On 1 June 2024, the Ministry of Culture reorganised the Machu Picchu visit into three circuits and ten routes. The reasoning is mostly conservation: a controlled visitor flow through authorised zones reduces wear on the site and improves each visitor's experience, instead of funnelling everyone through the same narrow paths at once.
The citadel's highest viewpoints
Four routes climbing toward Machu Picchu's highest points, along narrow paths that open onto views of the sacred landscape surrounding the city — well beyond the classic photo. Effort varies route to route, but all of them share that reward of height.
See this circuit's routes →The urban core you already know from photos
Two routes through the heart of Machu Picchu's urban sector: the agricultural terraces, the residences, and the spaces once used to observe the stars. It's the citadel's most recognisable walk, at medium-to-high effort.
See this circuit's routes →The sacred spaces of Inca nobility
Four routes through the most sacred spaces once occupied by Inca royalty — the Temple of the Sun, the Inca's House, the Temple of the Condor — generally low effort. Effort only rises if you also climb toward Huayna Picchu, Huchuy Picchu, or the Great Cavern.
See this circuit's routes →