Machu Picchu Tickets Official Announcement

Admission to Machu Picchu Official Announcement

The Peruvian Ministry of Culture (Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura), through an announcement made April 27, 2017 through the website machupicchu.gob.pe, informed all travel agencies, tourists and the general public that, beginning July 1, 2017 and for the next 2 years, entry to Machu Picchu will be in 2 shifts. The first shift enters beginning from 6:00 am and can remain in the citadel of Machu Picchu until 12:00 noon. A second group will then enter starting from 12:00 noon and can remain until 5:30 pm. Furthermore, this new regulation indicates that any visitor who wants to enter Machu Picchu must be carrying their Machu Picchu admission ticket, their official identification, and be ACCOMPANIED BY A TOUR GUIDE. In article 17.1, it states:

“To enter the Llaqta (Inka City) of Machu Picchu, visitors must have their admission ticket, their official identification document and must be accompanied by a tour guide to contribute to the protection of their physical integrity, especially in high-risk areas, and also to assist in the preservation of the cultural heritage and order of the touristic visit. PANM staff (Machu Picchu National Archeological Park) may require the ticket and/or identification inside the Llaqta of Machu Picchu.”

Speaking with a staff member in the Cusco office, they indicated that, indeed, beginning July 1, any tourist who wants to enter Machu Picchu by any means must do so with a tour guide. The guide will be responsible for entering and leaving with the tourist or tourists under their charge.

How to get a guide in Machu Picchu? At the entry gate to Machu Picchu, there are normally independent guides offering their services to accompany you in Machu Picchu. It’s just a matter of agreeing on the price of their service based on the number of people in your group, and you will be able to enter with no problem. Keep in mind that if you plan to climb Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu Mountain, usually these guides will only join you inside Machu Picchu. For them to go to either of the mountains might require an extra fee and might not even be within the guide’s services. That’s why we recommend making everything clear before hiring a guide. The price of a guide will vary, so you will be able to choose. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend any independent guide in particular.

Examples: If you have purchased admission to Machu Picchu only in the first group or shift (G1), you can enter Machu Picchu starting from 6:00 am and stay until noon, which would be your exit time.

If you have purchased admission to Machu Picchu only in the second group or shift (G2), you can enter Machu Picchu starting from 12:00 noon and leave by 5:30 pm.

If you bought entrance to Machu Picchu plus Huayna Picchu Mountain in the first group (G1) with admission to Huayna Picchu from 7:00 to 8:00 am, you can enter Machu Picchu starting from 6:00 am, and between 7:00 and 8:00 you can enter and climb Huayna Picchu Mountain. Going up and down takes 2 hours on average, leaving you with slightly more than 2 hours after coming back down from Huayna Picchu to explore Machu Picchu and leave.

If you purchased admission to Machu Picchu plus Huayna Picchu in the first group (G1) with admission to Huayna Picchu from 10:00 to 11:00 am, you can enter Machu Picchu starting from 6:00 am, explore Machu Picchu, and between 10:00 and 11:00 you will have time to enter and climb Huayna Picchu Mountain. Then, you will come back down Huayna Picchu and exit Machu Picchu.

If you bought entrance to Machu Picchu plus Machu Picchu Mountain in the first group (G1) with admission to the Mountain from 7:00 to 8:00 am, you can enter Machu Picchu starting from 6:00 am and climb the Mountain starting between 7:00 and 8:00. If you bought your admission with entrance to the Mountain from 9:00 to 10:00 am, you can enter Machu Picchu starting from 6:00 am and then enter the Mountain between 9:00 and 10:00. In this case, according to the new regulations: “The maximum return time from Machu Picchu Mountain for visitors who enter at both times is 3:00 pm.” It also states the following: “The average visit time between admission and exit from the control point of Machu Picchu Mountain is 4 hours. The departure time from the peak of the mountain is 1:00 pm. Visitors must register upon admission and exit at the control point.” In this case, buying admission to Machu Picchu Mountain would allow you to stay longer in the Inca City of Machu Picchu.

If you found this information valuable, please share it on social media, your website or blog so that more people can take it into consideration. You can read the regulations for sustainable use and tourism for the conservation of Machu Picchu in Sánish. Our main site: https://infocusco.net/