The Ultimate Guide To Climbing The Huayna Picchu

If you’re looking for the best views of Machu Picchu, a view that reveals all of the citadel’s engineering brilliance and complexity, you’ll need the bird’s eye view from the top of Huayna Picchu. Huayna Picchu is the mountain that rises above Machu Picchu in the back of every photo you see of the famous ruins, but before you decide to hike it there are some things you need to know. Here is our guide to climbing Huayna Picchu.

What is Huayna Picchu

In Quechua, the language of the Incas, Huayna Picchu means “young peak”, and it’s the mountain that looms over the ruins below. However, the destination isn’t just a lookout point as it is believed that it served as the home for the high priest and Inca virgins. They’d live on the top of the peak, catching a glimpse of the sun as it began to peak over the mountains. Today, if you buy the permit, you can take your Machu Picchu trip to the next level by hiking up to the top of Huayna Picchu.

The hike

Permits

Just remember that you can’t just show up to climb the peak. The days of when you could do whatever you wanted at Machu Picchu are over and it’s for the best. The requirement of permits limits access to both Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu in order to limit the damage to the site and help preserve the famous ruins for future generations. It also ensures greater safety in the climb to the top – it’s no longer a mad house of people all scrambling up at the same time. They allow 400 people to climb up each day, but stagger the times so that two groups of 200 people go up together.

Purchasing

To buy a ticket to Huayna Picchu you’ll need to buy it with your Machu Picchu ticket, not separately. The cost of the permit for Huayna Picchu is around 150 soles or $50 USD, a fee which includes the entrance fee to Machu Picchu. There are no separate permits, it is included in your Machu Picchu ticket. This can be complicated if you’re hiking the Inca Trail because they will buy your entrance ticket to Machu Picchu for you. If you wanted to do the Inca Trail and climb Huayna Picchu, you’ll need to specify it to your tour operator.

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