Machu Picchu sits at about 2,430 meters (7,970 feet) above sea level in Peru’s Sacred Valley, right where cold Andean air meets warm humidity rising from the Amazon basin. The result is a unique micro-climate that can shift dramatically within the same afternoon. Understanding the climate in Machu Picchu before you book is genuinely one of the most important parts of planning your trip and it is something that most travelers wish they had researched more thoroughly before they arrived.
The Machu Picchu climate does not behave the way most people from the United States expect it to. It is not about extreme heat or freezing cold. It is about rain and mist and altitude, and understanding how those three things interact is what separates a well-prepared traveler from a wet, surprised one standing in the middle of the ruins wondering why no one told them.
