Machu Picchu Rules: What You Can and Can't Bring (Official List)
Inside Machu Picchu you can carry a small bag of up to 40 x 35 x 20 cm, water, a camera, a rain jacket and your original passport, but not food, metal-tipped walking sticks, umbrellas, tripods, selfie sticks, drones, aerosols, alcohol or hard-soled shoes. These rules come from the official code of conduct of Peru's Ministry of Culture, which lists 25 prohibited items and actions. Breaking any of them means immediate expulsion without a refund, and the park rangers and the National Police are the authority inside the site. Below is the full list in plain English, what is allowed, and what to do with everything you cannot take in.
Quick answer: allowed or not?
| Item | Allowed? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack or bag up to 40 x 35 x 20 cm | Yes | Pack light; one small daypack per person |
| Larger backpack or suitcase | No | Leave it in Aguas Calientes or in the luggage storage at the entrance |
| Food, plates, cutlery, thermos | No | Eat before you enter; there is a café and restaurant at the entrance |
| Water in a reusable bottle | Yes | Not on the prohibited list; bring enough for your visit and do not litter |
| Walking sticks and trekking poles | Only with rubber tips | Metal or hard tips are prohibited; intended mainly for older visitors and people with reduced mobility |
| Umbrella | No | Bring a rain jacket or a poncho instead |
| Tripod, monopod, selfie stick, gimbal | No | Handheld photos only |
| Camera and phone | Yes | For personal use; filming or photos for advertising are not allowed |
| Drone | No | Flying over the site is prohibited |
| Aerosol (sunscreen spray, insect spray) | No | Use cream or lotion versions |
| Alcohol and illegal substances | No | Entering under their influence is also prohibited |
| High heels or hard-soled shoes | No | Wear trainers or light hiking shoes with a soft sole |
| Baby stroller | No | Use a baby carrier |
| Animals | No | Only guide dogs are allowed |
| Musical instruments, speakers, megaphones | No | Keep the visit quiet |
| Banners, flags, costumes, advertising clothing | No | Leave them at the hotel |
| Knives and weapons | No | Prohibited at all times |
Where these rules come from
Machu Picchu is managed by Peru's Ministry of Culture, through its regional office in Cusco, together with SERNANP, which protects the natural sanctuary around it. The rules for visitors are published as a code of conduct on the official Machu Picchu website, and the visit regulations, with circuits, visit times and re-entry, are set out in ministerial resolutions such as RM 000528-2023-MC.
The code begins with a simple sentence: during your visit to the *llaqta* (the Quechua word for the citadel) of Machupicchu, the following is prohibited. Then come 25 points, which we translate and explain below. The final paragraph matters most: performing these acts or entering with these objects will result in the immediate expulsion of the visitor without reimbursement, and legal action if necessary. The Ministry's park rangers and the National Police are the authority inside the monument.
In practice, the checks happen at the entrance gate, where staff look at the size of your bag and at what you are carrying, and along the circuits, where rangers watch that nobody leaves the path, climbs walls or flies a drone. Most visitors never have a problem, because the rules are easy to follow once you know them.
The 25 official prohibitions, in plain English
- 1. Bags larger than 40 x 35 x 20 cm (16 x 14 x 8 inches): backpacks, bags or purses.
- 2. Food and kitchenware: plates, cutlery, thermoses and similar.
- 3. Illegal substances, or entering under their influence.
- 4. Alcohol, or entering drunk.
- 5. Umbrellas, walking sticks with metal or hard tips, portable chairs, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks and any other photo or video stabilisation accessory.
- 6. Animals, except guide dogs.
- 7. Feeding domestic or wild animals (including the famous llamas).
- 8. Aerosols of any kind.
- 9. Graffiti, defacing or altering anything.
- 10. Musical instruments, megaphones or speakers.
- 11. Loud or disturbing noise: screaming, whistling, clapping, singing and so on.
- 12. Using virtual apps (augmented reality, games) on narrow paths or outside the designated explanation areas.
- 13. High heels or hard-soled shoes.
- 14. Baby strollers.
- 15. Knives or weapons of any kind.
- 16. Banners, posters, advertising clothing and costumes, and filming or photographing for advertising purposes.
- 17. Causing disorder, undressing, lying down, running or jumping.
- 18. Climbing or leaning on walls and structures, or touching, removing or moving stones.
- 19. Disturbing, collecting or removing plants or animals.
- 20. Activities that go against the sacred character of the monument: fashion shows, dances, social events, obscene acts, or anything that damages the site or its surroundings.
- 21. Smoking or vaping, or lighting a fire of any kind.
- 22. Littering.
- 23. Leaving the established circuits and routes.
- 24. Selling or trading inside the monument and in the surroundings down to Puente Ruinas.
- 25. Flying over the site with paragliders, drones or any other aircraft.
The bag rule: 40 x 35 x 20 cm
The bag limit is the rule that catches most travellers. 40 x 35 x 20 cm is roughly the size of a small school backpack or a 20 to 25 litre daypack. A typical trekking pack of 40 litres or more is too big, and so is any wheeled suitcase.
If you are staying in Aguas Calientes, the easiest solution is to leave your big luggage at the hotel, which almost every hotel in town allows even after check-out. If you come straight from a trek, there is a luggage storage service next to the entrance gate, outside the control point, where you can leave large backpacks and metal-tipped trekking poles for a small fee. Carry cash in soles for it.
