The weather in Cusco, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu is relatively consistent and easy to predict on a long term scale. We really have only two weather seasons instead of four, and we tend to refer to them as “Rainy / Dry” season as opposed to “Summer / Winter”. Our dry season (winter) is from May to December. Our wet season is from December to May.
Daily weather reports and predictions found on the web and mobile apps are generally not reliable, but fortunately the pattern is typical:
From the middle of May until the end of November, it is very dry and sunny. Rain of any type is unlikely, and nearly unheard of between June and October. This is technically ‘winter’ and the nights are cold and damp, with temperatures in the 40’s but it feels colder due to the mountain air. Days are cool if you are not in direct sunlight and very warm if you are. Air temperatures are around 60 degrees during these months, but if can feel 20 degrees hotter if you are in the sun. Which by the way you should be very careful of, at this altitude the solar rays are very strong.
December marks the beginning of the rainy season. It mostly rains at night and early mornings and days tend to be partly sunny most of the day. Temperatures at night are warmer, in the mid 50’s and day temperatures are in the 70’s. It typically rains every night during this period, which lasts until late April to early May then the cycle starts repeating again.
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