One of the top destinations that we have the opportunity to offer our clients is the beautiful country of Peru. Over the years, this country has become a very popular destination all over the world because of one of it’s world renowned UNESCO World Heritage sites: The Machu Picchu Citadel.
Machu Picchu was quite unknown until 1983. When the Citadel got the UNESCO World Heritages status the visitation of the Archaeological Site has grown significantly. People started getting curious about this site, and now it is one of the most famous places to visit in South America.
The Citadel has always had an entry regulation of 2500 tickets sold per day, but this doesn’t mean that there are just 2500 entries every day. There were several different tickets combinations that a person could buy. So 1 person with one ticket was able to visit the site twice a day, or a person with a Huayna Picchu ticket could wander around after their hike was done. Which means that the same person could go inside the park two times a day.
New Machu Picchu regulations will keep the number of people visiting this Inca Estate distributed evenly throughout the morning and afternoon. Even though this new regulation will affect the way our clients and the rest of the visitors arrange their trips, it will help to conserve the site for future generations enjoyment as well.
Now the part that is of interest to everyone: what does the new regulation policy say?
- The changes will apply starting July 1st, 2017.
- There will be 2schedules:
- From 6:00 am through 12:00pm (no re-entrance)
- From 12:00pm through 17:30 pm (no re-entrance)
- There will be 3 established circuits:
- Circuit #1: The classic; upper sector and long lower loop.
- Circuit #2 and #3: Mid and lower sector
- NO visitor will be allowed to enter without a certified Machu Picchu Guide.
- Huayna Picchu Hike and Machu Picchu Mountain Hike will still be available as an alternative hike.
Also, keep in mind the Do's and Don'ts at the Citadel:
-Do Take as many pictures as you want, but Don't bring your selfie stick, tripods or extensions for any camera or cell phone.
-Do store your big backpack at the lockers located at the entrance, Don't bring bag bigger than 15x13x7 inches (40x35x20 cm)
-Do wear comfortable shoes like sneakers or hiking boots, Don't wear high heels.
-Do bring your baby holder, Don't bring strollers of any kind.
-Do take pictures with the Llamas, but Don't feed them.
The Ministry of Culture, INRENA (National Institute of Natural Resources) and UGM (Management Unit of the Historic Sanctuary of Machupicchu) are the three entities in charge of creating and assessing all the regulations for the Machu Picchu Citadel, and although the regulations are starting on July 1st, 2017, they also mention that they will be flexible during the first year.
If you are traveling to Peru after July 1st, 2017, and you are visiting Machu Picchu please contact your travel consultant for more information about how would you like to manage your visit to the Citadel , and if you are planning to travel there in the future, take all those details into account while working with your agent.
