Machu Picchu and Cusco: a practical guide to permits and planning

Booking tickets

You must book your tickets in advance. Specific lead times for these permits are not established in the provided data, but some popular tickets can sell out several weeks or months before the date, particularly between June and October.

Choosing your circuit

The site is organized into different itineraries. For a first visit, Circuit 2 is the recommended option because it requires less physical exertion. If you want to include a hike, you can choose Circuit 1A for Machu Picchu Mountain, Circuit 3A for Huayna Picchu, or 3D for Huchuy Picchu. The citadel consists of 172 constructions that span approximately 530 meters in length and 200 meters in width.

Timing your visit

You should plan your trip based on the seasonal weather. The dry season runs from May through September. If you travel between November and March, you will be visiting during the rainy season.

Transport and arrival

The citadel is located northwest of Cusco. Depending on the source, the distance is listed as either 74 kilometers or 80 kilometers. When you reach Aguas Calientes, you can use the Consettur bus to travel from the town up to the site.

History of the citadel

Built between circa 1450 and 1470, this 15th-century Inca citadel is believed to have served as an estate for the emperor Pachacuti. It is positioned on a mountain ridge in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru. Because of its historical and cultural importance, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Sources

[S1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu [S2] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cnMa-Sm9H4k, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cnMa-Sm9H4k [S3] https://www.voyageperou.info/en/machu-picchu/, https://www.voyageperou.info/en/machu-picchu/ [S4] https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu, https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu