similar climate to the mountains further south but the rainy season is slightly longer, particularly in Chachapoyas, lasting from October to May.

The Amazon Basin

Destinations: Iquitos, Manu Biosphere Reserve
Forecast: Hot every day, very humid in wet season

There are no two ways about it: the jungle is basically hot and steamy. Having said that, it is certainly less steamy in the dry season (April-October) and this is probably the best time for a visit. If you are going in the wet season (November-March) it might be worth taking your wellies...

Lima and around

Destinations: Lima, Pachacamac
Forecast: Hot and humid in summer, Cold and humid in winter

Lima and the surrounding coast have a strange climate that covers the area with a huge bank of cloud for six months of the year (April-October). During this time the sun rarely breaks through and there is a bizarre kind of 'cold humidity' that makes Lima feel a lot colder than temperatures would suggest. Happily in summer, Lima is a different place and the surrounding beaches are popular places to be!

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