Best month to visit Machu Picchu?

[jmlh]

We are in the initial stages of planning a trip to Machu Picchu and are wondering which month is the best to visit weather and crowd wise. We may also combine this holiday with a cruise in the Galapagos but we understand that there is really no bad time to do this!

Thanks in advance for any insight from those of you who have completed this holiday.

Jan

[Duane T]

We are in the initial stages of planning a trip to Machu Picchu and are wondering which month is the best to visit weather and crowd wise. We may also combine this holiday with a cruise in the Galapagos but we understand that there is really no bad time to do this!

Thanks in advance for any insight from those of you who have completed this holiday.

Jan

 

You can google it! But by best time based on crowds and weather is sometimes more luck than anything else. We were on a cruise tour to Machu Picchu this December. There were crowds at the entrance to Machu Picchu but as you walked further in the crowds thinned out. The weather was perfect for us, not too hot or too cold. We had partly cloudy skies so the sun didn't really play a factor. But I've read that recently the trip to Machu Picchu was made more challenging when a landslide hit the switchback road that goes up from the main town (Aguas Calientes). So unless you've already planned to hike to Machu Picchu, you would have to take into account taking quite a few more steps. Also, now the rain seems be coming down so the paths might be more damp and the river swollen.

 

You can also do a search on this board and a couple of other boards (like the Princess board) and you can pull up a lot of great updates as well. I also used Youtube and Tripadvisor/Virtual Tourist websites to get both written and video logs of past trips during different times of the year.

 

Good luck...I'm sure you'll have a very memorable trip!

Edited February 9, 2014 by Duane T

[Floridiana]

There is no specific best month, but Januray and February are the worst months due to usually heavy rains.

[jmlh]

Thanks for your responses. It appears that November may be the best choice for us. Lots of planning ahead!

Jan

[Floridiana]

Jan,

 

did you read my comment here? We were there in November, gorgeous weather, but it had rained the week before.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1985671

[airlink diva]

May I suggest late April, early May?

You are going during the fall, rainy season is over and fewer crowds.

Also from a friend who lived in Peru for a year, suggested going on a Sunday. Fewer people visit on that day during the fall.

I went April 28,2013 which was the last Sunday of the month.

It was amazing with great weather. I dressed in layers and didn't need my jacket.

Also there was fewer people and on many of my photos, near empty of people which made excellent photo ops.

Overall I had a great time and will visit again this time of year.

Now the only down side was during the rainy season earlier, part of the railway was covered with mud and instead of catching the train in Cusco, had to be bussed to the next stop.

Hope this helps!

[Floridiana]

Our first day there was Sunday... huge crowds!

Friday in Ollantaytambo, huge crowds! It was much better on Saturday. I would say that the mornings of any day are always better because it takes the daytrippers a while to get there.

[as19111]

We were there in mid-January. The weather was overcast which was great because we got relief from the sun. Otherwise, it would have been very hot. In late afternoon, torrential rain came and everyone was soaked even with rainwear. It was muddy and slippery, too. While there were many people there, it was never a problem except getting the buses up and back (looooooonnnnnngggggg lines) and we had to switch buses and climb a makeshift trail at the point of the rockslide.

 

We were there 5 days after the rockslide. That was a good thing because MP was closed for a couple of days after it happened. You can't predict a rockslide, but I guess chances are more likely during the rainy season.

 

I think that was the only rain we encountered for the entire week in the Sacred Valley.

[jmlh]

Thanks to all for passing on your personal experiences. It is so helpful to read reviews and hear from you who have completed this adventure!

Jan

[airlink diva]

Our first day there was Sunday... huge crowds!

Friday in Ollantaytambo, huge crowds! It was much better on Saturday. I would say that the mornings of any day are always better because it takes the daytrippers a while to get there.

 

I made sure to visit during a hump time before the summer. I went at a time suggested by someone who lived in Peru for a few years and they suggest going between rainy and summer which is the busy time