Machu Picchu for Seniors: How to Visit Comfortably After 60

You slept a full night in Aguas Calientes, had breakfast without watching the clock and rode the bus up the switchbacks. Now your guide stops on a wide stone landing, in the shade of a terrace wall, and lets everyone catch their breath. Below, the Urubamba River is a thin gray line at the bottom of the gorge. Nobody is rushing you, and the classic view is still ahead.

Short answer: Travelers in their 60s and 70s visit Machu Picchu every day. Go by train, sleep a night in Aguas Calientes, take the bus both ways and walk Circuit 2, route 2-A, about 2 hours 30 minutes on stone paths and stairs. Plan around Cusco's 3,399 m altitude, not the ruins, and see your doctor before you fly.

Many of the travelers we plan for are retired, and their first question is rarely whether they can see Machu Picchu. They want to know if they will enjoy it or spend it out of breath. The answer depends far more on the shape of the trip than on age. Machu Picchu itself is lower than Cusco, and the visit is a slow walk with stairs. The hard parts are the altitude of Cusco, the early starts and the long day trip, and you can plan around all of them.

Can seniors visit Machu Picchu?

Yes. There is no upper age limit on Machu Picchu tickets, and the citadel sits at 2,430 m (7,970 ft), about 970 m (3,180 ft) below Cusco. The CDC Yellow Book notes that people over 50 have slightly less risk of altitude illness than younger travelers, not more. What raises risk is a fast ascent and existing heart or lung conditions, for which the CDC advises seeing a physician who knows altitude medicine before the trip.

What the visit asks of you is walking. Every circuit inside Machu Picchu is a one-way route on uneven stone paths with stairs, many without handrails, and you are on your feet for about 2 hours 30 minutes on the standard city routes. If you can walk an hour on uneven ground at home and climb a few flights of stairs with rests, you can do the visit at your own pace.

What the visit asks of your body

The table lists each part of a classic Machu Picchu trip with the effort it takes and how to make it easier. The two items that matter most are the first nights in Cusco and the length of the Machu Picchu day.

The trip shape we recommend after 60

Three choices change everything: sleep low first, spend a night in Aguas Calientes, and leave the high day hikes for the end or skip them.

Sleep low before you sleep in Cusco

The CDC notes that travelers flying into Cusco can sleep lower than the airport for one or two nights. The Sacred Valley, at about 2,792 to 2,972 m (9,160 to 9,750 ft), is where to do it, with quiet hotels and warm afternoons. Our Sacred Valley altitude guide lists each town.

Make Machu Picchu a two-day visit

The day trip from Cusco is about 15 hours with a pickup before 5 a.m. With a night in Aguas Calientes, the town below the ruins at 2,040 m (6,690 ft), you ride the train one day and visit the next morning, rested. Our Machu Picchu by train in 2 days, from US$597 per person, does exactly that, with the panoramic Vistadome train on the way in. The 4-day Machu Picchu and Cusco package, from US$774, adds a city tour and a Sacred Valley day around the same night by the river.

Choose the gentle circuit

Book Circuit 2, route 2-A. It crosses the main temples and the classic sights in about 2 hours 30 minutes and skips the extra climb to the lower platform that route 2-B adds, per the official route maps. Leave Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain to others, since both are steep stair climbs. Our Machu Picchu circuits guide explains each route.

Small things that help at the site

Take the Consettur bus both ways. The walk up from Aguas Calientes is about 1 hour 30 minutes of stone steps and gains about 390 m. Use the restroom before you go in, because the toilets are outside the gate and each route is one-way.

Know the rules on walking aids. The site's code of conduct, published on machupicchu.gob.pe, bans walking sticks, umbrellas and hiking poles inside. If you need a cane for a medical reason, tell us when you book and we will check the current rule with the site before your date. Wear shoes with soft, grippy soles. Hard soles and heels are also banned, and the stones get slick when wet.

Set the pace with your guide at the start. Our guides stop on the landings, find shade and cut the route short if anyone tires. If you want a guide for your own group only, ask for it on the quote form.

Altitude, medication and insurance

This page gives travel facts, not medical advice. See your doctor four to six weeks before the trip with your itinerary and its highest point, which on a classic trip is Cusco at 3,399 m (11,152 ft) or a day hike above it. Ask about altitude medication and how it fits with what you already take. The CDC recommends acetazolamide for some travelers at moderate or high risk, a decision only your physician can make.

Buy travel insurance with medical evacuation cover. It is not included in any package we sell, and we recommend it for every traveler going to the Andes. For symptoms and warning signs, read our Cusco altitude guide.

Day trips that suit older travelers

If you want one more Andean day after Machu Picchu, pick an easy one. The Sacred Valley day tour, from US$127, is mostly by van with short walks. For striped mountains, Palccoyo, from US$137, has about 45 minutes of easy walking each way on a ridge at about 4,900 m, instead of the 1 hour 45 minutes of climbing to Vinicunca at 5,036 m. Ask your doctor about the altitude of either before you book.

For a slower train with lunch served at your seat, our Hiram Bingham train guide explains the luxury option and what it costs.