Is Cusco worth visiting during the rainy season?
One thing that people often don’t like to hear after booking a vacation of a lifetime is – “oh, that’s during the rainy season!”
However, Sara and I have experienced our fair share of rainy seasons all over the world. Actually, we always seem to inadvertently book our trips during the rainy season every… single… time.
Our trip to Cusco was no different. We experience an entire month during the rainy season in Cusco and now we want to alleviate any worries or apprehensions you might have of doing the same!
So in this guide we’re going to cover what our experience of the rainy season in Cusco was like, how you can prepare and all the things to do in Cusco if it’s raining.
And most importantly – explain if you should worry about visiting Cusco during the rainy season or not!
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When is the rainy season in Cusco?
The rainy season in Peru lasts between November and April. However, Cusco being located in the Andes means that weather can be somewhat unpredictable. Some years the rainy season may start earlier and some years later. Sometimes you might even find a spot of rain in May.
But the main bulk of the rain is always between November and April!
On the flip side, just in case you were wondering, the main dry season in Cusco is between May and October. Although you may have already figured that out already!
What’s the rainy season in Cusco like?
Generally speaking, the rainy season in Cusco isn’t too bad. At least, that was what our experience was like during December and January. Of course we had our share of rain but, in general, it didn’t impede too much on our adventures and plans.
Sara and I rarely research whether the country we’re planning to visit is experiencing a rainy season before we book it. I know I know, we should check, but usually we just forget!
For us, this was the case for Cusco and Peru as a whole. We arrived in Cusco just before Christmas and left towards the end of January. For reference, January and February are supposed to be the worst months for rain.
However, if our experience in January is anything to go by, you don’t need to worry too much! Yes it rained, and a few times it stormed, but usually the rain passed over within a few hours. It was only once or twice during the entire month when it rained non-stop for an entire day.
On the contrary, we were actually lucky to come across more sunny, warm days than rainy!
If we had to quantify it, we’d probably say around 35% of the days were sunny, 35% were overcast but dry and the last 30% experienced some level of rain.
Should you avoid the rainy season in Cusco?
Absolutely not. Although it does rain a fair amount, we can promise that it’s not going to ruin your plans while in Cusco. Especially if you leave a day or two of flexibility in your schedule.
In fact, to some extent we even recommend planning your Cusco trip during the rainy season. There are a few reasons for this:
- Less crowds – because it’s the “off-season”, Cusco isn’t as crowded as it would be during the summer. Granted there are still tons of tourists in the center, but we could imagine it being a lot worse!
- Quiet hiking trails – along a similar vein, the trails around Cusco and the surrounding Andes will be a lot quieter.
- Cheaper – you’ll tend to find that a lot of the tours and accommodations in Cusco are a lot cheaper during the rainy season.
- Increased availability at Machu Picchu – the most popular time to visit Machu Picchu is between June and September, and quite often tickets are sold out well in advance.
- Perfect hiking weather – we found that on sunny days the temperature would top out at around 20°C and on cloudy days around 14°C, the perfect weather for hiking!
What to pack for the rainy season in Cusco
If, like us, you’re planning to travel to Cusco during the rainy season, here are your packing essential:
- Rain jacket – and something a bit more robust than those bin bag ponchos. We recommend carrying it around in your bag ALL THE TIME just in case.
- Waterproof hiking boots – there’s nothing worse than being caught in a freak downpour during a hike and having wet socks the rest of the day.
- Umbrella – could be handy for all your trips out and around town as a precaution.
- A warm mid-layer – Sara used a jumper and I had my North Face lightweight down jacket, which was perfect for the chillier days.
- Suncream – we know it sounds a bit contradictory because it’s the rainy season, but being at 3400m of altitude means that the sun is much more powerful when it’s shining. We burnt ourselves one too many times, even on overcast days!
- Waterproof bag – if you’re like us and you’re carrying around camera gear, a waterproof camera bag or dry bag wouldn’t be the worst idea.
Top things to do in Cusco in the rain
Just in case you find yourself in the city of Cusco in a seemingly never ending downpour, here are the best activities we found to do inside!
Chocolate workshop at the ChocoMuseo
One of the most fun things Sara and I did in Cusco was participate in a chocolate workshop on a rainy day. Beforehand we weren’t sure what to expect, but our host was amazing and the chocolate was delicious!
We signed up for a chocolate workshop at the ChocoMuseo in Plaza Regocijo. We paid S/.99 each ($26.67) which we thought was a tad expensive for Peru standards. But we ended up having a great time and walked away with the richest pieces of chocolate ever!
Pro tip: when choosing your mold for the chocolate, pick the one with the largest volume!/
Don’t forget travel insurance!
Sara and I have been using Safety Wing for over two years now! They specialise in nomad travel insurance, so whether you’re travelling long-term or on a short trip, they got you covered!
Grab lunch at Mercado San Blas
There are two main covered markets in Cusco and we’ll cover the second later. But San Blas is the lesser known of the two and probably the cleaner market.
We popped by San Blas a few times for lunch. It’s a great place to pick up a freshly made sandwich and fruit juice.
In addition, San Blas also isn’t a bad place to do your grocery shopping. We found plenty of local fruits and vegetables here for sale. The only thing we might suggest is staying away from the unrefrigerated meat!
Learn Peruvian history in Cusco’s museums
Being a city with a ton of history, there are quite a few museums to choose from which are a great way of escaping the rain. There are places such as the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Municipality of Cusco, Museo Casa Concha and the Regional Historical Museum of Cusco.
But our favorite museum in Cusco was the Inca Museum. Entrance was S/.20pp ($5.39) and the museum takes you on a walk through the history of the Inca Empire. It contains, art, treasures and information from the time of the empire and is a great way to learn about Cusco itself!
