Machu Picchu to reopen on July 15th
For those of us in the South American travel industry, it was fantastic to read “Machu Picchu to Reopen” in our inboxes. This iconic Inca ruin has undergone many changes to the way we visit over the years but this latest change is the most drastic. Machu Picchu will open after months of closure with severely restricted protocols in place.
When I first visited the site in 1994 I traveled on the outside of the train, did the Inca Trail carrying all my gear, wandered around to all parts with no restrictions, and stayed in the site with a picnic until after dark. Those days are long gone, and lots of things that happened in the past did need to be changed. These latest changes come as a result of the COVID Pandemic and few will argue that this is not the best way forward.
- Open 15th July to nationals and foreigners in-country
- A guide can take up to seven people maximum in the group
- 75 people per hour will be admitted entry to the site, in shifts
- Tickets can be purchased online only, no ticket office at the site
- There will be temperature control and disinfectant for visitors
- Shuttle buses will operate at half-full capacity, at 5-minute intervals
- The use of masks will be obligatory
- A social distancing of 2 meters will be enforced
Some good news, those under 18 and over 60 will be allowed in free of charge. This applies to both nationals and foreigners!
Some parts of the site will not be open just yet, such as the Sun Gate and Huayna Picchu. The Inca Trail will not open for the rest of 2020 it is reported (at least they will have plenty of time for annual maintenance). How long these measures will be in place we don’t know. International borders are not open yet (probably not until September), so by the time tourists are allowed to fly into Peru again it may be that these measures are relaxed anyway.
