Peru in April: Weather, Crowds and Festivals

You stand at the rim of the Maras salt ponds in the late-morning sun, and the white terraces drop away below you into a valley that is still green from the rains. A worker in rubber boots rakes salt in one of the pools. Somewhere behind you a cloud lets go of a short shower, and ten minutes later the sky is clear again.

Short answer: Yes, it is one of our favorite months. April is the change of season: Cusco rain drops to 1.3 in (33 mm) over about 7 days, highs near 70°F (20.9°C), and Machu Picchu is green with the low-season cap. Lima is warm and mostly sunny. Crowds are low, except at Easter in years when it falls in April.

April is the month we suggest to travelers who hate lines and want both green hills and dry trails. The rainy season is ending, the June crowds are two months away, and every trek is open. The catch is that early April can still feel like March. Here are the numbers by region, the dates to check and a route from our packages. For the whole year, read the best time to visit Peru, and for the citadel month by month, our guide to the best time to visit Machu Picchu.

Peru weather in April, region by region

In April the Andes dry out fast and the coast begins to cool. The table uses the SENAMHI 1991 to 2020 climate normals, and the drop is plain to see: Cusco rain falls by two thirds from March to April.

Peru in April: weather, crowds and what to do by region

Place	High (°F / °C)	Low (°F / °C)	Rain (in / mm)	Rain days	Crowds	What to do
Cusco and the Sacred Valley	70 / 20.9	40 / 4.4	1.3 / 33	about 7	Low, busy at Easter	Rainbow Mountain season starts, green valley
Machu Picchu	71 / 21.5	53 / 11.7	7.2 / 184	No official count	Low, 4,500 a day	Green terraces, Inca Trail open
Lake Titicaca (Puno)	60 / 15.7	39 / 4	2.0 / 51	No official count	Low	Harvest season on the islands
Lima	76 / 24.6	66 / 18.8	under 0.1 / 0.1	under 1 (drizzle)	Medium	Last sunny weeks, food
Ica and Huacachina	89 / 31.9	60 / 15.5	under 0.1 / 0.2	almost none	Medium	Dunes without the summer heat

Cusco and the Sacred Valley in April

Cusco averages a high of 70°F (20.9°C) and a low of 40°F (4.4°C) in April, with 1.3 in (33 mm) of rain over about 7 days. Most days are sunny, with big white clouds drifting over the hills and a shower now and then. Nights get colder through the month as the dry season settles in, so the jacket you left in the suitcase in March comes out after dinner.

April is the start of Rainbow Mountain season. Our own Rainbow Mountain page names April to October as the best season, with clearer skies than the wet months, though snow on the ridge is still possible early in the month. The Sacred Valley stays green, which makes April the month for photos of Moray and the Maras salt ponds with color around them.

Machu Picchu in April

Machu Picchu averages 71°F (21.5°C) by day and 53°F (11.7°C) at night in April, with 7.2 in (184 mm) of rain, about half of March. The low-season limit of 4,500 a day applies, with 5,600 on Easter days when Easter falls in April (2 to 5 April in the 2026 calendar). In 2027 Easter is in March, so April 2027 should be quiet all month, but the 2027 calendar was not published when we checked.

Poroy station usually reopens around the end of April or in May. For the current year, PeruRail resumed trains from San Pedro and Poroy on 1 May 2026. Until then the bus and train service runs from Cusco. Book tickets and the train two to three weeks ahead, and more for Huayna Picchu.

The Inca Trail in April

The Inca Trail in April is one of our favorite combinations. You walk through green cloud forest, pass waterfalls on day 3, and the trail dries a little more every week, while permits are still available a few weeks out. Nights at Pacaymayo get colder, so pack the warm sleeping bag. The Inca Trail permits guide explains how to book. Salkantay and Lares are open too, with less mud than in March.

Lake Titicaca in April

Puno averages a high of 60°F (15.7°C), a low of 39°F (4°C) and 2.0 in (51 mm) of rain in April, less than half of March. The lake is full and calm. On Taquile and Amantaní the families are bringing in the harvest from their terraced fields, and the nights are getting colder, though on average they do not yet drop below freezing.

Lima and the coast in April

Lima in April averages 76°F (24.6°C) by day and 66°F (18.8°C) at night, warm and mostly sunny, with the first gray mornings at the end of the month. Ica is still hot at 89°F (31.9°C). April is a good month for the desert, sunny without the January heat.

Festivals and holidays in April

Easter, when it falls in April

Easter moves every year. In 2027 it falls in March, so April 2027 has no national holiday. In 2028 Easter falls on 16 April, and Holy Week returns to April that year, with Holy Monday in Cusco on 10 April 2028 and the procession of the Señor de los Temblores around the Plaza de Armas. Holy Thursday and Good Friday are national holidays every year.

Without Easter, April is an ordinary working month in Peru, with no festival that changes travel plans. For a quiet trip, that is part of the appeal.

Crowds and prices in April

April is one of the quietest months of the dry-ish season. Trains, hotels and tickets have space two to three weeks out, and Cusco hotels are still on low-season rates. The exception is Easter week in years when it falls in April, when Peruvian families travel and Cusco fills.

What to pack for Peru in April

• A light rain shell for the last showers.
• A warm layer for Cusco nights near 40°F (4.4°C) and colder Puno nights.
• Gloves and a hat for Rainbow Mountain at dawn.
• Sunscreen and sunglasses.
• Insect repellent for Aguas Calientes.

The full list is in our Peru packing list.

A 7 to 10 day Peru itinerary for April

For April our pick is Peru in 9 days with two Andes hikes. It covers the coast and the Nazca Lines, Cusco and Machu Picchu by train, then Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lake just as the skies clear. With a week, Peru in 8 days keeps Rainbow Mountain and drops Humantay. Hikers should look at the Classic Inca Trail, since April permits are still easy to find.

Our packages that fit a April trip

Package	Days	Why it fits April	From (US$ per person)
Peru in 9 Days with Two Andes Hikes	9	Rainbow Mountain and Humantay as skies clear	US$1,660
Peru in 8 Days with Rainbow Mountain	8	One week with Rainbow Mountain	US$1,190
Classic Inca Trail, 4 Days	4	Green trail, permits still available	US$797
Machu Picchu and Humantay Lake in 6 Days	6	Cusco base with two mountain days	US$1,028
Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca in 8 Days	8	Lake Titicaca as it dries out	US$1,097

Send your April dates through the Get my free quote form, and a planner on our team in Cusco checks whether Easter falls in your week before you pay.

Planning around a different month? Read our guides to Peru in March and Peru in May, or compare every month at once in the best time to visit Peru.