Official ticket, booked in your name
Pick your Machu Picchu date, any day through September 2027
Choose the route, the day and the entry hour. We buy the Ministry ticket in your name and email it to you. From $62 per adult.
Travelling in the next 30 days and your date is sold out? The 2-Day Tour gets you in →
The 60-second verdict
Pick Huayna Picchu if you want the famous steep climb, you are fine with heights and narrow steps, you are 18 or older, and you can book well ahead — it is the first of the two to sell out. Pick Machu Picchu Mountain if you want the widest panorama plus the classic postcard viewpoint on the same ticket, prefer a less exposed trail, are booking closer to your date, or are traveling with someone under 18. Either way, if walking through the Inka city itself matters to you, read the next section first.
The difference most guides miss: what else each ticket includes
Every Machu Picchu ticket is now a fixed one-way route, and the official Ministry of Culture map says exactly what each one covers. The two mountain tickets do not share the same base route:
- Machu Picchu Mountain (Route 1A): From the entrance up to the Lower and Upper panoramic platforms — the classic postcard view over the citadel — then the trail to the summit and back to the exit. It does not walk through the Inka city. Maximum stay: 7 hours, the longest of any ticket. Stop-by-stop guide.
- Huayna Picchu (Route 3A): The lower sector of the Inka city — Temple of the Sun viewpoint, Pisonay Square, Temple of the Condor, Water Mirrors, Eastern Qolqas and Twelve Niches — to the Sacred Rock, then the climb. It does not go up to the panoramic platforms or the upper temples. Maximum stay: 6 hours. Stop-by-stop guide.
The head-to-head, in one table
| Huayna Picchu | Machu Picchu Mountain | |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket | Circuit 3A | Circuit 1A |
| Also includes | Lower Inka city + Sacred Rock | Lower and Upper panoramic platforms |
| Summit elevation | 2,693 m (8,835 ft) | 3,082 m (10,111 ft) |
| Climb above the citadel (2,430 m) | ~260 m, very steep | ~650 m, steady |
| Typical hike, round trip | About 2–3 h | About 3–4 h |
| Official maximum stay | 6 hours | 7 hours |
| Entry times | 07:00 and 10:00 | 07:00 and 09:00 |
| Exposure | High — narrow steps, cables in places | Lower — wider, more even trail |
| Adult price (foreign) | $78 | $78 |
| Under 18 | We sell it to adults only | Child fare (3–17): $57 |
| Sells out | First | Later |
Prices are per person in US dollars, plus the 5% service fee shown at checkout; students 18–24 with a valid card pay $56 (Huayna) or $57 (Mountain). Entry times are the slots in our booking inventory. Hiking times are typical ranges from the trailhead and vary a lot with fitness and crowds; the maximum stay is the hard limit printed on the official map.
The two tickets
Circuit 3A Huayna Picchu
Climb the iconic peak behind the citadel — strictly limited daily quota
Circuit 1A Mountain
Hike Machu Picchu Mountain — 3,082 meters of breathtaking views
Which one sells out first (with real numbers)
Both routes have two entry times a day. This is the share of those entry slots already sold out in our inventory, read on 1 October 2026:
| Huayna Picchu (3A) | Mountain (1A) | |
|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 100% sold out | 84% sold out |
| November 2026 | 71% sold out | 0% — all open |
| December 2026 | 2% sold out | 0% — all open |
In this snapshot Huayna Picchu was weeks ahead of the Mountain in selling out. If Huayna is a must, book it first and plan trains and hotels around the date you get. If you are booking within a few weeks of your trip, the Mountain is usually the peak still available. Today's numbers, for every route and the next six months, are on our live sold-out board.
The view: looking down vs looking across
From the top of Huayna Picchu you look straight down on the citadel — the ruins spread below you like a scale model, with the Urubamba River curling around the base. It is dramatic, and it is a view of Machu Picchu from above, not the famous postcard.
From Machu Picchu Mountain you look across the whole sanctuary: the citadel smaller in the frame, Huayna Picchu rising behind it, the valley and the surrounding peaks around. And because Route 1A passes the two panoramic platforms on the way up, the Mountain ticket also gives you the classic postcard angle from close by.
Difficulty: steep-and-exposed vs long-and-high
Both are demanding, in different ways. Huayna Picchu packs its effort into a short, very steep climb on narrow Inca steps, with sections where the drop is right beside you and steel cables to hold. People who are uneasy with heights find it the harder of the two.
