The best months to visit Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World. It was in 2007 when it received this recognition. Little by little, more and more people around the world decided to plan a visit to Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, due to a lack of information or because they did not find out enough, they arrived on rainy days or with abundant fog. In this blog, we want to talk about the best dates or months of the year to have a comfortable and carefree trip. Especially having a safe and unforgettable experience. Let’s start!
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Travel to Machu Picchu
The trips to Machu Picchu are easy to make. You just have to follow the best option to get to Cusco, which is usually Lima – Cusco. From there, make the trip to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is not close to the city of Cusco, it is more than 100 kilometers away and a complicated and simple route, at the same time, to perform. It is simple because you can get from Cusco to Machu Picchu, boarding a train and making the trip in total comfort. Besides, for this trip, different options vary according to the type of service you want to purchase. There are even luxury trips to Machu Picchu.
The “complicated” option to reach Machu Picchu is by hiking routes. Being located near the Cusco Andes, more precisely in the high jungle, it is possible to get there by following the famous Inca Trails. One of the most requested routes has precisely that name. It has two types of services, one that lasts 2 days while the second and more popular option is 4 days. Normally the trekking routes to Machu Picchu have that average time to complete the route. Among these options we can mention the following:
- Inca jungle: This is an adventure route that connects and combines several activities. Among these activities include cycling, canoeing, and zip lining. Machu Picchu is reached on the fourth day. The return to Cusco is by train. The experience combines several experiences and is mostly done by young people.
- Lares Trek: It is one of the most interesting routes that can be done. This is because it maintains the essence of cultural travel. By doing this route you can meet and connect with local communities. They will be in charge of showing part of their traditions and some other customs. Likewise, you will cross several beautiful landscapes. The arrival to Machu Picchu can be done from the third day.
- Salkantay Trek: This is a trekking activity. One of the attractions of the route is that you can visit the beautiful Humantay Lagoon. This destination has beautiful turquoise waters. In addition, near it, you can appreciate the Salkantay pass or pass Salkantay. A place that can show beautiful landscapes and the natural passage from the Andean heights to the heights of the jungle. The visit to Machu Picchu can be done in only 4 days, but there is also the possibility of making a complete tour of all the Andes in 5 days.
- Choquequirao to Machu Picchu: It is one of the most amazing experiences you can do in Cusco. The route consists of a long journey on foot. The minimum number of days to do this tour is 7 days. During the tour, you cross the Andes to reach Choquequirao, considered the sacred sister of Machu Picchu. After those first three days, you start to make the journey to Machu Picchu. Entering, at the same time, to the high jungle of Cusco.
All these tours are best done during the high season. The months that comprise it begin in late March. So traveling in April already enables several opportunities for travel to Machu Picchu. Moreover, from those dates begin the best months to visit Machu Picchu. Of course, it is recommended to make the reservation well in advance. Whichever way you want to get to Machu Picchu, it will be very important to make reservations or purchase reservations with the necessary anticipation. Now let’s learn more about the high season.
High season to visit Machu Picchu
The high season to visit Machu Picchu begins from the first days of the second half of March. The main characteristic of the high season is that it coincides with the dry season. The dry season is considered as the period of months that do not have frequent rains. Precisely, the rains begin to cease in mid-March. The farther we move away from these months, the less the possibility of rain. All this period extends until the last days of November when the rains begin.
In this sense, the dry season extends along with the high season. However, the high season begins with more force from May, June, and July. If you are thinking of making the trip to Cusco and especially to Machu Picchu, we recommend you make the reservation 2 months in advance to get the entrance ticket to the wonder of the world. This is for any of your tickets. In the case of June you will probably also have to think about making your hotel reservation at least one month in advance.
Another factor that must be taken into account is that during the high season to visit Machu Picchu, there are massive visits to the site. This is for two reasons, normally the tickets are sold out, so all the availability and all the schedules are covered. In this sense, it is quite likely to find many people. Normally you can find several people of different nationalities. The second reason for the small crowds is because the tours throughout the citadel of Machu Picchu can be done in more than 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Travel experience during the high season
Once you have made the necessary reservation of services to get to Machu Picchu, it is important to plan the train trip or the reservation for the trekking routes. Once everything is ready for the trip, the only thing left to do is to enjoy the experience. Since it is the high season, all the services needed, such as train travel, transportation, and hotels may be at their peak. In other words, during the trip, you may find the train carriages full. Crowded in a good way because the seats are numbered and it is forbidden to exceed the number of passengers.
Upon arriving at Machu Picchu Pueblo, it is time to go to the ecological bus station. These buses are responsible for making the trip to the access area of Llaqta of Machu Picchu. It is likely, depending on the time you arrive, that many people are waiting for their time to make the trip to Machu Picchu. This usually happens in the early hours, when most of the entrances begin to be enabled. In addition, these are the tickets that are most in demand.
There is nothing to worry about, even though these buses do not have a fixed departure time. It enables several departures to be made almost immediately. In this sense, the wait to board the buses will not be so long. However, it is important to pay attention to the entrance schedules that appear in the reservations or entrance tickets to Machu Picchu. When entering or queuing for the buses, the next schedules will have higher priority. In this sense, if you have an entrance ticket for 10:00 a.m. you will be able to board the buses from 9:30 a.m. onwards. Therefore, it is recommended to comply with the schedules and not to go ahead in vain to avoid congestion.
When you arrive at the access area to the Llaqta of Machu Picchu, you will likely have to wait in a short queue. This is not always the case, though. There you will only have to show your entrance ticket. This must be presented with your identity card. When you enter, remember to follow the circuit that corresponds to you and do it with a guide. Here are some details of the tour of the citadel or Llaqta of Machu Picchu.
How is the tour of Machu Picchu?
The tour of Machu Picchu during the high season will have the presence of several people. In this sense, the tour must be done respecting the corresponding order. To visit Machu Picchu with a larger number of people, different circuits were enabled. The circuits are described in each of the tickets offered. Likewise, the circuits are different, precisely to avoid congestion in the attractions that the Llaqta of Machu Picchu has.
For this reason, it is important to respect the different circuits and to do the route only in one order. That is to say, it is not possible and it is completely forbidden to deviate from the circuit or to do the route in the opposite direction. Doing this disturbance that may seem harmless, causes the rest of the people to be affected. In addition, there are different people in charge of ensuring that the circuit is fully complied with.
In case these park rangers or security of the Llaqta of Machu Picchu see that the rules are being violated repeatedly, they can proceed to remove the person. They may even have some fines. This is an approximation of the experience you can have when visiting Machu Picchu during the high season, as we saw it is possible to make the tour normally, but yes, accompanied by different people.