As of January 2019, the Peruvian government has implemented a staggered system for Machu Picchu entry, aiming to better regulate the flow of visitors to the site. This system allows nine entry times per day, starting from 6 am and ending at 3 pm, with a maximum of four hours allowed for each visit. The site closes at 5:30 pm, and all visitors are required to depart at this time.
Machu Picchu Citadel entry times
Entry Time Maximum time Departure time from the citadel
6:00 – 7:00 am 4 hours 10:00- 11:00 am
7:00 – 8:00 am 4 hours 11:00-12:00 am
8:00 – 9:00 am 4 hours 12:00-1:00 pm
9:00 – 10:00 am 4 hours 1:00-2:00 pm
10:00 – 11:00 am 4 hours 2:00-3:00 pm
11:00 – 12:00 pm 4 hours 3:00-4:00 pm
12:00 – 1:00 pm 4 hours 3:00-4:00 pm
1:00 – 2:00 pm 4 hours 5:00 pm
2:00 – 3:00 pm 3:30hours 5:30 pm
To make it easy for everyone, we have made the instructions for Machu Picchu entry as clear as possible:
* To enter, you must present your passport (not a copy).
* Glass bottles, single-use plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic straws, or Styrofoam containers are strictly forbidden.
* Tourists who leave the Machu Picchu Citadel will not be re-admitted. All visitors must respect their assigned time shift.
* Important: You MUST bring the previous day’s ticket to enter on the second day without a guide.
* For visitors with a second entry the following day, we will default to the 9 am entry time unless they request a different option. This allows enough time to line up for the minibus without needing to get up before dawn.
* However, if you want to climb Huayna Picchu Mountain, you need to pre-book before departing from Australia. Those with Huayna Picchu Mountain tickets will have the following schedules – we will default to the 10 am Huayna Picchu Mountain unless passengers tell us differently.
Huayna Picchu Mountain
| Session time | Entrance to the citadel | Entrance to Huayna Picchu | The maximum time for Huayna Picchu | Maximum stay in the citadel |
| 7:00 – 8:00 am | From 7:00 | 7:00 – 8:00 am | 4 hours | 3 hours |
| 10:00 – 11:00 am | From 8:00 | 10:00 – 11:00 am | 3 hours | 3 hours |
