Best Time to Visit Machu Picchu: Weather Month by Month, Seasons and Crowds (2026)

When is the best time to visit Machu Picchu? According to SERNANP, the recommended season runs from April to October, and the rainy season from November to March. But the dry season is also the busiest: in 2025, the months with the most people in the llaqta were October, August and July. Our recommendation is May, which combines little rain with fewer people than from July to October. In this guide we explain the weather month by month, the 2026 high-season dates, public holidays and the Inca Trail closure in February.

The weather, capacity and visitor data come from official sources (SERNANP, SENAMHI, INDECI, the Ministry of Culture and MINCETUR). When a figure comes from the press, or when it is our own advice, we say so.

In short: the best time for what you want

Dry season and rainy season

Machu Picchu does not have four distinct seasons, but two: a dry season and a rainy season. This is what the official sources say:

• SERNANP: the rainy season runs from November to March, and the recommended season to visit the sanctuary from April to October. Around the archaeological site, the temperature is between 14.5 °C and 16.5 °C.
• INDECI: a 2012 study of the town of Machupicchu, with data from the Machupicchu station from 2006 to 2009, estimates about 2003 mm of rain a year. The wettest month was January, with 372.5 mm, and the driest June, with 37.3 mm. The average temperature was 16.3 °C, with a high of 17.4 °C in October and a low of 15.3 °C in June. It is a short record, so treat it only as a reference.
• PeruRail: from January to April, in the rainy season, all its services to and from Cusco run as bimodal services, and it recommends the Hidroeléctrica route in the dry season, from May to October.

The sources do not agree on the exact boundaries, so treat April and October as transition months. Also bear in mind that Machu Picchu is wetter than Cusco: according to those figures, it gets more than twice as much rain as Cusco in January.

The weather month by month

SENAMHI does not include a Machu Picchu station in its table of 1991-2020 climate normals, so we use the Granja Kayra station in Cusco, at 3214 m: it is the city where you will probably sleep before and after your visit. Machu Picchu, at 2430 m, is warmer and wetter. The last column shows how many people visited the llaqta each month in 2025, according to MINCETUR.

Two takeaways: the high temperature barely changes all year, but June and July nights in Cusco drop below 0 °C, and the big difference between months is the rain.

What to expect each month

• January: it is the wettest month in Cusco and, according to the INDECI study, in Machu Picchu too. January 1 is high season. In 2026, a mudslide forced a temporary suspension of pedestrian access from Hidroeléctrica, according to the press.
• February: the Inca Trail closes all month for maintenance, and it was the month with the fewest visitors in 2025. If you are not doing the trek, it is the quietest month.
• March: the rainy season continues. At the end of March 2026, another mudslide destroyed a section of the railway and the footpath from Hidroeléctrica, according to the press.
• April: a transition month, with 33.1 mm of rain in Cusco. In 2026, from April 2 to 5, for Easter, it was high season.
• May: the real dry season begins, with 6.3 mm of rain in Cusco, and low-season capacity still applies. It is the month we recommend.
• June: nights in Cusco drop below 0 °C, as in July. Inti Raymi is held in Cusco on June 24, and high season starts on June 19. In 2026, Huayna Picchu was closed all month for conservation work.
• July and August: along with October, they were the months with the most visitors in 2025. July 28 and 29 are Fiestas Patrias, Peru's national holidays. In August 2026, unusual rains forced the suspension of entry to the Inca Trail, which the Ministry of Culture reopened in September.
• September and October: high season continues until November 2. October was the month with the most visitors in 2025, and the rains start to return: 43.6 mm in Cusco. October 8 is a national holiday.
• November: high season ends on November 2 and the rainy season begins. November 1 is a national holiday.
• December: it was the month with the second-fewest visitors in 2025. December 8, 9 and 25 are national holidays, and December 30 and 31 are high season again.

High season, capacity and crowds

For 2026, RM 000285-2025-MC sets high season, with a capacity of 5,600 visitors a day, on these dates: January 1, April 2 to 5, June 19 to November 2, and December 30 and 31. The rest of the year, capacity is 4,500 visitors a day. In addition, routes 1-C, 1-D, 3-C and 3-D are only sold in high season.

