Peru’s Machu Picchu Reopens: What You Should Know
After a wave of political unrest, the home of one of the world’s seven wonders wants tourists to return.
Huayna Picchu rises behind the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in the early morning light.
Photographer: Sergio Amiti/Moment RFWhen anti-government protests erupted and turned violent in Lima and Cusco in January 2023, Peru’s tourism industry had just begun recovering from nearly two years of pandemic shutdowns, after suffering one of the highest death tolls in the world. News of tourists stranded at Machu Picchu spread—they were either helicoptered out or had to walk for seven hours along the train tracks down to Aguas Calientes, the small city in the valley below. A wave of trip cancellations to the country followed.
A month later, Peru is trying to put it all behind and bring visitors back. Machu Picchu, which was indefinitely closed on Jan. 21, reopened to visitors on Feb. 15, the national government confirmed. Ticket sales have resumed, and the few tourists who waited it out were able to visit, according to local news. The reopening of the popular Unesco World Heritage Site came days before a congressional deadline to decide whether to hold early elections this year, in response to continued protests.