Machu Picchu is a very popular tourist destination that never stops. The Inca city remains open to visitors every day of the year, including non-working holidays and Sundays. Visiting hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except for the mountains and hiking trails. These are only visited in the morning. The only way Machupicchu closes its doors is during temporary closures due to emergencies such as natural disasters or social protests. What are these closures about? Learn more!

• Visiting hours to the Inca city of Machu Picchu
• Emergencies in Machu Picchu: causes of temporary closures
• What is a state of emergency in Peru?
• Closure of trekking routes in Machu Picchu
• Other probable causes of Machu Picchu closure
• Questions and answers about emergencies in Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, wonder of the world

Temporary closing of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
The qhapac ñan were a network of roads built by the Incas to connect the capital city of Cusco with the rest of the vast empire. In total there were more than 30 thousand kilometers of roads through mountains, coasts, deserts and even rivers. Part of this network was the one that connected Cusco with the Inca city of Machu Picchu. Currently, 39 kilometers of this route have been enabled for visitors to reach Machu Picchu as the Incas did, through the high mountains following the royal roads. This is the 4-day Inca Trail tour or the reduced version of 2 days (13 kilometers). Both routes can only be done by contracting a tour with a tourist agency. The Inca Trail is available all year round except for the month of February. On those days the authorities close the route due to the constant rains.

Visiting hours to the Inca city of Machu Picchu

If you visit Machu Picchu know that the Inca citadel is open to visitors every day of the year, including Sundays and non-working holidays in Peru.

Visiting hours are from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm. There are no evening visits.

Most hiking trails are available only in the mornings. Throughout the day you can visit most of its Inca constructions, such as: the House of the Guardian (classic photo), the Temple of the Sun, the Main Temple, the Temple of the 3 Windows, the Sacred Rock, the Temple of the Condor, the Hall of Mirrors, the Sacred Fountains, the House of the Inca and more.

Huayna Picchu mountain is open for tourist visits from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. Machu Picchu mountain, from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. Huchuy Picchu mountain, from noon to 2 in the afternoon.

The trekking route to the Inca Bridge is available from 8 a.m. to noon. The Intipunku (Sun Gate) trek is also available from 8:00 a.m. to noon. The trekking route to the Temple of the Moon (Great Cavern), from 8 am to 11 am.

These are the visiting hours of Machu Picchu according to the different types of tickets:

• Ticket Machu Picchu Classic Photo / Ticket Machu Picchu Classic Photo / Ticket Machu Picchu Classic Lower Terrace / Ticket Machu Picchu Lower Machu Picchu Temples.
  • Admission hours: Group 1 (from 6 to 7 am) Group 2 (from 7 to 8 am) Group 3 (from 8 to 9 am). Group 4 (from 9 to 10 am) Group 5 (from 10 to 11 am) Group 6 (from 11 to 12 pm). Group 7 (from 12 to 1 pm) Group 8 (from 1 to 2 pm) Group 9 (from 2 to 3 pm) Group 10 (from 3 to 4 pm).
• Ticket Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu:
  • Group 1: to Machupicchu from 6 am to 6.30 am / to Huayna Picchu until 8 am. Schedule 2: to Machupicchu from 9 am to 9.30 am / to Huayna Picchu until 11 am.
• Machu Picchu with Mountain Ticket:
  • Schedule 1: to Machupicchu from 6 am to 6.30 am / to Mountain until 8 am. Schedule 2: to Machupicchu from 8 am to 8.30 am / to Mountain until 10 am.
• Ticket Machu Picchu with Huchuy Picchu:
  • Schedule 1: to Machupicchu from 11 am to 11.30 am / to Huchuy Picchu until 12 am. Schedule 2: to Machupicchu from 1 pm to 1.30 pm / to Huchuy Picchu until 2 pm.
• Machu Picchu ticket with Intipunku:
  • Admission hours: Group 1 (from 8 to 9 am) Group 2 (from 9 to 10 am) Group 3 (from 10 to 11 am) Group 4 (from 11 to 12 am).
• Machu Picchu ticket with Inca Bridge:
  • Admission hours: Group 1 (from 8 to 9 am) Group 2 (from 9 to 10 am) Group 3 (from 10 to 11 am) Group 4 (from 11 to 12 am).
• Ticket Machu Picchu with Temple of the Moon:
  • Schedule 1: to Machupicchu from 6 am to 6.30 am / to Gran Caverna until 8 am. Schedule 2: to Machupicchu from 9 am to 9.30 am / to Huayna Picchu until 11 am.

All Machu Picchu circuits

Emergencies in Machu Picchu: causes of temporary closures

Machu Picchu remains open every day of the year except for unexpected emergencies. The two main emergencies that can cause the closure of the archaeological site are:

• Cases of social protests

  Social protests may occur in Peru. Protests are usually due to discontent of social groups such as teachers, farmers, drivers, students and workers in general. Protesters often close roads that give access to important cities including the town of Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. Due to the closure of these roads, Machu Picchu authorities decide to close the archaeological site until the social conflicts are solved. This usually lasts between 1 day to 1 week maximum.

