Want to avoid the crowds at Machu Picchu? We have some ideas

Avoiding the crowds along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, one of Latin America’s most popular attractions, is not easy. Yet if a drop-dead-gorgeous trek through the Andes to spectacular Inca ruins is what you’re after, there are a few ways of shaking off the masses.

Mind-bogglingly magnificent places attracts crowds: such is the logic of all the world’s greatest sights, no? A highlight of Peru, Machu Picchu is no exception. The wonder of a 15th-century ridgetop Inca citadel emerging out of clouds after a hike or train ride through superlative Andean scenery is a highlight of any trip to South America – or anywhere in the world.

Yet few so remote, so compact destinations get so rammed with so many visitors.

If you include the summits flanking the citadel complex – Huayna Picchu, Cerro Machu Picchu and Huchuy Picchu – we’re talking almost 4500 visitors daily at the site, with plenty more cramming the gateway town of Aguas Calientes. The point? This is not a place to come for peace and quiet. And this has changed even since I first visited in 2004, when one was able to arrive at first light and see the ruins in a (relatively) tourist-free state. Which means that whatever I tell you here, those crowds will not go away: not at Machu Picchu itself, and not on the classic 4-day Inca Trail trek to reach it – the most famous of the approaches by foot.

Are the crowds all that bad at the Machu Picchu site?

Getting to the site itself first thing in the morning no longer means you’ll be (almost) alone, since others now follow the very same advice. (Admittedly, though, an early arrival still helps you beat the mid-morning and early-afternoon peak crowds.) Machu Picchu’s layout – with many narrow passageways and little level ground – means you will invariably feel somewhat bunched together with your fellow adventurers. Even scrambling up the iconic flanking peak Huayna Picchu – capped at 200 visitors daily – won’t grant you much solitude, as you squeeze past others on the narrow trail. But at the other end of the complex, Cerro Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu Mountain) actually offers further-reaching views and is nowhere near as popular a hike.

But now that I’ve said that…

Since almost all visitors take the classic Inca Trail approach, the crowds will bother you less were you to take one of the less-frequented treks to the site. Peruvian authorities are mighty savvy at devising new ways of enticing travelers – and these days, there are many other exceptional hikes in the vicinity. Some even pass (other) epic Inca ruins en route.

Feel like you’re blazing your own trail on the Lares Trek

If you want a hike that’s calm, authentic and just as beautiful as the Inca Trail, I highly recommend the Lares Trek. On this trail, you’ll negotiate magical mountain passes like Ipsayjasa and camp at glimmering Ipsaycocha Lake nearby – and be as likely to meet local families (including alpaca herders and the region’s renowned weavers) as other hikers. The route has several variations, too, which means you’ll feel more like you’re blazing your own unique path, rather than falling in line behind the masses along the Inca Trail.

The route(s) start at the town of Lares, with the best-known heading to Patacancha, then continuing (by foot or more commonly bus) to another beautiful town, Ollantaytambo, which has its own impressive set of ruins. From there, you can take the train to Aguas Calientes and on to Machu Picchu.

Why you should consider Choquequirao over Machu Picchu

You needn’t think that it’s only the Machu Picchu area that offers hikes to Inca ruins. Which is why, to avoid crowds, I’d recommend a hike to another stunning Inca complex. I recommend making your way to lonely Cachora, off the Cusco–Abancay road, to tackle the 4-day, out-and-back hike to the vast archaeological site of Choquequirao, which dramatically straddles a ridge above the Apurímac River. Were you to stick around all day here, you’d share the views with a daily average of approximately 20 other travelers. And you can do this independently. No tour, no months-in-advance pre-booking required, as with the Inca Trail.

If this whets your wanderlust, why not go really remote and extend this into a 9-day, one-way hike from Cachora through a series of seldom-visited Inca ruins and on to Machu Picchu? After all that alone time on the trail, you might even welcome the company at the end.