Non Stop Family

When we start planning our vacations, there are always several factors that we have to consider during the process and, when the destination is Machu Picchu, we can guarantee that there will be the need of some prepare but, we can also guarantee that it will be worthy, because you can prepare yourself for one of the best experiences of your life.

When we became parents, our travel style had to change (not for worst, we consider that travel with our son is even better than before we became parents) and, after our child started school, the changes became more, because we had to deal with a bigger limitation in the periods that we could book our vacations and this has increased somewhat the difficulty in getting better prices, either by air travel or lodging. However, even taking into account the school days of our children, there is still a great possibility of marking our holidays and, within these possibilities, we always try to study our destiny, to see which season best fits our goals.

As we began to prepare our trip to Machu Picchu, one of the questions we posed was the need to choose what would be the best time of the year for us to make the trip and, we find out that there's a lot of factors to take into account, and that's what we propose to share with you in this post.

Climate

First of all, you have to consider perhaps the weather conditions on Machu Picchu and, the most the important factor of all, the rain.

Briefly, we can consider that there are two distinct climatic periods in Machu Picchu, the summer, which runs from November to March/mid-April, and the winter, when the rain is scarce, which runs from mid-April to October. Let's talk about those seasons and the ways that it can influence your trip to Machu Picchu.

Rainy season

Several people will ensure that they visit Machu Picchu during the rainy season and yet they have had a great experience, catching little or no rain during their visit, and this is quite possible. When it comes to the rainy season, it does not mean it rains every day, and all day long, and if you decide to go in this season, you can really have a great experience.

In addition to the possibility of having a day without rain, you are more likely to get good prices, both in terms of stays and plane flights, because when compared with the dry season the prices tend to be much cheaper.

Another reason that makes the trip even more interesting is the fact that, since many people avoid these months, it is also in it that you can have the possibility of seeing Machu Picchu with fewer visitors, which is always something much more pleasant and, there is still an extra factor that increases the desire to travel in these moments, which is the fact that with the rain, everything turns green and full of life, which gives an extra charm to the place.

A not so good factor is that in this season is when you will get more chances of finding more insects, because they tend to increase their number n the rainy season, so be careful about this issue. We advise you to read here our post about some safety ideas for your visit to Machu Picchu, especially if you travel with children.

An important issue linked to travel during the rainy season is the greater possibility of unforeseen events that are directly linked to high rainfall, such as interrupting roads, closed paths, some damage, something more difficult to occur in the driest season.

Dry season

Let's talk now about the dry season, which coincides with the winter in Machu Picchu, that goes from the middle of April until the end of October. If your desire is to visit Machu Picchu with little chance of catching rain, this is the time to go. Of course, in a subtropical climate, you can never be 100% sure that you will not catch rain but, especially after the beginning of May, the odds are really much lower and, even when rains, it tend to be for shorter periods than in rainy season.

The possibility of traveling at this time has this great attraction of being less likely to rain, which, in addition to making your visit more comfortable and pleasant, also contributes to increasing safety issues. The reason that we talk about that is that, as you will easily discover, strolling through Machu Picchu will take you through many ascents and descents that, with time and calm, are done in relative safety. However, its degree of difficulty tends to increase with heavy rains and the probability of accumulating mud, something that is rare during the dry season.

The great annoyance of traveling in the dry season is that most visitors tend to save their holiday for that period and it is when the larger crowds tend to check, so you will have greater difficulty in achieving moments of quiet during your visit.

It is also during these months that the tickets are more likely to be sold out, so it becomes even more important to buy the tickets to Machu Picchu in advance, and the same for the train tickets (learn more about this in our article about 20 things you should know when planning your trip to Machu Picchu).

Another disadvantage is that, contrary to what we refer to in the rainy season, the prices of air travel and stay tend to be higher, not just on Aguas Calientes but, in all Cusco area.

However, not every month is equally crowded. If you want to have less confusion during your visit and stay, usually in Cusco or in another nearby place located in the Sacred Valley, we recommend avoiding the months of July and August, which coincide with the academic vacation months of many children all over the world, and that are the months that most people tend to visit this special place.

Conclusions

When we talk about the best time of the year to visit Machu Picchu, we are not only referring to your visit to Machu Picchu, because like the vast majority of visitors, your visit will not only refer to Machu Picchu, but for sure you will also be seeking to explore all the riches that Sacred Valley has to offer.

Going in the rainy season, as we mentioned before, it may have some advantages but it can condition much of your trip and, until, not allow you to achieve some of your planned travel goals.

Traveling during the months of July and August offer much greater guarantees of visiting the whole area of Cusco in good weather, without rain, but it will also be the months in which you will probably have the highest prices for accommodation and flights, and where it will have to deal with larger crowds, so these are not the best months, in our opinion, to do this trip.

If you want to have good chances of having good weather conditions during your holidays, but not having so many crowds, May, June and September will probably be the months that offer the best odds of success.

