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Travel Update: Machu Picchu Reopens to the Public 🚨📰
Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world and on the bucket list of so many travelers (as well as the Inca Trail) after being closed indefinitely due to the situation Peru is experiencing, officially reopens today, February 15th, however, admitting a maximum of 2500 visitors per day.
As a result of the marches and protests currently happening in the country, travel to Peru at this time is not advised.
Machu Picchu and Inca Trail Reopen between February and March
Following the difficult decision to close Peru's two main tourist attractions that came a few weeks ago, Machu Picchu, the country's iconic landmark, reopens to tourism today.
The Peruvian Ministry of Culture had closed - effective Jan. 21 - the Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail sites, partially because of the inability to guarantee the safety of travelers.
The airport in Cuzco, the center closest to the ancient Inca city, had been closed in January, at the same time that rail lines connecting Cuzco with Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, the departure locations for excursions to the site, were also suspended. As of last week, however, both means of travel have resumed operation, thus making it possible to visit the much-loved destination.
The Inca Trail, on the other hand, will reopen in March due to maintenance work that will last until the end of the month.
The Situation in Peru
Protests against the government in Peru have been ongoing for about two and a half months, and as a result of clashes with police, there have been dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries so far. Protesters are demanding new elections with the resignation of Dina Boluarte, who was promoted to head the government from the vice president following the December arrest of President Pedro Castillo, who was accused of trying to dissolve parliament in a coup attempt. The form taken by the protests has often been blockades of roads and highways, as well as strikes and large demonstrations, with violent police crackdowns.
The government has declared a state of emergency in the regions of Cuzco, Puno, and Lima (where there are also the greatest problems at the airports) and in the regions of La Libertad, Amazonas, and Tacna, in the Constitutional Province of Callao and the provinces of Andahuaylas, Tambopata y Tahuamanu, as well as in the District of Torata. It continues, A curfew is in effect in the Puno Region, with a ban on driving from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.