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Machu Picchu and Peru are reopening to travelers, including Americans. Machu Picchu, Peru's most popular sight for many travelers, has been closed since March 14, 2020, with the first foreign visitor a Japanese tourist who had purchased a ticket for March 15 and was stranded by the pandemic. He stayed on and was able to be the first person in 7 months allowed into Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu will officially reopen to visitors on November 1, 2020, at 30% capacity. International flights from the U.S. also resume on 11/1/20 from:
- Atlanta ATL
- Houston IAH
- Los Angeles LAX
- Miami MIA
- New York JFK
- Orlando MCO
Nonstop flights from these 6 U.S. cities (and 19 other international cities) are <8 hours, which is the initial requirement from the Peruvian government for international flights to Lima.
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COVID-19 Entry Requirements for Visitors to Peru
- Travelers to Peru must show a negative result of a COVID-19 PCR molecular test carried out within 72 hours before departing on the flight to Peru.
- Travelers must fill out Peru's Electronic Health Affidavit, and must commit to isolate or quarantine in the 72 hours prior to the flight to Peru
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When to Visit Machu Picchu and Reopening Regulations
While Machu Picchu is reopening in November 2020, we recommend that clients plan their visits for May-September, during the dry season, since the rainy season is November-March, and April can also see a fair amount of rain.
If you do decide to visit sooner rather than later, note that since access will be at 30% of capacity, there are only ~70 tickets available per hour for each category of ticket (“general” for foreigners and “promotional” for Peruvians and certain other South American countries). One's passport or country ID is used to purchase the ticket, and tickets are non-transferable once purchased. At least initially, only tickets for the main part of Machu Picchu will be sold, there aren't any tickets for Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, so if those are a must, best to postpone one's visit for the future.
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Where to Stay in Peru
TravelSort Clients' favorite experiences in Peru have been at the following hotels, all of which we can reserve with Virtuoso or preferred partner benefits:
- Belmond Palacio Nazarenas, Cusco
- Belmond Rio Sagrado, Sacred Valley
- Explora Valle Sagrado, Sacred Valley (Reopening late December 2020)
- Belmond Miraflores Park, Lima
Note that the only hotel right across from Machu Picchu is the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. It's very basic and not of the same quality of the other Belmond properties above, but you pay for the incredible location and convenience of being able to have Machu Picchu to yourself (along with the very few other guests of the lodge) before day trippers arrive and after they leave. That can be well worth it, in spite of the property's other limitations.
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