Machu Picchu & Inca Trail Closed until the end of March

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Machu Picchu & Inca Trail temporary closure until the end of March due to damage to Railway Line caused by floods and landslides

Information updated 01 March 2010

News Summary: On 10 February in a press conference with the Peruvian Ministry of Tourism the minister Martin Perez stated the railway to Aguas Calientes will be open as from the beginning of April and access via road between Hidro-Electrica and Santa Maria will take at least 2 months to repair because of the need to construct two tunnels to help stabilize this section of the road. This effectively means that there will be no way to get to and from Machu Picchu until the beginning of April. i.e. put in simple terms Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail will be closed during February and March 2010.

Our personal opinion is that things won't get back to normal until at least mid-April or even late April/early May so if you can postpone your trip to Peru to later in the year then all the better. We think the government target of 01 April is a little optimistic. 
  

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The months of December, January & February are traditionally known as the wet season in the highlands of Peru (Cusco, Machu Picchu, Puno etc). This year the rains started early in November and the rains in January were the heaviest for the last 15 years (some say the heaviest for the last 25 years!).
 
As a result, the rivers in the Cusco region have swollen and burst their banks flooding adjacent low-lying villages causing damage to bridges and the railway line between Aguas Calientes (the town closet to Machu Picchu) and Ollantaytambo (in the Sacred Valley).
 

As you can see in the map above the only way for visitors to get from Aguas Calientes to Ollantaytambo is by train. Very heavy rain in the region on 21, 22 & 23 January 2010 led to high river levels and mudslides along the river valley between km82 and km104 which consequently has damaged at least 4 sections of the track. In fact several sections of the track have been washed away completely. The railway line between Aguas Calientes and Hidro-Electrica and the road between Hidro-Electrica - Santa Teresa - Santa Maria has also been damaged. Damage to the track on the 24 January left nearly 1500 tourists stranded in the town of Aguas Calientes. During the following 5 days these tourists were evacuated by helicopters provided by the Peruvian government. The flights were provided free of charge and Peru Rail did a good job providing accommodation for many tourists in the wagons of their trains and providing meals and water.

All tourists have now returned to Cusco.

As far as we are aware there has been no damage to Machu Picchu itself or to the Inca Trail. The road from Machu Picchu down to the bridge crossing the River Vilcanota appears to be in good condition as does the bridge itself. There is damage to the road running parallel to the river from the bridge to Aguas Calientes which may take until mid-March to repair.

How long will it take to repair the railway between Aguas Calientes and Ollantaytambo?

Maintenance and repair of the track is the responsibility of the company FTSA (Ferrocarril Transandino SA) which is basically the engineering arm of Peru Rail. Both FTSA & Peru Rail are 50% owned by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd (publicly listed on the New York stock exchange) and 50% Peruval Corp, a privately owned Peruvian company mainly engaged in the tourism, infrastructure and real estate sectors in Peru.
FTSA (Peru Rail) have confirmed that it will take about 8 weeks to repair this section of track, provided the weather condition remain good. This means that all trains from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes will be cancelled for at least the next 8 weeks (until the end of March). Peru Rail have stated that trains should be running again as from the 01 April, however this is only likely to be a limited service between km82 and Aguas Calientes. Vistors will have to walk or take a bus from Ollantaytambo to km82.

Our personal opinion is that things won't get back to normal until at least mid-April or even late April so if you can postpone your trip to Peru to later in the year then all the better.
 

How long will it take to repair the railway between Aguas Calientes and Hidro-Electrica and the road from Hidro-Electrica and Santa Teresa and Santa Maria?

FTSA (Peru Rail) have stated that it will take about 3 weeks to repair this section of track, provided the weather conditions remain good.
At a press conference on 10 February Martin Perez, the Peruvian minister for tourism, stated the railway to Aguas Calientes will be open as from the beginning of April and access via road between Hidro-Electrica and Santa Maria would take at least 2 months to repair because of the need to construct two tunnels. This effectively means that there will be no way to get to and from Machu Picchu until the beginning of April. i.e. put in simple terms Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail will be closed during February and March 2010.

