So I started planning this Peru trip for April last year because my buddies kept raving about it. First step was figuring out the freaking weather. I mean, Peru’s got mountains, deserts, jungles—total chaos! Pulled up like 20 sites and chatted with my hostel-owner cousin in Lima. Key takeaway: pack like an onion. Layers save lives here. Mornings in Cusco? Freezing. Afternoons? Sunburn city.
The Crazy Weather Hunt
Checked April averages everywhere: coast, Andes, Amazon. Coastal Lima? Humid but not too hot—25°C-ish. Andes? Wildcard. Could be 20°C sunshine or 5°C hail. My backpack had:
- A puff jacket that squishes into nothing
- Rain poncho (got soaked in Huaraz anyway)
- Stupidly heavy hiking boots (worth it)
Pro tip: sunblock + hat is non-negotiable. That high-altitude UV hits different.
Places That Blew My Mind
First up, Machu Picchu. Obvious? Yeah. Still cried when I saw sunrise over the terraces. Took the train from Ollantaytambo—no way I was hiking after altitude sickness. Booked tickets months ahead, though.
Huacachina oasis: Imagine cartoon desert with palm trees. Rode dune buggies like a madman, sandboarded face-first. Ate ceviche in Ica afterward. Sand in my teeth for days.
The Rainbow Mountain: Looked photoshopped online. Real life? Even crazier. Drove 3 hours from Cusco at 4 am, huffed oxygen at 5,200m. Totally worth the headache.
Arequipa’s canyon: Colca Canyon, deep af. Saw condors doing acrobatics at dawn. Stayed with locals in a mud-brick hut. They fed me alpaca stew—weird but tasty.
Amazon bit near Iquitos: Flew into this jungle town. Boated down brown rivers, petted sloths, heard howler monkeys scream at night. Humidity melted my phone.
What Actually Went Down
Got scammed buying “authentic” textiles in Cusco (my fault for not haggling). Altitude pills made me pee every 10 minutes. Budget? Blew it on pisco sours. Would I go back? Hell yes—but maybe try the coast next April.
