Machu Picchu: The Ultimate Guide For Your First Visit

Once you start looking for the best times to visit Peru, you will find many different answers. The main reason for this is simply because Peru's climate varies amongst its different regions. Peru is in the southern hemisphere so, generally speaking, summer falls during the months of November - March, but this is also the rainy season in most regions. With that said, the best time to visit Machu Picchu is typically between May - September. These months align with the region’s dry season. If you are looking for the picture-perfect blue sky as a backdrop behind the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site then June, July, and August are your best bet. We traveled to Peru at the end of October with the hopes of a delayed start in the rainy season, but we weren't very lucky. Machu Picchu is located in the high jungle so rain is always a possibility. In order to avoid disappointment, I would suggest staying two nights in Aguas Caliente, just in case your first day is as misty and rainy as ours. To help you decide when to go, you can find a breakdown of the different seasons below. Overall we recommend the months of May or September for good weather conditions and fewer tourists.

• February: Peak Rainy Season. Inca Trail is closed for maintenance.
• March-May: Shoulder Season. Pleasant temperatures. May is just the beginning of the high season with the chance of no rain.
• June - August: Dry Season. Winter. Cold early mornings & nights. High Season. Perfect weather for trekking to Machu Picchu.
• September & October: Shoulder season. Pleasant temperatures. Fewer crowds. Expect the rainy season to start slowly at the end of October.
• November - March: Rainy Season. Summer. During these months you can expect daily rain, anything from heavy downpours to light drizzles and thick clouds covering the sky. On the bright side, there will be much less foot traffic with the exception of Christmas and New Year.

The dream scenario of every visitor is to have Machu Picchu all to yourself but let me tell you that no matter how early you get there, this is almost impossible. With around 2500 people visiting this archaeological site every day you want to make sure you book your ticket during the least busy time. There are only really two-time slots that will get you close to snapping a couple of shots without masses of tourists ruining the idyllic vibe of these sacred mountains. Selecting a specific time slot for your visit is actually required when purchasing tickets online or in person. The crowds are at their heaviest from around 9 am - 3 pm. That's usually when the big tours arrive and the first trains roll into Aguas Calientes from Ollantaytambo and Cusco.

Like most places, sunrise and sunset are the best times to visit. However, it is quite difficult to get to Machu Picchu for sunrise since often the sun rises before the gate to Machu Picchu even opens at 6 am. If watching the sunrise above Machu Picchu is on your bucket list make sure to plan accordingly. But be warned the mornings can also get quite foggy, meaning you might not even be able to see the ruins until the wall of clouds dissolves, especially during the rainy season. For the best of both worlds, I would recommend visiting Machu Picchu once during the early morning and once during the afternoon. But if I had to choose then I would say it is probably best to be the last one to leave than the first ones to enter. Being one of the last people will allow you to snap images of the ruins without masses squeezing through the marked trail below.

Your best bet is therefore to book the earliest time slot available or the latest time slot. There are hourly slots available, beginning at 6 am until 5.30 pm.

The site itself opens at 6.00 am sharp and the earliest bus from Aguas Calientes leaves at 5.30 am and takes 10 - 15 minutes. To be on the first bus leaving be prepared to stand in line at the bus station around 4.30 am. If you really want to be the first person at the entrance then we recommend walking from Aguas Calientes or joining the Inca Trail trekkers as they are usually the first ones to arrive, eagerly waiting in line for the gates to open. It takes around 5 - 10 minutes to reach the first viewpoint once you have entered Machu Picchu. If you are really eager to get a fairly empty shot of the ruins then we would recommend skipping the first viewpoints and making your way to the top from where you get the best view of this iconic historical sight. Machu Picchu is open 7 days a week, every day of the year, including holidays.

Tickets to Machu Picchu must be purchased in advance and can not be bought at the entrance of Machu Picchu. There are three ways to obtain your ticket to Machu Picchu, in advance online, in-person in Cusco, Aguas Calientes, or at any Banco De La Nacion in Peru, or via a third-party travel agent. Tickets in Cusco can be bought at the Ministerio de Cultura which is open Mon-Sat from 7 am - 8 pm and located just before the Plaza Regocijo. Don’t forget to bring your passport. Tickets in Aguas Calientes can be bought at the Machu Picchu Cultural Centre which is open from 5 am - 10 pm and located just off the main square. Don’t forget to bring your passport and CASH, tickets can only be bought in cash here. No matter if you decide to buy your tickets online or in-person, you will need a valid passport.

Though you can obtain your entrance tickets for Machu Picchu up to a day prior it is recommended to purchase your tickets far in advance. I would even suggest purchasing your tickets online as soon as you have a date in mind. The Peruvian government caps the number of daily visitors, so tickets can easily sell out, especially during the high season (June - September) Our visit to Machu Picchu was everything but how I imagined it to be like, it was cold, windy, wet, and overcast. The entire ruins were covered in a never-ending mass of grey clouds. Actually when we got there at 6.30 am we couldn't even see the ruins. While we did our research prior, you just never quite know what the weather is going to be like. We choose October and while other guests who were staying with us in the same hotel in Cusco came back with stunning images of a sun-flooded Machu Picchu and clear blue sky we got the total opposite only a couple of days later. While everyone always says “no matter how the weather is going to be like, you will have a great time”, I sadly have to disagree. I am not arguing the feeling I had arriving at Machu Picchu, a place I have always dreamed of visiting in person but the weather for sure does add to the experience. It was just a bunch of tourists in shiny yellow rain covers hoping for the sky to clear. We got to see the ruins for a quick minute when the rain stopped and the clouds opened up for approximately 10 minutes. But we wanted more, we didn’t come all the way to Peru, flew from Lima to Cusco, and traveled by train to Aguas Calientes to not see Machu Picchu in its full glory. Luckily we had our return train ticket to Cusco booked for the late evening the next day with enough time to return to Machu Picchu in the early afternoon for a second visit. So we ended up buying last-minute tickets for Machu Picchu for the next day and finally got to see the Machu Picchu not covered in heavy clouds.