Machu Picchu Mountain trades steepness for length and altitude: a wider, more even stone trail with far fewer exposed moments, but roughly two and a half times the climb, finishing above 3,000 m. It is the harder one for your legs and lungs, the easier one for your nerves.
Which one YOU should pick
Choose Machu Picchu Mountain for the widest view, the postcard platforms on the same ticket, a less exposed trail and better availability. Choose Huayna Picchu for the famous steep climb, the view straight down on the citadel and a walk through the lower Inka city. Both cost $78 for foreign adults.
You want the iconic climb (and can book early)
It is the first of the two to sell out, so book it before anything else and plan the rest of the trip around the date you get.
You want the classic postcard photo too
Route 1A passes the two panoramic platforms of the postcard view before the climb, and the summit adds the widest panorama, with Huayna Picchu in the frame.
You want to walk through part of the Inka city
Route 3A walks the lower sector — Temple of the Condor, Water Mirrors, Twelve Niches — before the climb. The Mountain ticket does not enter the city at all.
You have any hesitation about heights or exposure
Wider, more even trail with far fewer exposed sections. Still a serious climb, but much less of the drop-beside-you feeling.
You're booking within a few weeks of your trip
Huayna Picchu is the first to go. The Mountain usually still has entry times a few weeks out and costs the same. Check the live board before you decide.
You're traveling with someone under 18
We sell Huayna Picchu to adults only. The Mountain has a child fare (3–17) at $57 — a long climb, so only for a young hiker who is genuinely fit.
Can I hike both peaks on the same trip?
Yes, with two tickets — each ticket is one route. Put them on different days: both climbs are demanding, and Huayna's 10:00 slot and the Mountain's 7-hour window do not fit comfortably in one day. A practical order is the Mountain first (it also shows you the city from the platforms), Huayna the next day (it walks you through the lower city). Plan at least two nights in Aguas Calientes.
Frequent questions
Is Machu Picchu Mountain harder than Huayna Picchu?
Different hard. The Mountain is longer and higher — about 650 m of climb above the citadel to 3,082 m, typically 3–4 hours round trip. Huayna is shorter and lower — about 260 m to 2,693 m, typically 2–3 hours — but steeper, on narrow steps with exposed sections. Most people find the Mountain more tiring and Huayna more nerve-wracking.
Does the Huayna Picchu or Mountain ticket include the Machu Picchu citadel?
Partly, and differently. On the official map, the Huayna Picchu ticket (3A) walks the lower sector of the Inka city before the climb, but not the upper temples or the panoramic platforms. The Mountain ticket (1A) includes the two panoramic platforms with the postcard view, but it does not enter the city. To walk the whole city you need a Circuit 2 ticket.
Can I take a child to Machu Picchu Mountain or Huayna Picchu?
On the Mountain, yes: it has a child fare for ages 3–17 ($57), though the climb is long and only suits a fit young hiker. We sell Huayna Picchu to adults (18+) only, so a minor cannot book it with us.
Which peak has the best sunrise?
Neither. The first entry time on both routes is 07:00, after the sun is already up. What you can get instead is the morning cloud lifting out of the valley, which looks best from the Mountain's wide angle; Huayna's top-down view is better for clear shots of the citadel itself.
If Huayna Picchu is sold out, is Huchuy Picchu a good replacement?
As a short climb with a view, yes: Huchuy Picchu (Circuit 3D, $62) is a smaller peak beside Huayna, a short steep climb with a 3 h 30 maximum stay. It is not an easy fallback in high season, though — on 1 October 2026 its October and November entry slots were all sold out. The Mountain is usually the peak still available.
Can I switch from one to the other after booking?
No. They are different routes, and once the Ministry issues the ticket the route is fixed. If you booked the wrong one, the practical fix is a new ticket; issued tickets are non-refundable.
Are the tickets more expensive at one peak than the other?
For foreign adults they cost the same: $78 each. Students 18–24 pay $56 for Huayna and $57 for the Mountain, and the Mountain has a $57 child fare (3–17). All prices are per person, plus the 5% service fee shown at checkout.
Ready to lock in a peak?
Check live availability for both routes — Huayna Picchu fills first, so if it is your target, don't wait. The Mountain usually has more room.