Permanent alert in the municipality of Machu Picchu due to the constant rain.

The District Municipality of Machupicchu in Cusco, Peru, declared a permanent alert due to the persistent rains and the increase in the Vilcanota River and the landslides that may occur on the railways.

During the rainy season in Peru, mainly between January and March, the “huaicos” or alluvium (large amount of desiment eroded by the river or rain) and landslides are the geological hazards most frequently recorded each year.

In recent weeks due to the powerful rains, the Vilcanota River and other rivers in the region, have experienced violent increase in their flow, causing the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (Senamhi) of Peru to declare a red alert as these events endanger the inhabitants of six districts of four provinces of Cusco. These include San Salvador (Canchis), Pisac (Calca), Quiquijana (Quispicanchi Province), Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu (Urubamba).

At the moment, the rail service of the region has not been stopped for a remarkable period of time; however, there have been certain delays on certain departures of trains that tourists and locals board to or from the Inca citadel, due to damages on the railroad and landslides on the hills.

Moreover, the Inca Trail network is the only tourist site that has been closed due to the rainy season in Cusco so far. It is important to note that this circuit always closes in February as it goes under maintenance works, however, due to the landslide in the Pacaymayo Alto area, which caused an unfortunate accident on January 23, 2020, this action was moved ahead in time.

If everything continues as planned, the access of tourists to the Inca Trail of Machu Picchu will resume from March 1, 2020, after concluding the maintenance and conservation works, normally carried out in this month each year.

Please note that our operation team is on permanent alert, so in the event of any interruption or reprogramming of the trip of any of our passengers due to this weather factor, we will contact our clients in order to find the best possible alternative so as to avoid having the holiday affected.