Peru in February: Weather, Crowds and Festivals

You hear the brass band two streets before you see it. Then the dancers turn the corner in Puno, masks with horns and bulging eyes, skirts spinning, boots stamping on wet pavement, and the crowd on the sidewalk presses back to give them room. The air at the lake is cold enough for a hat, and the music does not stop until long after dark.

Short answer: Yes, if you skip the Inca Trail. February is the one month the trail closes, but Machu Picchu stays open with the lowest crowds of the year and 12.8 in (324 mm) of rain. Cusco gets about 17 wet days, highs near 68°F (20.2°C). Puno hosts the Candelaria festival and Lima is in full summer.

February has a reputation problem. Travelers read that the Inca Trail is closed and assume Machu Picchu is too. It is not. February is the quietest month at the citadel, the month of the largest festival in the south of Peru, and peak beach season on the coast. You do need rain gear and a plan that leaves out the Classic Inca Trail. For the full year, read the best time to visit Peru, and for the citadel our guide to the best time to visit Machu Picchu.

Peru weather in February, region by region

February is still deep in the Andean rainy season and at the peak of the coastal summer. The table uses the SENAMHI 1991 to 2020 climate normals, Peru's official averages.

Peru in February: 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	68 / 20.2	46 / 7.5	5.0 / 126	about 17	Lowest of the year	Carnival weekends, valley in the morning
Machu Picchu	69 / 20.6	53 / 11.9	12.8 / 324	No official count	Lowest, 4,500 a day	Empty circuits, Inca Trail closed
Lake Titicaca (Puno)	60 / 15.7	43 / 5.9	5.7 / 145	No official count	Very busy in Candelaria weeks	Candelaria dance contests and parades
Lima	81 / 27.1	70 / 21.1	under 0.1 / 0.5	under 1 (drizzle)	Busy beach season	Beach and food in peak summer
Ica and Huacachina	91 / 33	66 / 18.7	0.1 / 2.2	almost none	Busy on weekends	Dunes and Ballestas

Cusco and the Sacred Valley in February

Cusco averages a high of 68°F (20.2°C) and a low of 46°F (7.5°C) in February, with 5.0 in (126 mm) of rain over about 17 wet days. The rhythm is the same as January. You get a usable morning, rain after lunch and shiny wet streets by evening. The valley is lush, the rivers run high and brown, and the Plaza de Armas belongs to locals again, with few tour groups crossing it.

Carnival comes to the Andes in February. In the weekends before Ash Wednesday, kids and teenagers in Cusco throw water balloons and spray foam at anyone in range, and visitors count as targets. For the next carnival, Ash Wednesday falls on 10 February 2027, so the main carnival days are 7 to 9 February 2027. Keep your phone in a zip bag and laugh when you get hit.

Machu Picchu in February

Machu Picchu in February averages 69°F (20.6°C) by day, 53°F (11.9°C) at night and 12.8 in (324 mm) of rain. The citadel is open every day, and the daily limit is the low-season 4,500 (as of the 2026 calendar, Ministerio de Cultura). February is the emptiest month of the year inside the site, partly because so many people believe it is closed.

Plan for cloud and showers. A mid-morning entry slot gives the cloud time to lift off the peaks, and a night in Aguas Calientes gives you a second morning if the first is fogged in. Trains run, usually as the bus and train service from Cusco, since PeruRail closes Poroy station from about January to April. Leave a buffer before any flight, because rain can delay trains.

The Inca Trail is closed in February

The Inca Trail network closes every February for maintenance, under its official regulation. For the current year, routes 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 closed from 31 January to 28 February and reopened on 1 March (as of January 2026, Andina, citing SERNANP). That includes the Short Inca Trail. The 2027 dates are usually announced in January. If you want to arrive on foot in February, the Lares trek does not use the trail network and runs in the wet season. Salkantay is a poor bet this month, since rain and snow can close its pass.

Lake Titicaca in February

Puno averages a high of 60°F (15.7°C), a low of 43°F (5.9°C) and 5.7 in (145 mm) of rain in February. That is wet, green and mild by altiplano standards. In the afternoon, watch from a hotel window as the storms cross the lake, with lightning over the water.

Virgen de la Candelaria, Puno

The Festividad de la Virgen de la Candelaria is the reason to be in Puno in February. The feast day is 2 February, and the celebrations fill the first half of the month, with about 40,000 dancers and 200 bands, according to Andina. The two big dance contests take place on consecutive Sundays at the Enrique Torres Belón stadium. One is for native dances, the other for the costume dances called trajes de luces, heavy with sequins and embroidery, and both are followed by parades through the city. UNESCO inscribed the festival as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. The 2027 program is published by the folklore federation of Puno, usually in January. Puno hotels sell out, so book early.

Lima and the coast in February

February is the warmest month in Lima, with highs of 81°F (27.1°C), nights of 70°F (21.1°C) and no rain to speak of. Ica and Huacachina reach 91°F (33°C). Beaches are full on weekends, and the desert is sunny every day. A coast and Andes trip makes sense this month: sun first, rain shell second.

Festivals and holidays in February

February has no national holiday. Its two big events are regional, the Candelaria in Puno and carnival across the Andes, both described above. Cajamarca, in the northern Andes, holds the best-known carnival in Peru on the same dates, though it sits far from the Cusco and Titicaca route.

Crowds and prices in February

February is the low point of the year in Cusco and at Machu Picchu. Trains, tickets and hotels are available two weeks out, and Cusco rates are low. Puno during the Candelaria is the exception, with full hotels and higher prices in the festival weeks. On the coast, beach towns are busy on weekends.

What to pack for Peru in February

• A good rain shell, rain trousers and a pack cover.
• Waterproof shoes or two pairs that dry fast.
• A zip bag for your phone during carnival.
• Summer clothes and sunscreen for the coast.
• A warm layer for Puno nights near 43°F (5.9°C).

Our Peru packing list has the rest.

A 7 to 10 day Peru itinerary for February

If you want the Candelaria, we suggest Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca in 8 days. You get Lima and the Paracas coast in summer, Cusco and Machu Picchu by train, then the lake with a night on Amantaní and a free day in Puno for the dancing. Without the festival, Peru in 7 days pairs the sunny coast with Machu Picchu. The Peru and Bolivia 10-day route ends on the Uyuni salt flat in mirror season, which our Uyuni guide explains.

Our packages that fit a February trip

Package	Days	Why it fits February	From (US$ per person)
Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca in 8 Days	8	Ends in Puno during the Candelaria weeks	US$1,097
Peru in 7 Days: Lima, Nazca, Cusco and Machu Picchu	7	Coast in summer, Machu Picchu without the trail	US$900
Peru and Bolivia in 10 Days, Machu Picchu to Uyuni	10	Uyuni mirror season	US$1,817
Lares Trek, 4 Days	4	A trek to Machu Picchu while the Inca Trail is closed	US$787
Machu Picchu by Train, 2 Days	2	Two mornings near the citadel	US$597

Send your February dates through the Get my free quote form, and a planner on our team in Cusco works out the train times and the Candelaria program before you pay.

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