Since Covid, there have been some major changes to the way Machu Picchu vacations are conducted, and the routes are now mapped out specifically in order to protect the citadel while preventing the spread of the virus. As an ethical travel company, we want to explain everything you need to know about the different tickets and what they include, so you can relax and enjoy your tour of Cusco.
We want to help you explore the local Quechua community and experience a once-in-a-lifetime journey to Machu Picchu. Ecotourism and responsible travel to Peru is essential to sustain the local customs and culture.
The new rules to visit Machu Picchu are as follows;
There are four to tickets choose from:
- The Machu Picchu Solo ticket
- The Machu Picchu Mountain ticket
- The ticket that includes the Huayna Picchu mountain
- The ticket that includes Huchuy Picchu mountain
The Machu Picchu Solo ticket contains the option of either Circuit 1 or Circuit 2, whilst all the other tickets refer to one specific circuit. Following is a description of the individual circuits, which can also be viewed by maps!
First Ticket Option: Circuit of Machu Picchu’s Entrance Only
The basic ticket to visit most of the Inca citadels is the ‘Machu Picchu Solo’ ticket. You will have a choice of two circuits which allow you to visit the; Sacred Plaza, Temple of the Sun, Sacred Rock, Temple of the Three Windows, Temple of the Condor and Intihuatana. You will also be able to take a short walk to the much revered Inti Punku (Sun Gate) and the Inca Bridge, which belong to a separate part of the citadel. Both of these first two circuits allow the opportunity to take the classic postcard photo with Machupicchu in the background, but vary slightly in their routes.
Machu Picchu Circuit 1
This circuit allows you to visit the upper part and lower parts of the archaeological site. You will cover the main buildings, as well as the platforms and terraces in the highest part, where the classic “Machu Picchu postcard photo” can be taken. The tour lasts two hours and thirty minutes in total.
Machu Picchu Circuit 2
This circuit allows you to visit the upper and lower parts of the ruins, along with the optional routes to Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) and the Inca Bridge. It also includes the main constructions of the Inca citadel. The tour lasts between three and four hours, and you will be able to take the classic photograph with Machu Picchu mountain in the background.
Second Ticket Option: Machu Picchu with Mountain
The ‘Machu Picchu with Mountain’ ticket is the perfect ticket for a family hiking day-out! It allows you to hike to the top of the highest mountain in the surrounding citadel: the famously sacred Machu Picchu mountain. You will also be able to leave the City of Machu Picchu and re-enter.
In this re-entry, visitors can then take a tour of the main archaeological sites of Machu Picchu in Circuit 3.
Machu Picchu Circuit 3
This ticket travels through the terraces, Temple of the Sun, House of the Inka, Ceremonial Fountains, Hall of Mirrors, Temple of the Condor and other minor constructions. You will be able to reenter Machu Picchu, but you cannot follow the routes to the Casa del Guardian, or the hiking trails to Intipunku or the Inca Bridge, nor will you be able to take the “Machu Picchu postcard photo”. This circuit takes 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Third Ticket Option: Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu – a two-day visit
Would you like to do some hiking in Peru? The most popular ticket is the ‘Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu’ ticket, which includes hiking to the top of the Huayna Picchu mountain, as well as a tour through the Inca citadel. However, as with the Second Ticket Option, you will not be able to take the classic postcard photo with you and Machu Picchu in the background. We highly recommend splitting this trip over two different days, as Huayna Picchu is quite a trek. This allows one full day to summit the sister mountain of Huayna Picchu, and another day to enjoy the citadel of Machu Picchu.
After hiking to the top of Huayna Picchu, visitors can take an optional tour through the Temple of the Moon, which is also known as the Great Cavern.
Machu Picchu Circuit 4
– this ticket will allow you to visit the lower part of Machu Picchu. This is known as the urban section. Here, you will be able to appreciate incredible Incan constructions such as: Temple of the Condor, the Sacred Rock, Water Mirrors, Temple of the Three Windows, Temple of the Sun and more. This is a short circuit and takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Fourth Ticket Option: Machu Picchu circuit with Huchuy Picchu – also a recommended two-day visit
The Huchuy Picchu mountain is located next to Huayna Picchu (not currently mapped). The Ministry of Culture of Peru only recently opened this hiking trail to the top of this summit.
The entrance ticket that allows this walk is the ‘Machu Picchu with Huchuy Picchu’. This ticket also allows you to visit part of the constructions of Machu Picchu through Circuit 4 as above. You will not be able to take the classic Machu Picchu photo which you might want as a souvenir.
The entry point to Huchuy Picchu is the same checkpoint as the Huayna Picchu mountain, and the circuit through Machu Picchu is the same too (Circuit 4), although they are two distinct mountains. We recommend that this particular tour is taken over the course of two days, in order to really enjoy all the majesty available, although it is possible to complete the Huchuy Picchu mountain and Circuit 4 in one day.
Machu Picchu Circuit 5
This ticket will allow you to visit the lower part of Machu Picchu. This is known as the urban section. Here, you will be able to appreciate incredible Incan constructions such as: Temple of the Condor, the Sacred Rock, Water Mirrors, Temple of the Three Windows, Temple of the Sun and more. This is a short circuit and takes approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Final information about these new circuits in Machu Picchu:
- Only the first ticket (with the option of Circuit 1 or 2) allows you to take the classic Machu Picchu postcard. All the others do not.
- The Machu Picchu Solo ticket and the Machu Picchu with Huchuy Picchu have the same cost.
- The Machu Picchu ticket with Huayna Picchu and the Machu Picchu with Mountain have the same cost.
- The circuits must be traveled with a tour guide.
- The only ticket that allows you to leave and re-enter Machu Picchu is the ‘Machu Picchu with Mountain’ ticket.
All of our tours are run with the highest level of integrity so you can relax and enjoy your Peru vacation, knowing you are travelling in a sustainable way which contributes to the local culture. We hope you have found this information helpful and will join us in a conscious journey through this ancient city, contact us for more information.