You need tickets for Machu Picchu?

That’s been a common question in Peru and on message boards for the past year, often voiced in frustration after finding out the the answer is…yes.

You see, ever since I wrote this Saving Machu Picchu article in Transitions Abroad’s print magazine back in 2005, local officials and the private sector have been trying to nail down a limit on the daily number of visitors to South America’s most famous attraction. It was the typical “responsible tourism” vs. “profit above all else” interests battle and after six years, the former finally won. The number thrown out in the beginning—2,500 visitors a day—is what stuck.

Despite all the time to plan, the implementation was a mess and a year later it’s still a mess. In a sensible world you’d be able to go online, buy a limited number of tickets with a credit card, and print them out or show a UPC on a smart phone to pick them up. Alas, they forgot to set up a fraud prevention system and got burned. So you need a whole article on how to actually get these tickets. Thanks to the BBC for laying it all out here:

Securing Tickets to Machu Picchu

If you’re going on an organized tour, including an Inca Trek hike, you probably don’t have to worry about this as it’ll be folded into the cost. If you’re an independent traveler arriving in high season (May through September) however, stop 1 should be the Instituto de Cultural Nacional de Cusco located off the Plaza de Armas in Cusco or the Machu Picchu Cultural Center in Aguas Calientes. See the article for links.

In the low season, there are many days they don’t hit that 2,500 limit, so you can relax a bit and even get them the day of sometimes. Otherwise, plan ahead.

This bucket list wonder of the world is going to cost you, so set aside the bucks. It’s 128 soles, which at current exchange rates is around $49.