Peru in December: Weather, Crowds and Festivals

It is the morning of 24 December in Cusco's Plaza de Armas, and the stones are covered in blankets. On them sit hundreds of Christ child figures, clay nativity scenes and woven cloth, and the artisans who made them are still unpacking boxes in the cold. By three the clouds come over the hills and the first drops hit the plastic covers. By then you are inside with a cup of hot chocolate.

Short answer: Yes, if you can live with afternoon rain. December is rainy season in the Andes: Cusco averages 4.5 in (115 mm) of rain over about 17 days, highs near 70°F (20.9°C), and Machu Picchu 10.8 in (275 mm). Lima is sunny at 74°F (23.1°C). Crowds stay low until Christmas week, then rise to 30 and 31 December.

December is the most searched month in this series, and the honest answer is that it suits some travelers and frustrates others. If you want a green, quiet Machu Picchu, Christmas in a Catholic and Andean city and beach weather in Lima, December is a good choice. If you want a long trek with views every day, it is the wrong month. Here are the numbers, the dates and a route built from our real packages. For the whole year at once, read the best time to visit Peru, and for the citadel alone our guide to the best time to visit Machu Picchu.

Peru weather in December, region by region

Peru in December is summer on the coast and rainy season in the mountains. The SENAMHI 1991 to 2020 climate normals in the table show the split: almost no rain in Lima and Ica, several inches a month in Cusco, Puno and Machu Picchu.

Cusco and the Sacred Valley in December

Cusco in December averages a high of 70°F (20.9°C), a low of 44°F (6.9°C) and 4.5 in (115 mm) of rain over about 17 wet days. Few of those days are gray from start to finish. The usual rhythm is a bright morning, clouds piling up over the mountains by noon, then rain from mid-afternoon into the evening. Nights are milder than in the dry season, with no frost.

Where people go wrong is the day trips. Rainbow Mountain in December often sits inside cloud, and the colors fade when the ground is wet. The Sacred Valley, Moray and Maras, the Cusco ruins and the city museums all work well. Leave one afternoon in your plan open for a rain day, and spend it in a museum or a café on San Blas.

Machu Picchu in December

Machu Picchu in December averages 70°F (21.2°C) by day and 54°F (12°C) at night, with 10.8 in (275 mm) of rain, one of the wettest months of the year. The citadel is open every day, with entry slots from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The daily limit is the low-season 4,500 until 29 December, then 5,600 on 30 and 31 December (as of the 2026 calendar, Ministerio de Cultura).

What you get in return is the light. On many mornings cloud fills the Urubamba gorge at dawn and peels off Huayna Picchu between 9 and 10 a.m., and the terraces underneath are bright green. Take a mid-morning entry rather than the first one, carry a rain shell (umbrellas are banned inside), and wear shoes with grip, because the stone steps get slick. The trains run normally in December. PeruRail usually closes Poroy station from about January to April and runs a bus and train service from Cusco instead.

The Inca Trail in December

The Inca Trail is open in December, and it is wet: muddy campsites, slippery steps and cloud sitting on Dead Woman's Pass. Book it if you have done rainy treks before. Permits are easier to get than for May to August, as the Inca Trail permits guide explains. Our Salkantay trek page warns that rain and snow can close the 15,190 ft pass from December to March, so we do not recommend Salkantay this month.

Lake Titicaca in December

Puno averages a high of 63°F (17.2°C) and a low of 42°F (5.6°C) in December, with 3.4 in (88 mm) of rain. The shores are greener and the air milder than in winter, and the storms build in the afternoon. Take the Uros and Taquile boat in the morning, while the water is calm. If your route continues to Bolivia, December is the edge of the Uyuni mirror season: rain starts to cover the salt flat late in the month, according to National Geographic, but a full mirror is more likely from January.

Lima and the coast in December

December is the start of summer on the coast. Lima averages 74°F (23.1°C) by day and 65°F (18.4°C) at night with practically no rain, and the gray winter sky is gone most days. Ica and Huacachina reach 88°F (31°C). A Peru trip in December often means sunscreen in Lima and a rain shell in Cusco in the same week, and that mix is why Peru in 7 days works well this month.

Festivals and holidays in December

Santurantikuy, 24 December, Cusco

Santurantikuy, Quechua for buying saints, is the Christmas Eve craft fair in the Plaza de Armas of Cusco. More than a thousand artisans lay out figures of the Christ child, nativity scenes, ceramics and textiles on 24 December, according to Andina, and the fair was declared Cultural Heritage of the Nation in 2009. Go in the morning, before the afternoon rain and the evening crowd.

Christmas and New Year

8 December (Immaculate Conception), 9 December (Battle of Ayacucho) and 25 December are national holidays. Christmas is a family celebration, with hot chocolate and panetón shared on Christmas Eve. New Year's Eve packs the Plaza de Armas of Cusco, which is why Machu Picchu returns to its high-season limit on 30 and 31 December.

Crowds and prices in December

From 1 to about 20 December, Peru is quiet. Trains have seats, you can choose your hotel, and the citadel has room. From Christmas to New Year it flips. Peruvian families travel, Americans on holiday arrive, and hotel rates in Cusco and Aguas Calientes climb. For travel between 22 December and 2 January, book trains, tickets and hotels at least two months ahead.

What to pack for Peru in December

• A breathable rain shell and a pack cover, used almost every afternoon in the Andes.
• Waterproof or quick-dry shoes with good grip.
• Light clothes, sunscreen and a hat for Lima and the desert.
• A fleece for Cusco and Puno evenings.
• Insect repellent for Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes.

The rest is in our Peru packing list.

A 7 to 10 day Peru itinerary for December

For December we suggest Peru in 7 days. You get two days on the sunny coast with the Ballestas Islands and the Nazca Lines flight, then Cusco, the Sacred Valley and a night in Aguas Calientes before Machu Picchu. With 10 days, Peru in 10 days at an easier pace adds slack days in Cusco that soak up a rainy afternoon. If Christmas in Cusco is the reason for the trip, build it around Machu Picchu and Cusco in 4 days and stay in the city on 24 December for Santurantikuy.

Send your December dates through the Get my free quote form, and a planner on our team in Cusco confirms what is still open for Christmas week before you pay.

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