Machu Picchu New Rules in 2024

Machu Picchu New Rules in 2024

UPDATE: Machu Picchu ticket prices are set for 2024. Also park staff installed 28 video cameras throughout the sanctuary and will soon implement a comprehensive monitoring system to control visitor traffic to prevent bottlenecks. Five turnstiles are being installed for smoother access to various circuits within the park.


Machu Picchu Rules in Brief

Infographic: Machu Picchu Rules

The actual Official list of Machu Picchu Regulations is lengthy, but here are the basics:

  • Do not lean on or climb the walls or megalithic structures
  • No Drones
  • No Umbrellas
  • No smoking or vaping
  • Do not hop, jump, dance or cause a disturbance
  • No heels or hard-sole shoes
  • No weapons
  • No illicit drugs

  • No food or drink (Water is allowed, but not in disposable plastic bottles)
  • No Selfie Sticks or Tripods
  • No trekking poles with metallic or hard tips (Canes and poles are allowed for use by elderly people or people with obvious physical handicaps, and in general as long as they have rubber tips)
  • No music

For a comprehensive listing of Machu Picchu Rules click HERE


Vacation Packages Featuring Machu Picchu:


View of Huayna Picchu peak from Machu Picchu in the late afternoon light
Classic Cultural Peru

Machu Picchu, Cusco, Titicaca, Nazca, Lima, Paracas, Arequipa & Colca
14 Days / from $2,004


Fertur Peru Travel client on the final morning hiking the Inca Trail about to arrive Machu Picchu
Inspiration Inca Trail

Lima, Titicaca, Cusco, Machu Picchu & Classic 4-Day Inca Trail
11 Days / from $1,675


New Rules at Machu Picchu Includes a 4-hour Visitor Time Limit

“Machu Picchu rules 2024, four-hour time limit… seriously?” Yes. To preserve one of the Wonders of the World and ensure a quality experience for visitors from every corner of the globe, Peru’s Ministry of Tourism and External Commerce (Mincetur) on January 1, 2019, implemented new rules at Machu Picchu.


What ID or documentation must I bring to enter Machu Picchu

You absolutely MUST bring your passport and the information must correspond to the personal information on your entry ticket. You’ll have to present your valid University or College photo ID if you have purchased the discounted Student Entry Ticket. (Note: This discount is only available to undergraduate students under 25 years of age who have a valid student ID card issued by the university or college.)


How long can I stay in Machu Picchu?

Machu Picchu rules dictate that tourists will be strictly limited to four hour stays. Most visitors really don’t spend more than four hours exploring the archaeological site, on average, anyway. Officials need to exercise more control over the amount foot traffic at any given time to preserve the Inca sanctuary.


When can I go in Machu Picchu?

Machu Picchu diagram map with points of interest numbered from 1 to 13

Machu Picchu Points of Interest:

  1. Guardhouse
  2. Agricultural Zone
  3. Main Gate
  4. West Agricultural Zone
  5. Temple of the Three Windows
  6. Intihuatana
  7. Main Plaza

  1. Sacred Rock
  2. Royal Enclosures
  3. Temple of the Condor
  4. Fountains
  5. Tower
  6. “Qollca” Storage Houses

The new regulations mandate three daily shifts: one in the early morning (6 am to 9 am), one in the late morning (9 am to 12 pm), and one in the early afternoon (12 pm to 3 pm). Within these three shifts, tourists must sign up to enter at a certain hour (7 am, 1 pm, etc). This helps not only to regulate the number of visitors in the Inca Sanctuary at any given time, but also to standardize the schedule to minimize wait times outside the ruins and ensure social distancing.

Besides choosing an entry time when you buy your general entry ticket, you must also decide on which of the four established circuits you will take through the sanctuary.


Inca Trail hikers’ access to Machu Picchu

Since June 16, 2022, trekkers who enter Machu Picchu from the Inca Trail through the Inti Punku (Sun Gate) have not had access to the upper terraces or shrines of the citadel. They are limited to the lower terraces and shrines included in Routes 3 and 4. Also, for hikers of the longer Classic Inca Trail, once they exit the sanctuary, they cannot re-enter. Hikers of the Short Inca Trail, starting at KM 104, may re-enter Machu Picchu the following day. For all Inca Trail trekkers who want to return to Machu Picchu and explore the most interesting shrines of the upper portion of Machu Picchu must purchase the additional entry ticket.

How crowded is Machu Picchu?

Starting in 2024, the absolute daily cap of 4,044 people per day will increase to 4,500, and up to 5,600 per day for “specific dates” during the high season in June, July and August. Officials are evaluating increasing that figure to 5,940 people, which would mark a return to the pre-pandemic visitor limits, when 600 visitors were allowed to enter during each hourly interval. That would permit up to 2,400 people in the ruins at a given time throughout the day.

On October 28, 2022, Peru’s government repealed the State of Emergency, lifting all COVID-19 restrictions that had been in effect for 2 years, 7 months and 12 days.

The prolonged closure of Machu Picchu during 2020 and drastic restrictions on international travel during the pandemic have had some profound impacts:

Infographic of annual Visitor Totals at Machu Picchu from January 1997 through August 2023, broken down by foreign and domestic tourists. Source: MINCETUR

How much do Machu Picchu entrance tickets cost?

