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Cusco
has
a
temperate
climate
with
year
round
temperatures
fluctuating
between
14º
- 16ºC,
with
warm
days
and
cold
nights.
The
rainy
season
in
Cusco
is
from
December
to
March.
Machu
Picchu
has
a
semi-tropical
climate,
with
warm
and
humid
days
and
cold
nights.
The
rainy
season
in
Machu
Picchu
is
from
November
to
March,
so
be
prepared.
The
wet
months
are
January
to
April,
when
roads
are
often
closed
by
landslides
or
flooding.
The
best
months
for
visiting
Machu
Picchu
are
from
April
to
October.
The
Inca
Trail
begins
on a
zone
called
"Quechua":
This
zone
is
between
2300
-
3500
m
(7,500-11,500
ft)
and
its
weather
is
temperate
and
dry
with
temperatures
that
range
from
0
-21C
(32
-70F).
The
rainy
season
is
from
December
to
March.
The
rest
of
the
year
is
dry
or
even
parched
from
May
through
September.
This
region
is
widely
cultivated
and
essentially,
there
is
no
natural
plants
left.
Above
Wayllabamba,
there's
the
zone
called
"Suni"
or
"Jalca":
This
is
the
zone
between
3500
-
4000
m
(11,500
-
13,000
ft).
There
is
still
some
agriculture
possible
at
this
altitude.
Above
that
lies
the
"Puna"
which
is a
zone
from
4000
-
4800
m
(13,000
-
15,750
ft).
Its
weather
is
very
cold
with
frequent
frost.
It
is
mostly
grassland
with
a
type
of
grass
called
"Ichu"
and
the
area
is
used
for
grazing
camelids
like
Llamas
and
Alpacas.
Going
down
from
the
"Puna"
through
the
"Suni"
is
the
"Yunga
Fluvial":
which
are
inter-Andean
valleys
on
the
east
of
the
Andes
between
1000
-
2300
m
(7,500
-
3,300
ft).
These
valleys
have
a
moderate,
moist
climate
and
abundant
vegetation.
HEIGHTS
Cusco
City:
3,360
m.a.s.l.
Machu
Picchu:
2,400
m.a.s.l.
Urubamba
Valley:
2,850
m.a.s.l.
Inca
Trail
highest
point:
4,200
m.a.s.l.
Temperature
variation
in
Cusco
through
the
year

Rainfall
variation
in
Cusco
through
the
year

Map of Altitudes of the Inca Trail
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