How to plan a trip to Peru’s MACHU PICCHU

It used to be that you could visit Machu Picchu more than once on the same ticket – entering the Incan ruins at daybreak and then circling back around to see the afternoon sun cast its light on different facets of the jagged landscape and its 500-year-old relics. You could also come without a guide, following your curiosity or a stray alpaca around the expansive grounds. But no matter how you went, lots of planning was required – typically through third parties who controlled the ticketing systems and imposed on it a web of opaque rules and regulations.

The ability to visit without a guide and enter multiple times are both long gone – ditched years ago in an effort to curb excessive foot traffic and bad behavior.

But now there’s good news. As Peru’s

tourism industry attempts to recover after an extended post-pandemic lull, the country is trying to make the process of visiting the site easier and more transparent. A state-run ticketing website is in the works for all Machu Picchu visits, and the Peruvian government is also increasing the number of daily visitors allowed entry into the Inca citadel. Officials say the plan is slated to roll out by April. In addition, new circuits introduced in 2021 split the site into four separate walking paths to help prevent overcrowding.

The changes come at a delicate time. While neighboring countries such as Colombia and Brazil are setting new tourism records, Peru remains stuck at 60% of its pre-pandemic international visitation levels. And while Machu Picchu is a main tourism driver to the country, it may