In Machu Picchu, the quota of daily visitors turns into a puzzle

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was one of the tourist sites most affected by overcrowding.

In 2019, Machu Picchu in Peru attracted 1.5 million visitors according to official figures.

Far too much for this former capital of the Inca Empire, built on the mountainside in the 15th century by Emperor Pachacutec.

To preserve the places, the local authorities introduced an access quota in 2019. First set at 5,940 visitors per day, it was lowered to 2,244 at the height of the epidemic in 2020, before increasing to 3,044, then 4044. This is proving insufficient today in a context of strong tourist recovery.

To discover

• Galapagos partner cruise |

  14 days |

  earthly paradise

• Trips to Peru: tailor-made tours, hotels and stays from our partners

The management unit of Machu Picchu therefore decided on Friday July 29 to increase this limit to 5044, that is to say one thousand more entries each day.

“

,” the organization said in a press release.

A temporary measure, since the limit will increase again to 4044 from August 19th.

On Wednesday, July 27, a thousand foreign tourists, including some from France and Spain, demonstrated in the village of Machu Picchu to demand more access rights.

Some even blocked the railway line leading to the locality, the main gateway to the site.

Read alsoMachu Picchu: what you need to know to prepare for the ascent of the Inca city

On July 27, 2022, nearly a thousand foreign tourists demonstrated in the village of Machu Picchu to demand more access tickets to the Inca city.

Jesus TAPIA / AFP

About 40 € the entrance ticket

Listed by Unesco since 1983 and part of the New Seven Wonders of the World since 2007, the citadel is located 110 km from Cuzco.

The threat of inscription on the list of world heritage in danger, in August 2019, had prompted the Peruvian authorities to review the conditions of access.

In addition to a limitation of the number of entries, the duration of the visits is limited to four hours.

Visitors must book their access ticket on an official website managed by the Ministry of Culture.

For a foreign tourist, entry costs €38, a price halved for residents of Peru and neighboring countries (Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador).

According to our research carried out on August 1, no tickets were found before August 19.

And the only ones to be available this month are valid for early afternoon entries.

This leaves little time to visit the entire Inca city... One more reason to anticipate your reservation as much as possible if you are planning a stay in Peru.

SEE ALSO

- Exhibition: the well-kept secrets of Machu Picchu