When and how will I be able to get to Machu Picchu again?
On 10 February the Peruvian Tourism Minister Martin Perez effectively confirmed that Machu Picchu will be closed during February and March 2010 and will be open for business as normal in April. There has been no damage to Machu Picchu itself. Our personal opinion is that things won't get back to normal until at least mid-April or even late April so if you can postpone your trip to Peru to later in the year then all the better.

I have lots of money, can I get to Machu Picchu by helicopter?

No, the government has refused permission for private helicopter companies to run flights to and from Machu Picchu.
  

When will I be able to do the Inca Trail again?

Although there has been no damage to the Inca Trail the government closed the trail on 25 January until further notice, basically because once you arrive at Machu Picchu all routes back to Cusco are blocked. The Inca Trail is closed every year in February to allow cleaning of the campsites and other maintenance works to be undertaken.

As stated above, the Peruvian Tourism Minister Martin Perez effectively confirmed that Machu Picchu (and hence the Inca Trail) will be closed during February and March 2010. As from the 11 February the INC (National Institute of Culture), the government authority that controls the entry to Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, have stopped selling treks permits for Inca Trail departures in March. They are, however, continuing to sell trek permits for trek departures during the month of April since it is expected that Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail will be open for business as normal as from 01 April 2010.
Visitors who have already made an Inca Trail trek booking for departures in March will probably be offered an alternative trek (such as the 4 day Lares Valley trek), although obviously none of these alternative treks will include a visit to Machu Picchu. Visitors should contact their tour operator for further details of refunds or alternative treks.
      

Should we wait until we know for sure if the Inca Trail will be open before making a trek booking in April, May etc?
In ideal circumstances it would be wise to wait until you know for sure whether the Inca Trail will be open before making a booking. However in reality there are only a limited number of trek permits available and, despite the problems, the permits are still continuing to sell out pretty quickly. At least 50% of departure dates in April have already sold out and more than 90% of dates in May have sold out so although it may be wise to wait a while to make a booking if you wait too long you may find that the departure date that you want may have become fully booked or the government-issued trek permits sold out. The number of Inca Trail trek permits still available can be found on our web page Inca Trail Trek Permit Availability. It would be a good idea to check your travel insurance details before making a trek booking since most trekking companies in Cusco will not refund your trek deposit if the Inca Trail or Machu Picchu remains closed. Some companies are not offering any refund at all, some are offering only partial refunds and most will only offer you an alternative trek in place of the Inca Trail. Check with your Inca Trail Tour Operator to find out what their trek cancellation policy and how they plan to help their porters and guides if the trail remains closed for any length of time.

   
Floods and damage to villages close to Cusco (Sacred Valley).
On 25 January the Peruvian Prime Minister Javier Velasquez Quesquen announced that the departments of Cusco and Apurimac have been placed under a state of emergency for 60 days because of the heavy rains. Authorities have estimated that more than 10,000 people have been affected by the rain and over 2000 homes have collapsed or have been damaged. At least 5 persons have died in the region. Most of this damage has been to property in the southern valley of Cusco. The centre of Cusco itself has remained pretty much unaffected by the rain.  Hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions such as the Cathedral, Temple of the Sun, museums, Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay etc are open to the public as normal. The airport in Cusco is operating flights as normal.

The bridge over the Vilcanota River at Pisac has been damaged and not open to traffic but Pisac and Pisac market can still be visited by the longer route via Urubamba. Companies are continuing to offer the one-day Sacred Valley Tour visiting Pisac market, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero.

Heavy rains in the Cusco region during the last week of February have led to flooding in the village of Taray, located on the opposite bank of the Vilcanota River to Pisac. At least 30% of the houses have been badly damaged and 8 persons have died.

The above information is provided in good faith. Andean Travel Web cannot be held responsible for any information given above that may prove to be incorrect. For up-to-date information contact www.perurail.com or you travel agent / local tour operator. The above information is subject to international copyright and cannot be reproduced without prior written permission.