• Tolerance at the gate: 30 minutes after the time on your ticket in months of regular demand and 45 minutes in the months of highest demand, which the official timetable document places between June 1 and October 15 and on December 30 and 31.
• Visitors in 2025: the llaqta received 1,479,506 visitors. The busiest months were October (154,105), August (153,655) and July (151,550), and the quietest February (79,806) and December (90,194).
• Public holidays: Peruvian public holidays usually bring more domestic tourism, so we recommend buying earlier. For the rest of 2026, according to gob.pe, they are October 8, November 1 and December 8, 9 and 25.
• 2027: as of this guide, we have not found the resolution setting the 2027 capacity and high season. Check the official channels before you buy.

In high season, buy your ticket as soon as you have dates, especially if you want Huayna Picchu or the earliest slots.

The Inca Trail: February closure and best time

• Annual closure: the Inka Trail Network closes all of February for conservation and maintenance, according to SERNANP.
• Quota: it has a daily quota of 500 users for the main routes and 250 for the km 104 route, and it can only be done with an authorized agency.
• Closures due to rain: in August 2026, in the middle of the dry season, unusual rains caused landslides and the DDC Cusco suspended entry from August 19, according to the press. On September 6, the Ministry of Culture announced that routes 1, 2 and 3 had reopened.

Our advice: if the Inca Trail is your priority, aim for May to September and book months in advance, because permits are scarce. We explain how many days each trek takes in our guide to how many days you need for Machu Picchu.

What changes in the rainy season

• Trains: from January to April, PeruRail does not run trains from Cusco: its departures from Cusco are bimodal, with a bus from Wanchaq and a train from the Sacred Valley.
• Hidroeléctrica: PeruRail recommends this route in the dry season, from May to October, and in the rainy season it is the most exposed to mudslides and landslides.
• In the llaqta: the stone steps and mountain trails get slippery. Wear shoes with good grip and bring a rain poncho.
• Fog: early mornings can start foggy, especially in the rainy season; sometimes it clears during the visit and sometimes it does not. This is our own observation, not official data.

In return, the rainy months are less crowded and the landscape is greener.

So, when is the best time?

This is our recommendation, depending on your priorities:

• For most travelers: May, or April after Easter. There is little rain, low-season capacity applies and there are fewer people than from July to October.
• If you can only travel in July or August: buy well in advance, avoid Fiestas Patrias and sleep in Machu Picchu Pueblo to enter first thing.
• If you want peace and quiet and do not mind the rain: February, December or November, with rain gear and some slack in your itinerary.

Related guides

To decide how much time to spend, read our guide to how many days you need for Machu Picchu, and for your budget, the one on how much Machu Picchu costs. To save money, read how to get there on a budget and without the train. Every way to get there is in our guides to getting there from Cusco and from Lima, and the time for each leg is in our guide to the distance from Cusco to Machu Picchu. When you arrive, follow our guide from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. To choose a train, see our guides to trains to Machu Picchu, the Vistadome train and luxury trains, and if you are Peruvian, the difference between the local train and the tourist train.

To choose a route, see our guides to Machu Picchu circuits, circuit 2A vs 2B and circuit 3 (Machu Picchu Realeza), and if you want to climb a mountain, the one to Huayna Picchu tickets. First of all, get your Machu Picchu ticket and check the entry requirements. If you arrive without a ticket, read how to buy tickets in Machu Picchu Pueblo.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to go to Machu Picchu?

According to SERNANP, the recommended season runs from April to October. Our recommendation is May, because there is little rain and fewer people than from July to October.

When is the rainy season at Machu Picchu?

From November to March, according to SERNANP. January is usually the wettest month.

Which month has the fewest tourists?

In 2025 it was February, with 79,806 visitors to the llaqta, followed by December, with 90,194.

When is high season at Machu Picchu?

