Machu Picchu is, for many of
us who love to travel, one of the "Must Do" in our life, and a large percentage
of people traveling to Peru do so with the purpose of visiting what is
classified as one of the new 7 wonders of the world. However, when you are planning
your trip to Machu Picchu, certainty you will come across several issues on your trip organization and, one of them relates to what is the best time of day to visit Machu Picchu.
And this question becomes even
more important after the changes that Peru Government recently made in the way of entry into Machu Picchu.
Unlike what happened until a few years ago, the possibility of staying all day
in Machu Picchu no longer exists, so when you buy your ticket you will have to
make the purchase with the ticket at a specific time, with the maximum time of
4 hours of stay in this wonder of humanity. As it is convenient to buy the
ticket in advance, so as not to run the risk of having all your trip planned
and paid for and, when it reaches your great goal, stay in the door, when the purchase will have to decide the specific time to enter, which conditions your
departure time. For example, if you think that you can buy the ticket to come
in at 7am on a specific day, if you later change your mind and decide to go
only in the afternoon, this will not be possible and you will be barred from
entering and forced to buy a new ticket. This, of course, in the hope that
there are still tickets available because in times of great tourist influx, it
is likely that there may no longer be any available ticket.
Arriving at the conclusion
that it is necessary to buy your ticket to Machu Picchu in advance and that
when you buy will have to choose the period of the day you will visit, it
becomes necessary to choose the period in which you want to visit this wonder
of the World and, before making this decision, there are some factors to take
into account that will be of particular importance in making your decision.
Let's get down to a few.
How to avoid crowds in Machu Picchu?
This is the main issue for
many people: when visiting Machu Picchu without it being full of other people.
Many of us want to have the privilege of worshiping in peace this wonder of the
world, but we want to do it with the minimum of people around us since any
traveler with the least experience already knows that the most famous places in
the world tend to be filled with other people with the same intention as we, too
know and to explore. So when we decide to visit Machu Picchu, we must be aware
that many more people have made that decision and many of them will be there on
the same day as us.
As the government of Peru has
taken precautions to try to limit the influx of tourists, there is a limit of
people who can visit per day and each visitor is limited to a limit of hours,
which helps to decrease the number of visitors at any time in the local.
Taking into account these
changes, and not only linked to them, but also to several conditions that are
also linked to the round trip, what the experience confirms is that, in order
to avoid larger crowds, the advisable and visit Machu Picchu in the early hours
of the day or the last, and the periods between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. tend
to be the most filled, so the more you can visit these periods the better.
Visiting Machu Picchu in the morning or in the afternoon?
We then have as the best
options to get away from the crowds entering Machu Picchu early in the morning
or else in the later period of the day and both have advantages and
disadvantages so we will talk a bit about them next.
Visit Machu Picchu in the morning
Perhaps the main choice of
many who want to avoid crowds pass by visiting Machu Picchu in the wee hours
of the morning and this is a unique sensation in life, to see the sunrise in
these Inca ruins at the top of the mountain.
Of course, you're not the only one
who has the desire to be the first to come, and if so, know that you have to
get up early enough to get it. The doors of Machu Picchu open at 6am and the first bus that departs from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) departs from
it's center at 5:30 am (click here to see on google maps the exact location
where you can catch the bus and, to buy the tickets, it's just near the bus stop, just follow the signs on the road).
The point
is that, although the first bus leaves at 5:30 am, its capacity is reduced, and if you
really want to catch the first one, you will have to arrive very early, at least an hour before departure, but you may still not be able to take the first bus.
The good news is that in the morning, buses depart with a high frequency,
usually every 5 minutes, and the journey takes approximately 30 minutes.
If you wish to take the trek
from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu, it is free and of moderate difficulty, so
it is suitable for anyone who is in good physical condition. The route is well
signposted and usually takes about an hour and a half to climb, and the return
journey, as it descends, tends to be quicker and easier. Usually, the most
common option for those who want to do this walk is to go by bus and get off on
foot.
Regarding the entrance to
Machu Picchu for the first hours, although it coincides with the time when a person who makes the Inca Trail arrives, it still allows avoiding the largest
crowds of tourists and enjoy this space in relative calm during the first
hours, especially before tourists arriving from further afield, especially from
Cusco.
The sunrise and the first rays
of the sun to come will surely be an image that will not stop you from marking
your life. Of course, the climate in Machu Picchu can change frequently and there
can be rainy days, days with completely sun-filled and even fog. However, even
so, you may have the luck of wonderful scenery and pictures, so you should
always go prepared for different hypotheses and do not get too depressed if
your day visiting Machu Picchu is not blessed by a clear sky. Even if it is
not, you may have the opportunity to experience a wonderful experience.
Do not forget that if you
choose to join the visit to Machu Picchu with the ascent to Machu Picchu or
Wayna Picchu, you will have to go in the morning in order to maximize your
experience.
Visit Machu Picchu in the afternoon
As we mentioned, the period
between 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. is the busiest, and if by 3:00 p.m. you still see
a lot of people exploring the ruins, from 4:00 p.m. is probably the time of day
when fewer people are in Machu Picchu, so it is also a time when you can just
explore on your own and in many places you will not find anyone close to you,
so it is also a wonderful time to explore the Inca ruins.
It is definitely a special
time to stay in Machu Picchu at the end of the day and the chances of catching
fog is much lower than in the morning so it is also a great option especially
for those who do not like to wake up very early or, for those who chose not to
sleep in Aguas Calientes.
Conclusions
In a quick conclusion, we can say
that if you want to get away from the crowds that visit Machu Picchu daily, we
recommend that you wake up early and try to be one of the first to enter or
wait and prepare your visit for the end of the day, taking into account that the decision must be made before buying your ticket (which you can buy here on the official website of the Government of Peru). If you choose to take the train for
your trip to Machu Picchu, please note that when you buy your ticket, you must
also, buy the train ticket, so we recommend that you buy both at the same time
(if you want to know more about the purchase of tickets and how to prepare
your trip to Machu Picchu, we invite you to read our post about 20 Things you should know when planning your trip to Machu Picchu).
We hope that this idea will
help you to prepare for your trip to Machu Picchu. If you still do not have a place
to stay on your trip, we always do our reservations with booking, they are our
partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the
best deals by clicking here, it will not cost you any money and, it helps us to
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We would also like to invite
you to leave your opinion and questions, in case you have already visited Machu
Picchu, let us know what you think is the best time of the day to visit. Thanks
for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you
liked our article, do not forget to share it with your friends.
