When to go
It's not possible to find a single period when the entire Peru offers its best weather, in fact the best time in the Andean areas and in the Amazon is the Southern Hemisphere winter (
June to August), while along the coast during this period the weather is cool, cloudy and foggy.
To find warm and sunny weather along the coast and in Lima, the best time is from
December to April, and in particular the best period for swimming is from January to March.
What to pack
In
winter (June to August): for Lima and the coast, bring clothes for spring and autumn, with a sweatshirt or sweater and a jacket. For the Amazon, bring loose-fitting, light clothing, possibly with long sleeves against mosquitoes, and a sweatshirt for the evening; in the southernmost part (see Puerto Maldonado), and also in the part of the Amazon located at an altitude higher than sea level, you can bring a sweater and a jacket for the evening. For the Andes, at around 2,500/4,000 meters (8,000/13,000 feet), for example in Cuzco, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca, bring clothes for spring and autumn for the day, but also a sweater, a warm jacket and a hat for the evening; a sun hat, sunscreen, hiking shoes. For the highest peaks, bring a down jacket, a scarf, gloves, warm boots.
In
summer (December to February): for Lima and the coast, bring light clothing, a sweatshirt for the evening, an umbrella or a light raincoat north of Lima during El Niño years, a light jacket for the southern part of the coast. For the Amazon, bring tropics-friendly, loose-fitting clothing of natural fibers (cotton, linen) or synthetics that breathe, maybe with long sleeves against mosquitoes; in the part of the Amazon located at an altitude higher than sea level, you can add a sweatshirt or a light jacket for the evening. For the Andes, at around 2,500/4,000 meters (8,000/13,000 feet), for example in Cuzco, Arequipa and Lake Titicaca, bring clothes for spring and autumn (light for the day), and a sweater, a jacket and a hat for the evening; a sun hat, sunscreen, an umbrella or raincoat, hiking shoes. For the highest peaks, bring a down jacket, a scarf, gloves, warm boots.
Back to the climate of
Peru