Best time to visit Cusco, Peru

Our verdict

The best time to visit Cusco is August-September

Want to know when to travel to Cusco? Based on criteria such as the weather, cost of flights and hotels, and peak travel periods, August-September is the best time to go to Cusco. Don’t just take our word for it though… We’ve put together loads of information below to help you decide, such as a monthly breakdown of the weather, what to pack, when to fly, and much more.

In summer, the temperature in Cusco can rise as high as 18℃ (64℉). The weather in the winter, especially around July, can reach a minimum of 1℃ (33℉).

If you’re keen to work on your tan in Cusco, you’re most likely get the longest days between sun-up and sun-down around December. February sees the most amount of rain in a month if you’re ok with chancing getting drenched, so if you’re looking to stay dry, visit in June instead.

Learn everything you need to know to help you decide when to go to Cusco below, and don’t forget to use the awesome travel tools we know and love to help you find the best deals and make booking your vacation a breeze!

Warmest month

November

Least rainfall

June

Most daylight

December

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Cusco seasons

Before you continue, it’s important to know when the seasons are in Cusco as they might be different to yours depending on where in the world you’re travelling from. Cusco is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the seasons fall during these months:

Season Months
Summer December to February
Autumn/fall March to May
Winter June to August
Spring September to November

Average temperatures in Cusco

If the temperature is a big factor for you to help you decide when to visit, the chart below shows the average minimum and maximum temperatures in Cusco for each month side-by-side so you can easily see the difference in weather throughout the year. To see the temperatures in both Celsius (°C) and Fahrenheit (°F), hover or tap the shaded boxes on the graph.

Cusco climate by month

If you already have a rough idea about which months you might want to travel, the section below shows a detailed breakdown of the climate in Cusco for each month so you can see if it all suits your wants and needs. Scroll down, or use the quick menu below to jump to your preferred month.

Jump to:

JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC

Cusco in January

  • Average temperature: 10℃ (49℉)
  • Average high temperature: 14℃ (57℉)
  • Average low temperature: 6℃ (42℉)
  • Average humidity: 76%
  • Average sunny days: 4 days
  • Average rainfall: 107mm (4") over 24 days
4 days
of pure sunshine
24 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in January, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.


Cusco in February

  • Average temperature: 9℃ (49℉)
  • Average high temperature: 14℃ (57℉)
  • Average low temperature: 6℃ (42℉)
  • Average humidity: 79%
  • Average sunny days: 3 days
  • Average rainfall: 121mm (5") over 23 days
  • Average snow days: 1 days
3 days
of pure sunshine
23 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in February, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.


Cusco in March

  • Average temperature: 9℃ (49℉)
  • Average high temperature: 14℃ (58℉)
  • Average low temperature: 5℃ (41℉)
  • Average humidity: 78%
  • Average sunny days: 4 days
  • Average rainfall: 95mm (4") over 24 days
  • Average snow days: 1 days
4 days
of pure sunshine
24 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in March, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.


Cusco in April

  • Average temperature: 9℃ (49℉)
  • Average high temperature: 15℃ (58℉)
  • Average low temperature: 5℃ (40℉)
  • Average humidity: 76%
  • Average sunny days: 5 days
  • Average rainfall: 48mm (2") over 19 days
  • Average snow days: 1 days
5 days
of pure sunshine
19 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in April, make sure you pack a thick snow/winter jacket, thermals and some extra layers as it's always very cold.


Cusco in May

  • Average temperature: 8℃ (47℉)
  • Average high temperature: 14℃ (58℉)
  • Average low temperature: 3℃ (37℉)
  • Average humidity: 72%
  • Average sunny days: 12 days
  • Average rainfall: 26mm (1") over 13 days
  • Average snow days: 1 days
12 days
of pure sunshine
13 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in May, make sure you pack a thick snow/winter jacket, thermals and some extra layers as it's always very cold.


Cusco in June

  • Average temperature: 7℃ (45℉)
  • Average high temperature: 13℃ (56℉)
  • Average low temperature: 2℃ (35℉)
  • Average humidity: 69%
  • Average sunny days: 19 days
  • Average rainfall: 6mm (0") over 5 days
  • Average snow days: 1 days
19 days
of pure sunshine
5 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in June, make sure you pack a thick snow/winter jacket, thermals and some extra layers as it's always very cold.


Cusco in July

  • Average temperature: 7℃ (45℉)
  • Average high temperature: 13℃ (55℉)
  • Average low temperature: 2℃ (35℉)
  • Average humidity: 66%
  • Average sunny days: 18 days
  • Average rainfall: 13mm (0") over 7 days
  • Average snow days: 2 days
18 days
of pure sunshine
7 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in July, make sure you pack a thick snow/winter jacket, thermals and some extra layers as it's always very cold.


Cusco in August

  • Average temperature: 8℃ (47℉)
  • Average high temperature: 14℃ (57℉)
  • Average low temperature: 3℃ (38℉)
  • Average humidity: 63%
  • Average sunny days: 14 days
  • Average rainfall: 14mm (1") over 8 days
  • Average snow days: 1 days
14 days
of pure sunshine
8 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in August, make sure you pack a thick snow/winter jacket, thermals and some extra layers as it's always very cold.


Cusco in September

  • Average temperature: 9℃ (49℉)
  • Average high temperature: 15℃ (58℉)
  • Average low temperature: 5℃ (41℉)
  • Average humidity: 64%
  • Average sunny days: 7 days
  • Average rainfall: 22mm (1") over 13 days
7 days
of pure sunshine
13 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in September, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.

Cusco in October

  • Average temperature: 11℃ (51℉)
  • Average high temperature: 15℃ (59℉)
  • Average low temperature: 6℃ (44℉)
  • Average humidity: 65%
  • Average sunny days: 6 days
  • Average rainfall: 61mm (2") over 19 days
6 days
of pure sunshine
19 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in October, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.


Cusco in November

  • Average temperature: 11℃ (52℉)
  • Average high temperature: 16℃ (60℉)
  • Average low temperature: 7℃ (45℉)
  • Average humidity: 68%
  • Average sunny days: 4 days
  • Average rainfall: 85mm (3") over 21 days
4 days
of pure sunshine
21 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in November, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.


Cusco in December

  • Average temperature: 10℃ (51℉)
  • Average high temperature: 14℃ (58℉)
  • Average low temperature: 7℃ (44℉)
  • Average humidity: 72%
  • Average sunny days: 3 days
  • Average rainfall: 108mm (4") over 25 days
3 days
of pure sunshine
25 days
of showers or rain

What to pack: If you’re heading to Cusco in December, make sure you pack a warm jacket or coat.


Top FAQs

The hottest month of the year in Cusco is usually November, where temperatures tend to rise to around 16℃ (60℉) in the middle of the day or early afternoon.
The month with the least amount of rain in Cusco is generally around June. The dry season often coincides with cooler weather, so you should check the temperatures in June first to make sure it’s still a good time to go.
The rainiest time of year in Cusco is generally around February, although the wetter season can sometimes extend a few months either side of February too.
If you want to get the most out of your time visiting Cusco, or if you're just afraid of the dark, the days in December are usually the longest between sunrise and sunset.

Cusco map