• Cases of natural disasters

  Machu Picchu is located in a high Andean geographical area with thick Amazonian vegetation. During the rainy season, mainly in January, February and March, the Inca citadel can suffer landslides, the flooding of the Aguas Calientes River, which endangers the train trip. That is why, on certain occasions, the authorities of Machu Picchu order the closure of the archaeological site until the access roads are improved. This usually takes between 1 day to 1 week at the most.

Landslide near the town of Aguas Calientes

What is a state of emergency in Peru?

• The “state of emergency” is a constitutional power through which the government may suspend certain rights of citizens. It occurs when the coexistence, peace and internal order of the nation are affected. During the time the State of Emergency lasts, it is open the possibility of suspending or restricting all or some of the rights stipulated in the constitution, related to freedom, personal safety, inviolability of domicile, transit and “Freedom of Assembly”, thus suspending all marches and peaceful meetings that may take place in the mentioned places.
• The state of emergency in some of the districts of Cusco was scheduled to last 30 calendar days. During this time, the Peruvian National Police will maintain control of internal order with the support of the Armed Forces; but apparently the 30 days will not be necessary and the state of emergency will be lifted much sooner.

Closure of trekking routes in Machu Picchu

In Machu Picchu there are usually temporary closures of the trekking routes leading to the Inca citadel.

• Temporary closure of the Inca Trail – The Inca Trail in its version of 2 or 4 days closes its doors every year in February. Those days are the rainiest, so the routes can be a bit dangerous for the visitor. In those days, in addition, cleaning works are carried out on the route. Therefore, the Inca Trail, in order to protect the visitor’s safety, closes all of February.
• Emergency closure of the Hidroeléctrica route – In the rainy months (January, February and March) the access roads to Machu Picchu by the Hidroeléctrica route (also called the Amazon route) can be dangerous due to the fall of landslides or stones. Although the route is not closed, many visitors prefer not to do this route during these months. The other option is to take the classic train ride through the town of Ollantaytambo.

Tourist at the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu

Other probable causes of Machu Picchu closure

These are other possible causes for the temporary closure of Machu Picchu:

• Forest fires near Machu Picchu – Forest fires can happen in the areas near Machu Picchu. These are usually caused casually by local people who burn their agricultural lands in the months of May, June, July or August. To safeguard the integrity of the visitor, Machu Picchu is usually closed if the fire is close to the archeological site. However, this is solved instantly.
• Epidemics or pandemics – Health epidemics or global pandemics can cause the closure of Machu Picchu. The clearest example was the world pandemic of 2020, which caused the closure of the archaeological site for more than a year. Sanitary measures were then implemented for safe visitation. Although not very common, epidemics and pandemics can also cause the unexpected closure of Machupicchu.

Fire near the Machu Picchu historic sanctuary

Questions and answers about emergencies in Machu Picchu

• 1) Does Machu Picchu close its doors any day of the year?

  If no emergency happens, Machu Picchu is open to visitors every day of the year, including non-working holidays and Sundays.

• 2) What are the visiting hours of the archaeological site of Machu Picchu?

  The archaeological site of Machu Picchu has tourist visiting hours from 6 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon.

• 3) Are the temples of Machu Picchu always open?

  Yes, the temples are available at all hours of the tour, from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm.

• 4) Are the mountains of Machu Picchu always open?

  No, the hiking trails to Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain are available all year round. The other trekking routes to Intipunku, the Inca Bridge, Huchuy Picchu mountain and the Temple of the Moon are available only during the high tourist season (from June 1 to October 15).

• 5) Is the Machu Picchu Inca Trail open every day of the year?

  No, the Machu Picchu Inca Trail, in its 2 or 4 day version, is available all year round except for rainy days in February.

• 6) What are the most frequent causes that lead to the closure of Machu Picchu?

  Social protests and natural disasters (such as landslides or mudslides) are emergencies that can cause the temporary closure of Machu Picchu until they are resolved.

• 7) Can landslides happen in Machu Picchu?

  Yes, landslides can happen on the roads leading to Machu Picchu. This is especially on rainy season days, such as January, February and March.

• 8) Can social protests happen in Machu Picchu?

  Yes, social protests can happen in Peru. These can cause the closure of the roads leading to Machu Picchu, so the authorities decide to close the archaeological site until a solution is found.

• 9) Can forest fires happen in Machu Picchu?

  Yes, although infrequent, forest fires can happen in the vicinity of the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary. However, this rarely results in the closure of the archeological site.

• 10) Can epidemics happen that close the gates of Machu Picchu?

  Yes, pandemics such as Covid 19 can cause the temporary closure of Machu Picchu. This pandemic in 2020, for example, caused the closure of the archaeological site for more than a year.

Advice from people who have been there

Machu Picchu

By: Náthaly R.

“Comforts the soul“

“From absolutely everything you can see, it is simply amazing it is one of the best experiences of my life (not many, I am 19) but I am absolutely sure it will be one of the best places I will ever see in my life. It is one of the seven wonders of the world!!!!.“

By Ticket Machu Picchu – Last updated, November 7, 2024