Peru Weather and When to Go? Altitude Sicknes?

Peru Weather and When to Go?

Get to visit Peru, a very diverse country.

 Below article is for all people that wat to visit my country, "Peru, the Land of the Incas"

Peru can be visited all year round, but it all depends what do you want to do or visit

1. Summer is from December to March but, it is the rainy season on the highlands and the jungle. During February the Inca Trail is closed for tourists. In summer the beaches south of Lima are great. You can also go to the North of Peru and visit Mancora all year round, as it is close to the Equator and will be sunny.
2. It never rains in Lima, but it gets cold due to the humidity between June and August. It’s normally overcast with fog. If you go out of Lima towards the central mountains, you will find the sun about an hour away.
3. Most popular time to visit Cusco is between June and August, but the recommend time to visit is in April, May or September to October, just after and before the rainy season and the tourist crowds. If you do not mind the rain and are not doing the Inca trail, the highlands are beautiful green and flowery during the rainy season.
4. The sun is always out in the highlands, but it will be chilly in the afternoons and quite cold during winter at night. Dress  with clothing in layers (t shirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater, jacket) so you can "peel" them off as it gets warmer and put them back on when it gets colder. Bring a small backpack to carry your clothing and tourist apparel.

Our Country - Peru, the Land of the Incas

Altitude Sickness because of the weather and the Andes

What Causes Altitude Illnesses: The primary cause of altitude illnesses is going too high too quickly. Given time, your body can adapt to the decrease in oxygen at specific altitudes. This is known as acclimatization and generally takes 1 to 3 nights at a given altitude.  

Prevention of Altitude Illnesses: Prevention of altitude illnesses falls into two categories, proper acclimatization and preventive medications. Below are a few basic guidelines for proper acclimatization. Start below 10,000 feet (3,048 meters) and walk up, you can always check out with tour guide as well.

• Do not over-exert yourself or move higher for the first 24 hours.   
•  If you go above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), only increase your sleeping elevation by 1,000 feet (305 meters) per day and for every 3,000 feet (915 meters) of elevation gained, take a rest day.     
•  If you begin to show symptoms of moderate altitude illness, don't go higher until symptoms decrease     
•  If symptoms increase, go down, down, down!    
•  Keep in mind that different people will acclimatize at different rates. 
•  Stay properly hydrated.
•  Take it easy; don't over-exert yourself when you first get up to altitude.    
•  Avoid tobacco, alcohol and other depressant drugs including, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills.     
•  Eat a high carbohydrate diet while at altitude.  

  Preventive Medications  (requiring prescriptions):

• Diamox (Acetazolamide) changes acid balance which allows you to increase breathing and improve oxygen uptake - the same mechanism as in normal acclimatization , but  faster
• Dexamethasone (a steroid) is a drug that decreases brain and other swelling, helping to reverse the effects.