In 2026: January 1, April 2 to 5, June 19 to November 2, and December 30 and 31, with a capacity of 5,600 visitors a day.

Is the Inca Trail open all year?

No. It closes all of February for maintenance and can close temporarily due to rain, as happened in August 2026.

Can you visit Machu Picchu in the rainy season?

Yes. The llaqta receives visitors all year, but bring rain gear and shoes with good grip, and leave some slack in case of problems on the roads or railway.

Summary

The recommended season to visit Machu Picchu runs from April to October, and the rainy season from November to March. July to October is the busiest period, with the 2025 peak in October, and February and December are the quietest months. If you can choose, we recommend May; if you travel in high season, buy your ticket as soon as you have dates, and if you are doing the Inca Trail, remember that it closes in February.

Sources

1. SERNANP, Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu (recommended season, rainy season and temperature): https://visitaareasnaturales.sernanp.gob.pe/anps/santuario-historico-de-machupicchu/
2. SENAMHI, standard climate normals and means 1991-2020 (Excel, Granja Kayra station): https://repositorio.senamhi.gob.pe/bitstream/20.500.12542/3083/1/Normales_1991-2020.xlsx
3. INDECI–UNDP, hazard map and disaster mitigation measures for the town of Machupicchu (January 2012): https://sigrid.cenepred.gob.pe/sigridv3/storage/biblioteca/4295_mapa-de-peligros-y-medidas-de-mitigacion-ante-desastres-ciudad-de-machupicchu.pdf
4. MINCETUR, tourism figures compendium, December 2025 (table 61, visitors to the Inka City of Machupicchu): https://cdn.www.gob.pe/uploads/document/file/9378792/6529654-compendio-cifras-de-turismo-diciembre-2025.pdf
5. Ministerial Resolution 000285-2025-MC (2026 capacity and high season): https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/normas-legales/7355929-285-2025-mc
6. Ministerial Resolution 000317-2025-MC (Huayna Picchu closure in June 2026): https://transparencia.cultura.gob.pe/sites/default/files/transparencia/2025/11/resoluciones-ministeriales/rm000317-2025-mc.pdf
7. Ministry of Culture, entry times and tolerances: https://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HORARIOS-DE-INGRESO.pdf
8. SERNANP, February closure of the Inka Trail Network (January 26, 2026): https://www.gob.pe/institucion/sernanp/noticias/1340984-comunicado-red-de-caminos-inka-suspension-temporal-por-conservacion-y-mantenimiento-anual
9. Ministry of Culture, Ministerial Resolution No. 294-2025-MC (carrying capacity of the Inka Trail Network): https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/normas-legales/7375645-294-2025-mc
10. Ministry of Culture, reopening of the Inka Trail Network (September 6, 2026): https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/noticias/1440107-se-reinicio-ingreso-de-turistas-a-la-red-de-caminos-inka-de-machupicchu-con-visitantes-de-doce-paises
11. La República, suspension of entry to the Inka Trail due to rain (August 18, 2026, press): https://larepublica.pe/sociedad/2026/08/18/machu-picchu-suspenden-ingreso-al-camino-inka-por-deslizamientos-y-fuertes-lluvias-1011636
12. PeruRail, bimodal service: https://www.perurail.com/es/servicio-bimodal/
13. PeruRail, Hidroeléctrica route: https://www.perurail.com/es/destinos/hidroelectrica/
14. Gestión, the Ministry of Culture suspends pedestrian access via the Amazon route (January 25, 2026, press): https://gestion.pe/peru/ministerio-de-cultura-suspende-acceso-peatonal-amazonico-a-machu-picchu-por-huaico-noticia/
15. Andina, mudslide in Mandor (March 2026, press): https://andina.pe/agencia/noticia-machu-picchu-piden-a-operadores-tomar-precauciones-o-evitar-viajes-por-ruta-amazonica-1069171.aspx
16. Peruvian State Platform, 2026 public holidays: https://www.gob.pe/feriados
17. EMUFEC, Inti Raymi 2026: https://www.emufec.gob.pe/
18. UNESCO, Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (altitude): https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274/