Here are the 2024 entry fees for Machu Picchu routes in Peruvian Soles (S/.):

Machu Picchu Citadel - Circuit 1, 2, 3 or 4
a) General Rate – Entry ticket S/.172
b) Student Rate – Document proving status S/.86
c) Child Rate S/.43
Alternative Routes to Machu Picchu Citadel - Circuit 4 of Machu Picchu Citadel + Waynapicchu Mountain
a) General Rate S/.221
b) Student Rate S/.111
c) Child Rate S/.55
Circuit 4 of Machu Picchu Citadel + Huchuypicchu Mountain
a) General Rate S/.172
b) Student Rate S/.86
c) Child Rate S/.43
Circuit 1 or 2 of Machu Picchu Citadel + Inka Bridge Alternative Route
a) General Rate S/.172
b) Student Rate S/.86
c) Child Rate S/.43
Circuit 3 of Machu Picchu Citadel + Machupicchu Mountain
a) General Rate S/.221
b) Student Rate S/.111
c) Child Rate S/.55
Circuit 3 of Machu Picchu Citadel + Intipunku Alternative Route
a) General Rate S/.172
b) Student Rate S/.86
c) Child Rate S/.43

The child rate applies to kids 3 to 17 years of age. Children under 3 get in for free.
Special Rate: 50% discount applies to people 60+ years old and people with disabilities.


You might also like : Machu Picchu Guide 2024: Everything You Need To Know


Do changes have any effect on the best season to visit Machu Picchu?

Weather-wise, June through August is the optimal time to go, with April, May, September and October as a close second. November through January is wetter but for most visitors it’s still an amazing experience. February is often so rainy that it’s permanently designated as the month the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is closed for maintenance.

The objective of spreading visitors out at Machu Picchu to improve everyone’s experiences loomed large long before the pandemic caused a dramatic decrease in visitor totals.

Before Covid-19, plans were taking shape to incentivize Peruvian visitors to explore some of Peru’s other numerous attractions during peak season to make way for foreign visitors. Development of those alternative sections is back on track.

New Machu Picchu Routes: Inkaraqay & Eastern Terraces

Two additional access routes into Machu Picchu are in the works to help disperse visitors over the full expanse of the Machu Picchu national park.

A new trek route through the Inkaraqay ruins on the far side of Huayna Picchu

The first would offer a challenging high-adrenaline adventure trek through the Inca temple ruins of Inkaraqay, on the nearly vertical northeastern slope of Huayna Picchu.

The trek would begin by crossing the Vilcanota River at Km. 117 to begin an arduous journey of approximately five to six hours, not including time spent exploring the ruins atop Huayna Picchu. The trek would wend round the iconic peak to the Temple of the Moon and culminate in the Machu Picchu citadel, entering the sanctuary at the Sacred Rock.

The other new option is a gentler trail. It would start several hundred meters from Puente Ruinas, near the Mandor Gardens, before a short, but steep, ascent up to and through the Andenes Orientales (Eastern Terraces).

Machu Picchu Photography

Similar to the stairs that bisect the switchback Hiram Bingham road to the current main entrance, this alternative route would take between 90 minutes and two hours to reach the citadel. It leads into the Machu Picchu citadel at the Temple of the Condor.

It remains to be seen what measures the Ministry of Culture might dust off and implement to diversify the number of touristic offerings around the site.

Study and debate will probably resume about the possible installation of a cable car from Aguas Calientes, an option already opposed by UNESCO. The preferred alternative would be a rail car system starting  near the Mandor Waterfall, behind the horseshoe bend of the Vilcanota River, out of sight from the citadel above.

“Visiting Machu Picchu is a wonderful experience. Entrance to the Inca City is by shifts. Verify on the upper left-hand corner of your ticket your entrance time and board the bus according to this time. In this way you will avoid unnecessary lines and help to keep the order of which you will be the prime beneficiary. All together we can make this journey unforgettable.”

~ Ministerio de Cultura Cusco

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Authored by: PeruTravelTrends

A Peru Tour Operator and Travel Agency: Since 1994 creating wonderful vacation experiences for adventure travelers and holidaymakers in Cusco, Lima, Arequipa, Lake Titicaca, and all around the Andean region.

There are 2 comments for this article
  1. Kevin Groh at 12:30 pm

    Yup, definitely a lot of changes taking place in regards to Machu Picchu. The three new times are meant to help disperse the number of visitors that are given entrance. Should help with some of the flow.

    Have you heard about the new ban on plastic bottles in Machu Picchu or the new cable car that Peru gave permission to be built to Machu Picchu?

  2. Rick Vecchio at 9:41 am

    We sure have heard about the single-use plastics ban for Machu Picchu and more than 70 other protected areas in Peru. We think it’s great!

    The proposed cable car system, being pushed by the municipality of Aguas Calientes (AKA: Machu Picchu Pueblo) and CONSETTUR is another matter.

    Thankfully, Peru has definitely not given permission for such a project. The alternative, a funicular and elevator system that would start near the Mandor Falls further down the bend of the Urubamba River is what UNESCO and Peruvian authorities — both regional and national — favor.

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