April and October may be good travel possibilities too, but here the rainfall possibilities are still slightly higher than in the other winter months in Peru. Probably if you travel during the second half of April (we did it and had great weather) or, on the first half of October, you may catch a few rainy periods, but there is always some uncertainty about the weather during these days because they are transitional periods. However, rainy periods tend to be very short in these months.

We really hope that our ideas help you to prepare for your visit and if you are planning your trip to Machu Picchu, we always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.

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We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you have already visited Machu Picchu, let us know about your experience using our comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

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Machu Picchu was an old dream of the adults of our family, a dream that we have recently had the enormous privilege of discovering, and we strongly recommend to those who can visit, we promise you will have a wonderful experience.

Unless you decide to go to Machu Picchu through an agency, that will prepare for you your entire itinerary, you will find that organizing your trip to Machu Picchu will require a lot of preparation. We are obliged to say that this type of preparation is something which gives us great pleasure and ends up being a way to start traveling long before the departure date (if you are preparing your trip to Machu Picchu, here are our tips about 20 things to know before preparing your trip to Machu Picchu). In addition to the pleasure of all the preparation, we can not forget how much cheaper a trip can be when prepared by yourself compared to those bought by agencies. Not that we have anything against the travel agencies, we have traveled through several, but, increasingly, we try to organize our own itineraries.

The destination Machu Picchu is extremely familiar to many of us, but one of the questions we posed was whether this would be a safe trip to do with our son because, although we love to explore and know the world, something we always take into account in relation to any destination we select is about the security of it. With this concern, we do not mean that we are just looking for beach and hotel destinations, none of this (although we also, like it, we like everything that is related to traveling), but we want to be sure that we go to a place that offers us the necessary to be safe to our son.

In this way, we started a search about the security of the destination to kids, a search we did not consider very easy to perform, because the level of information we found on the internet was not much and sometimes it was not easy to find.

However, having gathered as much information we could, we made the decision to go and, of course, going there would have to be with our 7 year old son and it was the best decision we made, so when we are asked if this is a good trip to do with children, our answer is: Yes, definitely.

After the trip, we felt that it was truly an enriching experience for the whole family and that we felt it was our duty to convey to those who, like us, felt the need to feel more secure before embarking on this adventure. You don't need to be afraid of it, just prepare your trip properly and advance, you certainly will not regret it.

Safety tips to discover Machu Picchu with kids

Let's be honest and say that we know Machu Picchu in the "lazy" way, that is, through the train trip, instead of the more tiring but also a more spectacular possibility, to walk along the Inca Trail for 4 days.

Even if we did it the "lazy way", this phenomenal trip that we recommend a lot has the need of some preparation, so you can feel safe and, of course, to avoid taking any unnecessary risk.

Safety

One of the issues that worried us about Peru was associated with security, as several reports point to the existence of high crime rates and problems associated with internal conflicts. Fortunately, Machu Picchu, which is in the Cusco area, is relatively safe, and crime reports are usually small events, such as petty thefts. In this way, as long as you take the usual security measures when traveling to any destination, namely being very careful with your belongings, there is nothing to worry about.

Health

Health insurance: In addition to safety, another major issue that raises many concerns about a trip to a new country is directly related to health conditions. Although there is a national health system in Peru, it is most likely, if necessary, that you will be referred to a private service. In Cusco, they have good conditions but may be expensive, so that international health insurance is always advisable, and always make sure your insurance works with your destination.

Vaccines: It is not our intention to talk about the specific vaccines that you will need to have, although they may not be mandatory in Peru, they are highly recommended. Our main suggestion is that you always inform your doctor and, preferably, that you go to a traveler's consultation, that better than anyone else can advise you on the appropriate measures to take. Do not forget that some vaccines require a minimum amount of time before moving to your destination, so do not leave the doctor appointment for the last time. The main recommendations are generally linked to the prevention of tetanus, hepatitis A and B, and yellow fever. In Cusco, there is no concern about malaria, but once again our information is just that, this is an issue that requires the need for medical advice, especially for those who travel with children.

Altitude sickness: the altitude sickness (soroche as it is known by locals) is really one of the factors that causes fear to those who travel to Machu Picchu. Although Machu Picchu is about 2,400 meters above sea level, the real problem is when you land in Cusco, which is about 3400 meters and is the largest gateway in the Andes for anyone who wants to visit Machu Picchu, and where many people usually stay before visiting Machu Picchu, and also where many suffer the greatest consequences of altitude sickness.

The truth is that it may be impossible to prevent 100% the consequences of altitude sickness, however, there are measures that can greatly reduce the probability of experiencing any discomfort or help to overcome as soon as possible the symptoms that come to feel. Fortunately, in our case, the symptoms were almost null, so we highly recommend reading the article Altitude Sickness and Kids: How to prevent and help your child deal with altitude sickness.

