Restricted Machu Picchu tickets!!

[RT Gooch]

Good afternoon. RT here.

I am on a US Department of State email list as American traveler to Peru, and as such, I received the following email from the Department of State today. Even though it is directed at US citizens, I think that the advice applies to everyone.
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Message for U.S. Citizens – restricted Machu Picchu tickets
U.S. Embassy Lima, Peru
July 27, 2011

The historic site of Machu Picchu has a daily visitor limit of 2500 guests. This limit is now being strictly enforced. It is also the high season for tourism at Machu Picchu and recently tourists have been having difficulty obtaining tickets on the day they had planned to visit the site, resulting in substantial additional expenses.

The U.S. Embassy would like to remind all U.S. citizens planning a trip to Machu Picchu that the government of Peru recommends purchasing tickets in advance to avoid possible disappointment if the maximum has been reached for the day of an intended visit. The website of iPeru, Peru’s tourist information and assistance agency, has detailed information on how to obtain tickets. It is possible to reserve and pay online, although the website may be slow to load. The English language website address is http://www.peru.travel/en/ .

For those U.S. citizens already in Peru who have been unable to secure tickets, a limited number of extra tickets are being sold at the Direcion Regional de Cultura (DRC) office in Aguas Calientes over the next few weeks.

You can stay in touch and get Embassy updates by checking the Embassy Lima website. You can also get global updates at the U.S. Department of State's, Bureau of Consular Affairs website where you can find the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information. If you don't have internet access, the Department of State has a call center for updates: 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

The U.S. Consular Agency in Cusco, Peru, can be found at Avenida Pardo 845, Cusco. The office can be reached by phone at (51-84) 231-474, and is open Monday thru Friday, excluding U.S. and Peruvian holidays, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For any emergencies involving American citizens, please contact the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section, located in Monterrico, a suburb of Lima, at Avenida La Encalada, Block Seventeen; telephone 51-1-618-2000 during business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) or for after-hours emergencies; fax 51-1-618-2397, or 618-2724 (American Citizen Services Unit); Internet website at http://lima.usembassy.gov/. The Consular Section is open for American Citizens Services, including registration, from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 am weekdays, excluding U.S. and Peruvian holidays.​

 

[sierrabenz99]

Because Machu Picchu is on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites, it is UNESCO that has long suggested a limit of 2500 visitors per day. The recent 100th anniversary of Bingham's "discovery" plus the rise of visitors during Fiestas Patrias has brought the issue to a head. In recent years, the number of daily visitors has often exceeded 2500, particularly in June, July, and August. However, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) seems to be suggesting that in the future 5000 people per day (or more) may be allowed into the site, so long as the number of visitors within the site does not exceed 2200 at any one time. Most likely, this will mean that visitors will be restricted to a set route through the site, perhaps with no lagging behind to enjoy the experience. Obviously, also, it means that most visitors will need a guide and will need to follow the guide along the set route.

So much for the magical experience that many of us have experienced at Machu Picchu in the past. And when I first visited the site, the admission for extranjeros was $5, good for multiple days, whereas today the ticket costs almost $50 US, good for a single day's visit,.

 

[sierrabenz99]

The INC (Instituto Nacional de Cultural), the agency that runs Machu Picchu, has just announced that 3300 entrance tickets per day will be sold -- not clear yet as to whether they will limit the number of people actually within the site to 2500 at any one time.