Hello
I spent a month in peru and Bolivia a few years ago and I would say there isn't really a bad time of year to go - it's a very nice climate all year round.
It's true that conditions are very different between Lima and the mountains. Lima is on the coast and is close to the Equator so it is at least 20 degrees all year round and very hot (around 28-30 degrees) from December to April. In the mountains, the temperature is cooler by day and cold at night. I would wear plenty of layers in the mountains, as it can be hot when the sun is out and suddenly chilly when the sun is obscured by clouds. The mountains are a little more rainy in the winter while the coast is extremely dry all year round.
You can usually use dollars, so this might be simpler if you want to keep track of what you are spending. Food is very cheap, so you won't need much money, depending of course on where you eat. I'd say £20 a day should be enough for food and drink but you might want to spend more.
Altitude sickness doesn't affect everyone and isn't related to your age or how fit you are. The key is to spend time acclimatising so your body gets used to using less oxygen. Our holiday allows you to spend a couple of days in Cusco, which isn't quite as high as Macchu Picchu and helps avoid going to high altitudes too quickly. It's also an amazing place and was once the capital of the Incan empire. This NHS web page will tell you a bit more about altitude sickness:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Altitude-sickness/Pages/Introduction.aspx
I hope you decide to go to Peru - it's like nowhere else I've ever been.
Kind regards,
Olly, your editor
