A Complete Peruvian Packing Guide

I did a lot of research around a complete Peruvian packing guide and still found some things to be a bit surprising on my trip to Peru. Here you’ll find details about packing for a September trip to Peru.

My husband and I recently celebrated our 1^st wedding anniversary in Peru in mid-September. Peru’s weather is vastly different from the weather we’re used to in the Northeastern part of The United States. They have two distinct seasons, the wet and rainy Summer, and the dry Winter. May until September is considered their dry Winter season, characterized by consistent weather, sun, and clear skies. Although this is all just general information about Peru, you can continue reading to find details about the different areas of Peru and what to expect if you’re traveling in September.

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Climatic Regions

Peru has three very different climatic regions. The coast, the highlands, and the Amazon rainforest. You’ll find that as you travel between these regions you’ll need different items for your trip. Below I’ll explain the regions and what you can expect.

The Coast

The largest coastal city is Lima, where in September you will find temperatures in the low 70s Fahrenheit (21 Celsius) during the day and high 50s Fahrenheit (10 Celsius) at night. It is overcast and fogging most of September due to the high humidity.

The Highlands

You will find that the highlands are dry and sunny, a nice change from the coast. September is a great time to see Machu Picchu as you are more likely to have a nice sunny day. However, the temperatures can drop down below the 50s at night.

The Amazon

Although we did not have the chance to explore the Amazon, we did learn that it is always hot and wet, with temperatures between 68-86 degrees Fahrenheit (20-30 Celsius) all year round.

These distinct regions can cause an interesting packing list. You’ll find below my suggestions for the perfect Peruvian Packing Guide.

What to Pack and What to Leave Behind

Clothes

I would recommend packing light layers for a September trip to Peru. Depending on which part you are in and what activities you are doing for the day it can help to have items to put on and take off. I found that during some of our walking tours, I could take my hoodie or jacket off and be comfortable in a short-sleeved t-shirt or light long-sleeved shirt. At night and sitting in restaurants it helped to have a light jacket with me.

I found that Lima had an unexpected nightlife that I was not quite ready for. I was able to wear a cute pair of shoes, jeans, and a simple blouse and fit in but could have gotten away with a more fun nighttime outfit. My leather jacket would have been perfect for a night out in Lima.

I didn’t take a heavier coat with me and I’m glad I didn’t, it didn’t get cool enough to need a coat. We were also walking everywhere, so we were working up a sweat. And while we’re on the subject of walking, we should talk about shoes. I highly recommend taking two pairs of broken-in and comfortable walking shoes. Personally, I like to be able to switch up my shoes so that I’m not always walking in the same pair, I find that this helps prevent blisters.

I also didn’t take any shorts with me, and I didn’t find that I ever needed them. It’s cool enough that I was comfortable in jeans, leggings, or cargo pants the entire trip. I’m not a normal cargo pants-wearing type of person, but I did really love having the extra space to carry low-blood sugar snacks or throw my phone into.

Toiletries

You’ll read everywhere that public toilets in Peru do not have toilet paper. I was very nervous about this and bought individually packaged wet wipes for the trip. We found in most places you could pay 1 Sol (equivalent to 27 cents) for toilet paper. However, most places we were in were restaurants, hotels, or places we were touring, not necessarily public bathrooms. We didn’t run into this issue as often as other websites made it seem. I did like having the wet wipes on us for other things but don’t be as frightened about the bathroom situation as I was.

If you are planning to see Machu Picchu in the morning, you should be fairly okay when it comes to bugs. If you are touring in the afternoon this is when the bugs start to come out and you’ll want either bug spray or bug bands which I highly recommend.

Given my susceptibility to illnesses such as seasickness, I anticipated a similar vulnerability to altitude sickness. Consequently, I took proactive measures and conducted thorough research on altitude sickness. With foresight, I commenced a regimen of altitude sickness supplements four days prior to our departure for Peru. Despite experiencing a diminished appetite during the vacation, I fared significantly better than my husband, who opted not to take any precautions against altitude sickness.

Other Must-haves

Below you’ll find the link for my new favorite travel water bottle. I don’t like having my hands full while I’m trying to take pictures and explore a new destination, so I bought a water bottle with a convenient carrying strap. Additionally, you can also take the bottle out and put a disposable plastic bottle in the carrier if you choose. This is convenient for Peru since it’s not recommended to drink their tap water.

You should know, since I did not find this in my research, there is a hot spring near Machu Picchu. If you have time after your tour, I suggest bringing a bathing suit and checking it out. We didn’t learn this information until the end of our day, but we would have liked to see it.