Get ready to buy your Machu Picchu tickets for entry in 2025. The Peru government released the schedule indicating the date that each batch will be available. They do not release all the tickets for the year at one time. 

For travelers going to Machu Picchu from January 1-5, this means the earliest date you can buy your entry tickets is December 19, 2024. And if you're traveling to Machu Picchu from January 6-31, 2025, the earliest you can get your tickets is January 3, 2025. From January 13 through January 21, the rest of the 2025 year will be released in monthly batches.

What happened on the official Machu Picchu website on December 19?

Well. It crashed. And locked us, and everyone, out. And after several hours of refreshing and re-entering ticket info, we finally bought the first batch at 4:30pm (Peru time, which is the same as eastern time in the US) Then. It crashed again. We were able to place the last tickets in our cart before the crash. But a few minutes later the website returned to life and the tickets in the cart were gone. So. We got a few calls from people who were having the same issue and thought maybe we had some special Pachamama magic on our side. But everyone was in the same predicament. We are all buying tickets from the same website. Will it crash again? 

Yes. On January 3, 2025, the official Machu Picchu government website did a mini-crash. But by 12:30pm EST the website seems to be functioning normally. Looks like lots of tickets for entery to circuit 2A around 9am-112N time slots are gone. These tend to be the most popular entry times for visitors on 1-day trips from Cusco or Sacred Valley. But early am and late afternoon slots can be found. The other circuits have various levels of availability. 

Can you buy entry tickets to Machu Picchu in 2025 from a travel agency?

Yes. Here's what you need to know. If anyone tells you they can buy your tickets before the tickets are available on the official Machu Picchu website, they're misleading you. Or you could call it lying. However, it's perfectly acceptable to take advance reservations and buy the tickets on the date they're released as long as they tell you that. So listen up. No one can buy entry tickets to Machu Picchu before the dates you see published. Got it? If I make a reservation for an agency to buy my tickets, here's what I would want to know. IF my first-choice ticket is sold out, what is the 2nd choice ticket? I would let the agency know my preferences for first choice and second choice. Just in case.

Here's my opinion about which Machu Picchu tickets to buy if you only have one visit

For people going to Machu Picchu for one visit, get the circuit 2 ticket so you can see the Inca city up close. If neither circuit 2A or 2B are available, get circuit 3B. Hikers can get 3A with Huayna Piccchu hike if you want to add a heart-pumping thrill to your visit! 

Is it possible that there could be computer glitches when buying Machu Picchu tickets?

Yes. Absolutely. The current Machu Picchu website (here's the link with the URL https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/llaqta_machupicchu) was launched last August, 2024, after a rough start with a 3rd party "ticketmaster"-type website called Joinnus, last Janaury. There were glitches galore for the first few days. It's also possible they could make changes to the rules, the circuits and the tickets. They gave us 2 weeks advance notice in May 2024, before they made major changes to the circuits on June 1, 2024, So. Now you know. 

If I hear of any significant issues or changes, I'll update this post. Check back. Or follow us on Instagram (@adiosbasecamp).

You can call me or Heather in Virginia. We're taking reservations for multi-day trips in 2025 and we can set up 1 or 2-day package trips to Machu Picchu which include everything. But we don't sell tickets. If you just have questions, I'll do my best to help you out. Email is best. 

What's the golden Inca rule for buying Machu Picchu tickets?

You can't make changes to your Machu Picchu tickets after payment is complete. So. If the ticket you're working on reloads or you have to start over, double check all the previous data you may have entered before you continue. We've seen settings return to default!  Make sure you show up at the main gate with the exact same passport you used to buy your Machu Picchu tickets. Other than that, you're golden!