Explore the Sun Temple in Convento de Santo Domingo
There are over 16 main churches in Cusco, all of them built by the Spanish atop the ruins of previous Inca temples. Of course, a mooch through any of the churches is a great way to escape the wet weather, but one church stood out to us among the rest.
Unlike the other churches in Cusco, in which the Spanish removed all traces of the aforementioned temples, in the Santo Domingo church and convent the sun temple was actually preserved.
Look on in amazement as you explore what was once the most important temple in the city. Admire the beauty of the perfectly carved stones contrasting with the Spanish-built church that surrounds the temple.
Test your taste buds with Cuy
Food is always a great way to avoid the rain. But what’s a dish so unique that you’ll probably never try it outside of the Peruvian Andes?
The answer is cuy or, as we know it in English, guinea pig!
Now we understand if you would be a tad adverse to chowing down on a guinea pig. But for Sara and I, we love to immerse ourselves into the local culture of an area and cuy is a very popular dish in Cusco, usually eaten on special occasions.
In our honest opinion, cuy tastes good but there really isn’t much meat available on this little rodent. The best and tastiest part was actually the skin!
Shop for souvenirs at Mercado San Pedro
Mercado San Pedro is the second covered market in Cusco and is also the biggest. We spent a couple of hours wandering the aisles of this market, inspecting all the wares and products available to buy.
We also partook in a menu de día here – a set menu lunch meal that’s popular across all of Latin America. It was only S/.8 each ($2.15) and offered us with a soup starter, a main and a drink. It was more than enough to keep us full until dinner.
For food we still prefer San Blas, but San Pedro is the better market for clothes, household items and souvenirs.
Take a Peruvian cooking class
What better way to spend a rainy day indoors than to take a cooking class!
We personally never got around to this, but we definitely would have loved to. With Peru being known as the ‘world’s kitchen’ we know that whatever we learnt to cook in one of these classes would have been rich and delicious!
There are a ton of different cooking classes to choose from in Cusco and we’ll leave some for you to look at down below!
Head for date night at Plaza de Armas
Plaza de Armas, or also known as Plaza Mayor, is the main square slap-bang in the middle of Cusco. It’s the most touristy area in the city and it doesn’t come without its crowds.
But it also comes with some of the best restaurants in the city to accommodate those crowds. And what better way to spend a drizzly Cusco evening than to head to a fancy restaurant with a loved one?
Sara and I decided to do just that! The restaurant we chose was Morena Peruvian Kitchen where I demolished a burger and Sara inhaled a quinoa salad – both of which were delicious!
Catch a film at Plaza Real
The last activity option on this list isn’t necessarily a cultural or local experience, but heading to the cinema has always been a great idea on a rainy day!
The only mall and cinema in the city (we think…) is at Plaza Real Cusco. We went there twice; once to shop and once to eat. We didn’t come across too many retail chains you’re used to seeing at the mall, but if shopping is what you’re after then this is the place.
In terms of the cinema, just be aware that most of the showings are dubbed in Spanish – an issue I’ve encountered a lot in South America as a movie lover. And even though my Spanish has improved vastly, it’s not quite good enough for dubbed movies without subtitles!
Where to stay in Cusco
If you’re heading to Cusco, we’ve compiled a few places to stay that are highly rated in or close to the historic center. If you’re wondering where we stayed, because we hunkered down in Cusco for a month, we rented this apartment on Airbnb.
It’s also worth noting that a lot of the prices below are what Sara and I are offered with our booking.com genius 3 discount, so they may be slightly higher for you!
Hostels:
- Wild Rover Cusco ($7-15/night) ← Cusco’s party hostel.
- Viajero Kokopelli Hostel Cusco ($15-40/night)
- Cusco Rock Hostel ($16.50/night)
Budget Hotels:
- Eco Bunnu Inn ($23/night)
- Cochito Cusco ($28/night)
- Andean Valley Hotel ($26/night)
Mid-Range Hotels:
- Amaru Colonial ($57/night)
- Casa Montes San Blas ($49/night)
- Hotel Hacienda Cusco Centro Historico ($56/night)
Luxury Hotels:
- Union Hotel Cusco ($100/night)
- Auka Boutique San Blas ($74/night)
- Anahuarque Hotel Boutique ($72/night)
Final thoughts on the rainy season in Cusco
As we’ve mentioned throughout this guide, you shouldn’t avoid traveling to Cusco just because it’s the rainy season. We visited in January and still managed to explore all of the city, the Sacred Valley, Palcoyo rainbow mountain and go on a Machu Picchu tour during that time.
But if you can create a flexible schedule for your trip, that also wouldn’t be a bad idea. It could be that you just get super unlucky with a lot of rain. But on the other hand, it could be blazing sun every day without a single drop of water from the sky!
Check out our other Cusco guides:
- Is Cusco safe to visit in 2024? Everything you need to know
- Cusco Weather in January: A good time to visit?
- Spending Christmas in Cusco: Things to do and how to celebrate!
- Cusco in December: Weather, celebrations, things to do and more!
- One day in Cusco: The perfect 24 hour itinerary!
- 2 Days in Cusco: The best way to see everything quickly!
- 3 days in Cusco – a full itinerary and everything you need to know!
- 4 days in Cusco: A full itinerary and everything you need to know!
- 16 Completely FREE things to do in Cusco!
- How to avoid altitude sickness in Cusco and Peru!
- Visiting the Temple of the Moon in Cusco: Everything you need to know!
- 9 Easy things to do in Cusco while acclimating
We hope that our guide covered everything you need to know about the rainy season in Cusco. We always strive to offer the most accurate and up-to-date information we can but if you think something we’ve said is wrong, please let us know!
