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Cusco has a temperate climate with
year round temperatures fluctuating
between 14º - 16ºC, with warm days
and cold nights. The rainy season in
Cusco is from December to March.
Machu Picchu has a semi-tropical
climate, with warm and humid days
and cold nights.
The rainy season in Machu Picchu is
from November to March, so be
prepared.
The wet months are January to April,
when roads are often closed by
landslides or flooding.
The best months for visiting Machu
Picchu are from April to October.
The Inca Trail
begins on a zone called "Quechua":
This zone is between 2300 - 3500 m
(7,500-11,500 ft) and its weather is
temperate and dry with temperatures
that range from 0 -21C (32 -70F).
The rainy season is from December to
March. The rest of the year is dry
or even parched from May through
September. This region is widely
cultivated and essentially, there is
no natural plants left.
Above Wayllabamba,
there's the zone called "Suni" or
"Jalca": This is the zone between
3500 - 4000 m (11,500 - 13,000 ft).
There is still some agriculture
possible at this altitude. Above
that lies the "Puna" which is a zone
from 4000 - 4800 m (13,000 - 15,750
ft). Its weather is very
cold with frequent frost. It is
mostly grassland with a type of
grass called "Ichu" and the area
is used for grazing camelids like
Llamas and Alpacas.
Going down from
the "Puna" through the "Suni" is the
"Yunga Fluvial": which are inter-Andean
valleys on the east of the Andes
between 1000 - 2300 m (7,500 - 3,300
ft). These valleys have a moderate,
moist climate and abundant
vegetation.
HEIGHTS
Cusco City: 3,360 m.a.s.l.
Machu Picchu: 2,400 m.a.s.l.
Urubamba Valley: 2,850 m.a.s.l.
Inca Trail highest point: 4,200
m.a.s.l.
Temperature variation in Cusco
through the year

Rainfall variation in Cusco through
the year

Map of Altitudes of the Inca
Trail
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