Sun: Although we often find the sun shrouded in the area of Cusco, including Machu Picchu, the care taken with the sun is a factor that can not be ignored in any way. Do not forget that it is very close to the Equator, at more than 2000 meters of altitude, so the dangers associated with sun exposure are high. Do not forget that in Machu Picchu there will not be many shadows so you will have to take the necessary precautions. The first one is suitable clothing, in particular, the need to wear a sun hat, preferably with wide flaps. Another issue that can not be missed is the use of sunscreen that is appropriate for your child.

Repellent: Something that also becomes very important in your trip to Peru is an insect repellent. Believe me, when you go up to Machu Picchu, you will feel that this is indeed an essential tool. When you are preparing your trip, you will easily see several street vendors selling insect repellent and the reason is that there are indeed a lot of mosquitoes in Machu Picchu, it is not convenient to facilitate, so use repellent and, just like the sunscreen, there is a need to come back for it during your ride.

Food and Water

One thing we can promise, you will fall in love with Peruvian gastronomy. We loved it. However, we recommend that you take particular care with the water, we always drink bottled and even used it to wash our teeth. We also recommend special care with vegetables and fruits not disinfected, we only eat fruit after properly disinfected or, without the peel. As for the rest, enjoy, the food in Peru, it's really wonderful and, something that the locals take very seriously, and they have reasons for it because it's really great.

For your visit, it is forbidden to carry plastic bottles into Machu Picchu. The truth is that, from our experience, this is not a rule that is closely monitored and fulfilled, as we have seen several people drinking water from plastic bottles. However, since you never know when the rules may be applied more restrictively, what we recommend is that they carry reusable bottles, such as the camper style, as these are possible to use, do not forget that during your visit you will need to hydrate yourself often and especially your children. The sun is usually very strong, you will spend a lot of time walking, and with many ascents and descents of stairs, which increases the degree of difficulty and the need for water.

Proper clothing

Be prepared that the weather conditions in Machu Picchu can vary at a great speed. You can start the day with cold and rain, but after an hour you may be standing on a strong sun that burns your skin. In addition to the need to bring proper clothing to protect family members from rain, look for layered clothing so that, with the heat, you can remove them and be more comfortable. Again, do not forget to wear appropriate sun hats and, even if the day is cloudy and the sun is covered, to apply sunblock to the whole family, especially children.

Atmosphere conditions

This is another issue to think about when planning a trip to Machu Picchu with children, the weather conditions we will find, so we would like to tell you something about the weather conditions of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is in an area considered sub-tropical and although it can not be said that there are huge variations of temperature throughout the year, what is verified is that there are two distinct seasons, which are the rainy season and the dry season.

Of course most of us dream of visiting Machu Picchu on a beautiful sunny day but also dream of visiting being surrounded by the smallest possible number of visitors. Of course, it is always difficult to get the best of everything and many people risk going in the rainy season because, of course, they will be able to see this wonder of the world with fewer people but to visit with children, what we would recommend was to visit Machu Picchu at the time dry as it becomes much easier for children to make the most of the richness of this wonderful place as well as less dangerous as walking on Machu Picchu on the wet floor becomes slippery and more dangerous for children and adults.

The dry season runs from mid-April to October. Although it is hard to say with 100% certainty that you will not catch rain during this period, the odds are much lower.

Final considerations

Take it easy and, enjoy. Of course, when you arrive in Machu Picchu you will probably want to explore everything in your own way, but as we well know, when we are with our children, we have to adjust our times and respect the wishes and desires of our children. Machu Picchu is a fantastic place, enigmatic and, it is this sensation that we must pass on to our children, help them to make this the most wonderful experience ever, use your imagination and creativity to make this visit an adventure, let them imagine what it would be like if the Incas were still living there. One idea that usually helps to make these experiences even more interesting to kids is to give them a camera to his hands so they could do their photographic registration.

Something that also does not stop to marvel the children are the existence of lamas in Machu Picchu and, they are docile and they are very accustomed to the people, reason why it is possible to give them parties and, something that also becomes fun is the possibility of stamping your passport at the exit of Machu Picchu. Click here to discover how you can do it.

We can assure you that Machu Picchu is a wonderful experience to carry out with children, we loved it and so did our son. Of course we tried to make this experience the least tiring possible, so we felt that it would not be appropriate to carry out the Inca Trail and also did not go up from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu on foot, we chose to go by train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes and, from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu by minibus, so we made this trip the easier way.

If you are planning your trip to Machu Picchu, we always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog. Booking.com

We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you have already visited Machu Picchu, let us know what is your opinion and experience using our comments box. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

If you are planning your visit to Peru, here is a list of some of our destination-related posts that are sure to be very helpful in organizing your itinerary:

- 10 reasons why you should visit Lima
- 20 things you should know when planning your trip to Machu Picchu
- What is the Sacred Valley of the Incas? What to see in the Sacred Valley, Peru
- How to avoid the crowds in Machu Picchu
- How to visit the Rainbow Mountain in Peru? Things to know when planning your trip

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