When to visit Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is open every day. The useful split is weather and crowds, not a month when the gate locks. SERNANP, the park service, treats April through October as the season to visit and November through March as the rainy season. A clear July morning and a wet one are both possible. These are patterns.

Dry months

May through August are the driest and the most crowded. June and July fill first, including the early entry hours. Mountain routes sell out. A standard circuit is easier to find, and it still has a cap. We can take a request up to six months ahead. We buy the ticket only after we see that circuit open, and we tell you the hour before you pay.

Rain and the quieter months

November through March bring more cloud and more afternoon rain. The stone is greener and the ridge is quieter. Paths get slick, so a rain jacket earns its place. February is the wettest stretch, and it is the month the Inca Trail closes for maintenance. The citadel itself stays open. We do not sell the trail. If a trek is part of the same trip, February is the month to plan around.

The hour on the ticket

Slots start around 6:00 and run into the early afternoon. The first hour is cool and often misty. Later in the morning the cloud sometimes lifts. Neither is a promise. The hour printed on the ticket is the hour you enter. It does not move if the train is late. In the rainy season, leave extra time between the train and the gate. Heavy rain in the valley can slow the railway.

The night before

The citadel is about 2,430 meters up. Cusco is about 3,400 meters. Aguas Calientes, in the valley, sits lower than the ridge. Do not make Machu Picchu the morning you land in Cusco. A day in the city, or a night in the valley, is the easier start.