Summary
What is the weather on the Inca Trail?
Inca Trail To Machu Picchu
The climate is varied, depending on the region in which the visitor is located and where the visitor camps. In general terms, temperatures vary from 0ºC, in the Warmi Wañusca pass, to 22ºC. in Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu is located in a sub-tropical zone. Geographically, the Inca city is located in the ‘Yunga – Quechua’ eco-region, which has a warm subtropical climate with intense rains.
Along the route there are vast rainy areas. The rainy season runs from November to April. On the other hand, the dry season is from May to October. Even so, rains can occur at any time, not only on the Inca Trail but throughout the Andes Mountains.
Within this territory there are archaeological monuments, mountains, rivers, lagoons and abundant flora and fauna, typical of the area (jungle eyebrow). Around this area there are 230,716,966 hectares, considered a reserved area called “Buffer Zone”, with 38,448,106 hectares that cover the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu.
HOW IS THE WEATHER ON THE INCA TRAIL?
The weather on the Inca Trail To Machu Picchu varies greatly during the year from very wet, cold, and windy, to sunny hot and dry. Simply put, the weather conditions you will experience will depend mostly on the time of the year that you plan on trekking to Machu Picchu.
When it’s summer almost everywhere in the southern hemisphere, the wet season starts on the Inca Trail Trek. The overall temperature rises during the wet season, but the thing to note here is that while days can be sunny, the rain coupled with potential winds can make the temperature drop quite significantly.
Considering the remote area, the Inca Trail traverses, the altitude, and the fact that there are forests all around, hikers should be aware that once the sun sets, the temperature usually drops very quickly. Just to give you an idea, the average weather conditions on the Inca Trail are as follows:
In the dry season (April – October), you can expect day temperatures between 20 – 25ºC (68 – 77ºF) and night temperatures between -1 – 7ºC (30 – 44ºF).
In the wet season (November – March), the day temperature varies somewhere between 17 – 22ºC (62 – 72ºF), and night temperature between 4 – 7ºC (39 – 44ºF).
WHAT’S THE BEST TIME TO HIKE THE INCA TRAIL?
The rainy season is less popular with trekkers, as there are more chances of rain, which makes the trek even harder. The months to avoid are usually January and March. In February the Inca Trail is closed for the whole month to help maintain the trail and to develop more security on the trail for hikers. April, November, December offer good chances of completing a successful hike, but the possibility of rainfall remains. The best time to hike the Inca Trail is the summer to early autumn months: May, June, July, August, September, and October.
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