Mistakes to Avoid When Visiting Machu Picchu
We know when you are planning on visiting one of the most magnificent UNESCO World Heritage sites on earth, you’ll want to get it right, unfortunately, sometimes everything doesn’t work out the way you want it to.
For this reason our Come See Peru tour guides shared with us some very common mistakes made by many travelers when planning the trip to Machu Picchu.
Visitors usually make at least one or two mistake during their first trip to Machu Picchu. Here’s how to avoid the most common mishaps and mistakes.
Buying Last-Minute Tickets
After you have decided when to visit Machu Picchu you might want to buy your Machu Picchu tickets when you arrive in Peru or Cusco, After you have decided when to visit Machu Picchu you may think that you should buy your Machu Picchu tickets when you arrive in Peru or Cusco, however you should consider that even in the low season the tickets to Machu Picchu may be sold out. Remember the Machu Picchu tickets are limited now to 2,500 per day and they are sold for specific entry times.
We recommend buying the tickets in advance even during the off-season to avoid any inconvenience at the last minute, You can buy the tickets directly from the official website of the ministry of culture or make your reservation for your tour in Machu Picchu with the travel agency that you chose to do so.
Please keep in mind, whether you buy your Machu Picchu tickets from the official website of the Ministry of Culture or from an authorized travel agency, the money you pay may not be refundable, we advise you to double check the terms and conditions before making the purchase.
Assuming You Don’t Need A Guide
Although in 2019 hiring a tour guide has become an obligation when visiting Machu Picchu, we believe that a travel book will not tell you as much as a local tour guide would, sometimes those who have written the book did not visit the most recent places discovered within the site of Machu Picchu or they don´t tell you how to make the most of your visit, so we encourage you to hire a local tourist guide at Machu Picchu or through the travel company you chose.
Forgetting Your Passport
You would think that the biggest planning mistake would be something like forgetting your passport OR checking the expiration date of your passport, which happens sometimes and is among a list of oversights to avoid.
Pisco Temptation The Night Before Your Visit
Although it sounds ridiculous we have heard a lot of stories from our tour guides about travelers who missed out on visiting Machu Picchu because of the hangover the night before their visit.
We believe that a pisco sour (or beer) the day before your visit to Machu Picchu could be a bad decision if you have not yet fully acclimatized to the altitude.
Buying Train Tickets At The Last Minute
If you decided to visit organize your trip to Machu Picchu by yourself then it is important that you take into account this advice, “do not buy your train ticket in Cusco“ no matter if you decide to visit Machu Picchu in the low season (December to March) train tickets are almost always sold out, Remember that your train must coincide with a specific time slot on your Machu Picchu ticket and that you must arrive in Aguas Calientes 2 hours before the time of your visit, the other good thing about buying your train ticket in advance is that you could apply for discounts and promotions.
Thinking You Can Get Back In Machu Picchu One More Time After Using The Bathrooms
Sorry to tell you that if you do that, believe me, they won’t let you back in even if you’ve only been in Machu Picchu for an hour.
Since 2019 the Ministry of Culture has established that travelers can only visit Machu Picchu once, which means that once you have used your entrance ticket it is no longer valid for a second time.
So don’t make this common mistake made by many solo travelers and make sure you get the most out of your visit.
Don’t Walk Up To Machu Picchu
Although it may sound like bad advice for those who love hikes and challenges, make sure you are one of them if you want to do it, otherwise we recommend you don’t even try, although the climb is only 2 hours up it could turn into an eternal climb.
