Hunter
If you’re wondering about the best month to visit Cusco, you’re not the only one. The ancient city, located in a valley in the Peruvian Andes, was once the capital of the Incan Empire. At its height, it was South America’s richest settlement. In fact, when the Spanish first discovered it in the 16th century, they were blinded by the precious metal and gems found in the legendary architectural designs.
There were temples with walls covered in gold, opulent gardens, and statues built to the gods. Everything was flamboyant, loud, and colorful. Even the clothing had vibrant woven patterns, and the people wore giant golden disks in their ears.
The gold and jewels have since been stripped away and melted down by the Spanish. The Incan Empire has been conquered and overthrown. But their descendants are still alive. They’ve mixed Catholicism with their old traditions, and they now live in Spanish buildings surrounded by the ruins of their ancestors.
Cusco offers a glimpse into a culture so foreign we could hardly understand it, and yet the remnants of that ancient world are everywhere, buried beneath the cathedrals, resting just outside the city. There’s mummies, old homes, and artifacts. It’s impossible not to be intrigued, which is exactly why the city is host to well over a million tourists annually.
Cusco is so popular, in fact, that in 2009, they made over $2.47 billion USD from outsiders flying in from all over the world. With those kinds of crowds, tourists often find themselves struggling to time their trip.
Choosing the Right Time
Choosing the best month to visit Cusco begins with deciding what to see and do. Some visitors prefer to stay inside the city, sample the nightlife, enjoy the food, and explore the streets. They don’t have to worry so much about the weather, but they might not want to deal with crowds of tourists flocking to every site, driving up hotel prices, and taking all the restaurant reservations.
Cusco is also a haven for people who love the outdoors. The surrounding region is home to well-known structures, like the Sacsayhuamán, a 15th-century citadel, or the Moray Ruins. The famous Inca Trail begins just north of Cusco and ends at Machu Picchu, an abandoned city rediscovered in the 1800s. Tourists hoping to see these sites will have to take the weather into account, and they won’t be able to travel during certain times of the year.
Historic sites aren’t the only attractions in Cusco. The city is a modern metropolis, the keeper of ancient traditions, as well as a haven for Catholicism. All these things have combined to create an annual calendar of festivals, fueled by performances, dancing, music, and crowds of partygoers. Tourists are known to join in on the fun, and many of them plan their visit so they can take part in the festivities.
Climate
Cusco has a subtropical highland climate. For the most part, it is temperate and dry, and temperature changes are rarely drastic. The seasons are the opposite of what tourists from North America would expect. Winter is from May to September. During this time, it’s sunny. There may be frost and hail, but snow is almost unheard of. July is the coldest month of the year, with an average of 49.5F (9.7C) and lows just below freezing. The summer months are from October to April. This part of the year is known for its heavy precipitation, which prohibits certain activities. It’s cloudier during this time, especially during February, often called the equivalent of August in the Northern Hemisphere.
Best Month to Visit Cusco and See the City
Tourists will want to take crowd sizes into account if they plan on staying inside the city. The streets fill up during festivals. One of the largest occurs a week before Easter. It is known as Señor de Los Temblores (Lord of the Earthquakes). It’s a time to pray to stave off damage from the tremors common in that region. Then there’s Corpus Christi, a Catholic Holy Day, which occurs in late May or early June, along with Christmas and New Year. There’s also a full schedule of Incan holidays and modern commercial affairs. During this time, expect crowd surges, blocked streets, food stalls, fireworks, and processions. Prices go up and people spend their time outdoors. But there’s plenty to see and do.
The busiest month of the year in the city is June, also known as Cusco month. Back before the formation of tourist police, it was well-known that every pickpocket in the area would swim through the crowd, gathering wallets and purses. This may not be the case anymore, but it’s best to keep track of your belongings. You may also have trouble finding affordable accommodations, parking, car rentals, and restaurant reservations. Expect lines at historical sites and be sure to avoid getting separated from friends and loved ones.
During the summer months, when the rains sweep the city, things are quieter. Tourists should have less trouble finding accommodations, and as long as they don’t mind getting wet, they should have no problem seeing the local sites uninterrupted. But be aware, the rains are known to be harsh. There’s a reason they wear ponchos in South America.
Best Month to Visit Cusco and the Surroundings Areas
There are many things to see inside Cusco, including cathedrals, museums, and ruins, but for many tourists, the real attractions are in the surrounding area. There’s Sacred Valley, home to ancient temples and Incan structures, and Tipón, known for sites built by Cusco’s former inhabitants, the Killke people, who lived in the area before the Incans.
Unfortunately, the region’s rainfall can make traveling and sightseeing difficult. The water is known to cause landslides and floods, so it’s not uncommon to see closure signs during the summer months between October to April. Most tourists prefer to time their visit with the festivals during June, which means that the most hospitable season is the busiest season.
Sometimes it’s a give and take. Tourists can choose to stay within the guardrails and see Cusco, or they can brave the crowds and get a broader perspective of the region, depending on the time of the year.
February can be particularly difficult. While tourists do visit the area during that time, it is the cloudiest period. Many areas, including the Inca Trail, close in anticipation of the weather. It’s still possible to see the city, but tourists will have to wait until another time of the year if they’d like to visit the rest of the region.
Avoid Peak Periods
There is a way to find a happy medium. Tourists can avoid the rains and the crowds if they schedule their visit either just before or just after the peak period, which occurs from June to August. There’s a small slot between late September to early October when crowds start to thin out. This is before the rains hit their peak, so the weather is quite nice.
April and May are believed to be one of the most beautiful times of the year in Cusco. The fields are green and lush, and the temperature is just right. There’s little to no rain, and if you space your trip far enough away from Easter, the crowds are almost non-existent. But be careful. The date for Easter does change, so it’s best to check before scheduling a visit.
