How to avoid the crowds at Machu Picchu

The thing about Machu Picchu is, it’s almost always going to be busy. This is one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’, among the most famous of some 1092 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and an immutable icon of travel bucket lists. The Peruvian Amazon with its extraordinary wealth of biodiversity makes up 60 percent of the country; further south are the Nazca Lines and the beautiful Lake Titicaca. But ask any traveller at Lima Airport what they’re hoping to see more than anything, and the chances are the answer will come back: Machu Picchu.

There have long been concerns that this 15th century Incan citadel, built high in the Andes a short distance from Cuzco, has become too popular for its own good. Since being listed by UNESCO in the 1980s its global fame has skyrocketed, and by 2013 it was receiving some 1.2 million visitors annually, a 700 percent increase. That level of footfall on ancient, fragile ruins, not to mention the effect of so many trekkers on the natural surroundings, became so concerning that the Peruvian government limits visitors to 5,620 per day in high season (April to August) and 4,600 in low season. There is a maximum of 500 people allowed on the Inca Trail each day, including porters, and entrance to the site itself is via timed slots in the morning or the afternoon (you can stay all day if you buy two tickets). You cannot enter except as part of a guided tour, and strictly speaking, each visit is limited to four hours (or six if you pre-book a trek up either the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu mountains to admire the complex from above).

With bus groups arriving from the closest town, Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) by 9am, queues can routinely be expected at the entrance, and at the limited number of toilets which are located there and only there. Crowds at each landmark within the site also very likely, especially during peak season. Read on to learn how to avoid the worst of them.

Overtourism at ancient sites such as Machu Picchu is a serious threat to their long-term survival. But as Mark Rice, historian and author of Making Machu Picchu explains, “it’s not actually that busy in terms of volume. Roughly 1.5 million visitors a year is nothing comparatively, considering its fame. To accept more people would mean having to provide a different experience, such as a raised walkway around the site and less interaction, but the site management in recent years has been pretty good.” The complex is not small – it’s estimated the citadel would have had around 750 permanent residents, and there are around 200 buildings in total across the Upper and Lower towns, along with stone walkways around them.

So although there are issues with environmental degradation caused by large numbers of people visiting a site of extreme age and fragility, we’re not talking Mona Lisa-busy here. You’ll enjoy your experience a whole lot more if you arrive accepting that there will be a lot of other people around, that you will sometimes need to wait a few minutes for your turn at a viewpoint, and that you need to follow a set route with a guide the same as everyone else.

You can’t arrive before the crowds at Machu Picchu. You can, however, outstay them. By 4pm most of the day-trippers from Cuzco have disappeared. Many of those who arrived early from Aguas Calientes are also making their way back down by now – there’s no picnicking allowed in the complex, and the few places you can buy food and snacks from are muy expensive, so a day of wandering around can get a beast of an appetite going. Load up on snacks (being sure to take every bit of packaging including fruit peel back down with you) and stick it out until late afternoon. You’ll enjoy beautiful light, and far fewer people, until the site closes at 6pm. Word to the wise: make sure your evening restaurant is pre-booked.