Peru in May: what to expect

May is the hinge month. The Andes leave the December–March rains behind and settle into the dry, clear pattern that runs to September. In Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Puno you get bright mornings, strong sun at altitude and rain that becomes rare rather than routine. The trade-off is temperature: once the sun drops, nights fall close to freezing, and lodges without heating feel it.

Machu Picchu sits lower and more humid than Cusco, so days there are milder and wetter than the high plateau, though May is still one of the better months to walk it. Arequipa and Colca Canyon are sunny almost year-round and May is rated among their best months.

The coast runs on a different clock. Lima's sunny season is December to April; by May the garúa — a grey coastal mist — is arriving, with temperatures around 15–18 °C and almost no rain. Paracas and Nazca stay dry but cooler and greyer than in summer. In the Amazon, May is the tail of the wet season: hot, humid, rivers still high (good for boat trips around Iquitos) but trails beginning to dry out.

May sits in the shoulder. The June–August peak, when Inti Raymi, Corpus Christi and the July independence holidays pull in domestic and foreign travellers together, has not started. Hotel rates in Cusco and Aguas Calientes are moderate, Inca Trail and Machu Picchu permits are usually still obtainable a few weeks out, and the Sacred Valley towns feel busy but not packed.

Expect the usual pattern: book Machu Picchu entry and train tickets as early as you can, because the daily cap on the site does not move with the season, and book Cusco rooms ahead for the last week of May if your dates overlap Corpus Christi. Everything else — buses, day tours, most hostels — can be arranged a few days ahead.

The month's fixed date is 1 May, Labour Day, a public holiday with low impact on travel — some offices and banks close, transport runs normally.

The bigger events are movable. The Qoyllur Rit'i pilgrimage, when tens of thousands of people walk up to a sanctuary below the Ausangate glacier, and Corpus Christi, with its procession of saints through Cusco, fall in late May or June depending on the church calendar — check exact dates before you build an itinerary around them. When they land in your window, Cusco hotels fill and prices rise for those days.

Elsewhere, May is quiet on the festival front. The big Puno dance festival is in February, Holy Week in March or April, and Inti Raymi on 24 June.

The southern Andes are the reason to come now. Base yourself in Cusco, sleep low in the Sacred Valley for the first nights to acclimatise, then take in Machu Picchu, Pisac, Ollantaytambo and, with more days, Puno and Lake Titicaca. Trekking — the Inca Trail, Salkantay, Ausangate — is in its best window, with dry trails and clear mountain views.

Arequipa and Colca Canyon are at their most reliable, good for a second week if you have the time. The Amazon is workable: Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado are hot and humid but drier than the first four months, and high water still opens the smaller tributaries around Iquitos.

Lima is the compromise. It is grey and cool rather than sunny, but the city itself — museums, food, the coast road — does not depend on weather, and May is a comfortable month to walk it. Pair Lima with Paracas or Nazca if you want the coast, accepting the mist.

Layers, not a single heavy coat. Andean days can reach the low 20s °C in the sun and drop near freezing after dark, so a base layer, fleece, windproof shell, hat and gloves cover most of it. Broken-in boots matter if you are trekking; trails are dry but rocky and dusty.

Add high-factor sunscreen and lip balm — UV at altitude is strong even when it feels cool — plus a refillable bottle, a headlamp for early starts, and cash in soles for markets and small towns. For the Amazon, light long sleeves, insect repellent and quick-dry trousers. For Lima, a light jacket for the garúa. See the full list.

April is greener and slightly wetter, with Easter crowds in Cusco and Ayacucho. June brings the full dry season plus Inti Raymi and Corpus Christi, higher prices and the need to book months ahead. July is peak season with the Fiestas Patrias national holiday on 28–29 July and cold Andean nights. March is still wet, with rains easing late in the month.