June

MONTHLY OVERVIEW

What to Do

Let the festivities commence: June sees some of the most popular festivals taking place, and it’s a great time to come and experience the rich tapestry of culture here. Peru’s Incan history enlaced with strong influence from the Spanish colonial era, have united to establish colorful and incredible festivals.

A reminder to be respectful of the religious festivals but all of them are open for the enjoyment of locals, visitors, travelers, pilgrims etc.

Festivities

Inti Raymi (which is Quechuan for “Sun Festival”) is a religious festival of the Incan Empire that honors the dios Inti, one of the most esteemed and revered gods worshipped in the Incan religion. It is the commemoration and celebration of the winter solstice — which is annually the shortest day between sunrise and sunset and the Inca New Year – which is held on the same date June 24. The celebration takes place starting in the Plaza de Armas in the city before moving onto Sacsayhuaman for the main rituals & festivities.

Quyllurit’i (In Quechuan: quyllu rit’i, quyllu – bright white, rit’i – snow – “bright white snow,”) is a very spiritual festival that takes place every year in the Sinakara Valley, in the southern region of Cusco. The indigenous people of the surrounding Andean communities know this anniversary as a native celebration of the constellations above. They are festivities of the reappearance of the Pleiades constellation, known in Quechua as Qullqa, or “storehouse,” and is in conjunction with the imminent harvest and New Year. The Pleiades disappears from view in April and reappears in June.

This holy pilgrimage and event takes place in the latter part of May or early June and coincides with the cycle of the full moon. It normally occurs a week before the Christian feast of Corpus Christi. Events typically include processions of holy icons and dances in and around the shrine of the Lord of Quyllurit’i.

Many hundreds & thousands of people will kneel down to greet and welcome the first rays of light as the sun rises above the horizon. The main event for the Church is carried out by Ukukus, mythical demigods who ascend & climb the glaciers that rise over Qullqipunku mountain, they then return bearing large wooden crosses and giant blocks of ice to place along the road to the shrine.

Sacred Valley Climate Conditions

June, the first month of the winter, in Urubamba, is still a mild month, with average temperature fluctuating between 2.1°C (35.8°F) and 13.5°C (56.3°F).

Temperature

In Urubamba, the average high-temperature in June is almost the same as in May – a still moderate 13.5°C (56.3°F). In June, the average low-temperature is 2.1°C (35.8°F).

Humidity

In June, the average relative humidity is 69%.

Rainfall

The month with the least rainfall is June when the rain falls for 6.2 days and typically collects 8mm (0.31″) of precipitation.

Snowfall

February through September are months with snowfall in Urubamba. In June, in Urubamba, it is snowing for 0.6 days. Throughout June, 1mm (0.04″) of snow is accumulated. In Urubamba, during the entire year, snow falls for 6.8 days, and aggregates up to 20mm (0.79″) of snow.

Daylight

With an average of 11.3h of daylight, June has the shortest days of the year in Urubamba.

Sunshine

In Urubamba, the average sunshine is 7.5h.