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VISITING RULES
FOR THE HISTORICAL SANCTUARY OF MACHU PICCHU
Park authorities may occasionally designate different campsites than
those indicate The Inca Trail is part of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary,
a protected area of 32,592 hectares, managed by the National
Institute of Natural Resources, INRENA. Every visitor must obey park
regulations prohibiting littering, cutting or damaging trees,
removing or damaging stones of ruins and the Trail, removing plants,
killing animals, lighting open fires or camping in the archeological
sites (Only authorized campsites can be used).
Inca Trail Rules
The Inca Trail has recently imposed new regulations, designed to
minimize the damage to the ruins and terrain, to conserve this
historical resource. You must have a permit and a guide. Permits are
limited to 500 people per day (including porters). For the most
popular months of July and August, book well in advance. Disposable
plastic water bottles are not allowed. You may take the Nalgene type
water bottles or your water hydration system. Hiking poles are
permitted, but you must use rubber tips, to minimize the impact on
the terrain (rocks and earth).
The Porters Association has succeeded in getting a limit to the
weight they can carry. Since they carry your main pack, this
translates to an eight-kilogram limit for your personal backpack/duffel.
You may carry what you wish in your day pack - water, jacket,
raingear, camera, sunscreen...
For much of the trail, burros, horses and llamas are not allowed.
Local people, of course, have them If you are inspired to go to Peru
for trekking, here are the good months - May through October.
November through March is wet (their summer season). They close the
Inca Trail in February for trail clean up. April is iffy, we had
both sun and rain days. July and August are the best, as they are
the driest, but they are also the coldest (their winter season) |
