Selfie Sticks for Peru Tours: you can still get away with it at Machu Picchu

The at once beloved and loathed selfie stick is slowly but surely being prohibited at some of Peru’s trendiest galleries and museums, Peru’s leading newspaper El Comercio reports.

But fear not Facebook and Instagram users, you can still use the retractable rods for “self portraits” at South America’s most iconic site, Machu Picchu.

The administrator of Machu Picchu Archaeological Park, Miguel Angel Zamora, tells El Comercio’s Digital Editor Eduardo Alcántara that use of selfie sticks has yet to become an issue, and “so have not been restricted.”

“We haven’t had problems, but all situations have been contemplated,” he told Zamora. “It can be said that currently about 3 percent of tourists use the ‘selfie sticks.’

An exception, where selfie sticks are not allowed, is at bottleneck points within the Inca citadel complex, Zamora added. (Presumably, he is referring to the most significant and sacred points of interest — including the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Condor, the Water Mirrors and the Temple of the Sun.)

“What is restricted is the use of walking sticks,” he said.  “Their use is only allowed when a visitor truly requires one, and the pole must have a rubber tip to avoid damaging the grounds of the park.”

Just like everywhere else in the world, Selfie Sticks are now ubiquitous throughout Peru’s tourist destinations.

And just like at a growing number of major historic and cultural tourist destinations worldwide (like the Taj Mahal, the Smithsonian, the Colosseum and the Palace of Versailles) the monopods are starting to face increasing restrictions, notably in some of Peru’s museums and galleries.

In the Lima Museum of Contemporary Art, for instance, “visitors can only use handheld devices to take photos with no camera extension device to ensure the safety of our visitors and the works of art of the museum.”

They are also prohibited in the Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI), as is the use of tripods. Visitors re allowed to take pictures (no flash) in the exhibition halls,  provided the photos are for personal (non-commercial) use and are taken without inconveniencing other visitors.