Exploration, Travel/Tourism

Mandatory guides for visitors to Machu Picchu starting July 1

Starting July 2017, visitors to Machu Picchu will be required to hire an official guide to tour the site, a top Ministry of Culture official saidVisitors to Machu Picchu will have to hire an official guide to enter the Inca Citadel starting July 1, a top official at the Ministry of Culture told Peruvian Times on Friday.

“Most tourists have made those arrangements long in advance, but for those who have not, there are official guides available (for hire) at the entrance,” said Dr. Elías Carreño Peralta, the Ministry of Culture’s official in charge of implementing the 2015-2019 Machu Picchu Master Plan.

Currently, the official guides at Machu Picchu’s entrance charge approximately a hundred soles for up to four visitors, or approximately 25 soles, or just under $8, each.

He said the regulations mandating the use of official guides is the culmination of months of public hearings and workshops with local authorities, tourism federations and travel businesses.

A ministerial resolution approving the new Regulations of Sustainable Use and Touristic Visits for the Conservation of the Inca City of Machu Picchu was published in February

Carreño Peralta’s comments to Peruvian Times come a week after Cusco’s regional Culture Directorate announced that starting July 1, visitors to Machu Picchu will have to enter in two shifts, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon

The first shift would be from 6 a.m. until 12 p.m. and the second from 12 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.

The maximum size of tourist groups will also be reduced from 20 to 16 visitors, Carreño Peralta said.

Carreño Peralta offered an in-depth explanation about the changes coming to Machu Picchu in an exclusive interview with Peruvian Times, published in January.

6 Comments

  1. The plan to commercialize Machu Picchu even more than it is already, will take away, what is left, of the mystical environment of the Sacred Incan city. In the summer of 2016 in mid august , the line up to take a bus up to Machu Picchu ,was all the way up to the hot springs, at 7 am. By 9 am most all of the walk ways, were overflowing with people. Once the 2017 entry plan comes into effect, tourists will have to leave Cusco at 4 am, to arrive at Machu Picchu, for the opening time.

    There is only about 25% of Machu Picchu left open to the public. In that decision, i agree with the management, as the tourist use even out of the way room, as a toilet. Some tourists have pulled out special stones from entry doorways.

    The Train to Machu Picchu will have to have a new schedule. The best solution would be to build an all weather highway directly to the front entry of Machu Picchu.

  2. What a scam! First its $22usd for the short bus ride up, and the absurd high prices for entry, now a required guide? Thats a joke… better to visit other, more impressive sites like Angkor on Cambodia.

  3. GringoSteve

    What ever happened to the tram idea?

  4. Oh gosh for a what purpose a guide,I like not to rush and not be bothered by anybody,so if someone does not speak English or Spanish,they provided guide with all know languages

  5. It is clear even by the comments here that people from all spots on the spectrum will never be fully satisfied with the regulations regarding tourism in Machu Picchu. What I feel is the most important is to have a very strict and severe fine system for polluting or damaging the sacred site in any way. Whoever disobeys this rule should suffer a severe fine and a prohibition to visit the site in the next X-amount of years. Many tourists there, and on other sacred sites around the world, seem to forget that because they’ve paid to be there, they can do whatever they want, and a strict fine system will serve well to remind them of how wrong they are in assuming this.

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