Our tip: before you leave Cusco, put everything you need for Machu Picchu in a small daypack and leave the rest in your Cusco hotel. On our tours we organise this for you, so you travel to Aguas Calientes with only a small bag. The trains also have their own luggage limits, explained in our guide on how to get to Machu Picchu.
Food and water: what you can actually carry
Food is not allowed inside the citadel. The official list prohibits entering with food and kitchenware such as plates, cutlery and thermoses. The reason is simple: crumbs and wrappers attract animals and litter the terraces. Eat a good breakfast before your entry time, and if you need something after the visit, there is a café and a restaurant right next to the entrance, outside the control point.
Water is not on the prohibited list, and you will want it: the visit lasts 2 hours 30 minutes on most routes, the sun is strong, and there are steps on every circuit. Carry a reusable bottle, drink outside the most crowded areas, and take your bottle back out with you, because littering is prohibited and there are no bins along the circuits.
If you are diabetic or have a medical condition that requires a snack, carry your medical documentation and explain it to the staff at the entrance. Discreetly eating a small snack outside the archaeological area, before you go in, is always the safest option.
Walking sticks, trekking poles and umbrellas
Walking sticks are allowed only with rubber tips. Sticks and trekking poles with metal or hard tips are strictly prohibited, because they damage the Inca stone paths and walls. Umbrellas are not allowed either, as they are dangerous on narrow, crowded paths: bring a rain jacket or poncho instead.
Under the Ministry of Culture rules, walking sticks are intended mainly for older visitors and people with reduced mobility or a physical disability. If your trekking poles have metal tips, fit rubber caps or leave them at your hotel or in the storage at the entrance. If you need a stick for medical reasons, let us know when you book and we will plan an easier route. Our guide to Machu Picchu circuits explains which routes have fewer stairs.
Cameras, phones, tripods and drones
You can take as many photos as you like with your phone or camera for personal use. What is prohibited is everything that helps you stabilise or extend it: tripods, monopods, selfie sticks and gimbals. Filming or photographing for advertising purposes is also prohibited without a permit, as are banners, flags and costumes. Wedding shoots, fashion shows and product videos are exactly what the rules are trying to stop.
Drones are prohibited, and the code goes further: flying over the site with paragliders, drones or any aircraft is not allowed. Rangers watch for them, and operating one can lead to the drone being seized, expulsion and legal action.
Augmented reality games and similar apps are only allowed in the designated explanation areas, not on narrow paths where they block the flow of visitors.
Shoes, clothes and behaviour
High heels and hard-soled shoes are prohibited, because they wear down the stone. Light hiking shoes or trainers with a rubber sole are perfect, and safer on stairs that can be wet and slippery.
Clothes are up to you, as long as they are not costumes or advertising. Dress in layers: mornings can be cool and misty, and by midday the sun is strong. Bring a hat, sunscreen in cream (not spray, because aerosols are prohibited) and insect repellent in lotion form.
Inside the site, the behaviour rules are about respect and safety: no running, jumping, lying down or undressing, no climbing or leaning on the walls, no touching or moving stones, no shouting, singing or clapping, and never leave the marked path. Machu Picchu is a sacred place for Andean people and one of the most fragile monuments in the world.
Visit rules that are not on the list but matter just as much
- Your ticket is for one circuit and one route. You walk a one-way path and cannot switch circuits. See Machu Picchu circuits.
- No re-entry. Under the visit regulation, once you leave you cannot go back in, except for reasons of force majeure.
- Entry time with a short tolerance. The first entry is at 6:00 am and the last at 3:00 pm; the gate allows a short tolerance, and the checkpoints of Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu Mountain and Huchuy Picchu allow none.
- Original passport. Bring the same passport or ID you used to buy the ticket; it is checked with your ticket at the entrance.
- Toilets are only at the entrance. There are no toilets inside the citadel, so use the ones next to the gate before you go in. They charge a small fee in cash.
- Visit with a guide. Visits go with a licensed guide; our tours always include one.
- Limited capacity. The site admits 4,500 visitors a day, rising to 5,600 on peak dates, so tickets sell out in high season.
What to pack for Machu Picchu: our checklist
With the rules in mind, this is what we recommend carrying in your small daypack on the day of the visit:
Essentials: original passport, your Machu Picchu ticket (on your phone and printed), bus ticket, a little cash in soles for the toilets and the storage. Comfort: reusable water bottle, rain jacket or poncho, a warm layer for the morning, sun hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellent in cream. Photography: phone or camera with charged batteries and a power bank. Personal: any medicine you need, tissues and a small bag to carry your rubbish out.
Leave in Aguas Calientes or in storage: big backpacks, metal-tipped trekking poles, umbrellas, tripods, drones, food and anything in aerosol form.
Extra care on Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain
The mountain routes follow the same code of conduct, but a few points matter even more there. The trails are steep Inca staircases with long drops, so hands free and a small bag are not just rules but safety: a big backpack or a selfie stick makes it harder to keep your balance on narrow steps. Wear shoes with good grip and keep your water in the bag, not in your hand.
At the start of each mountain trail there is a control booth where you sign in with your passport and ticket, and the official schedule gives no tolerance at these checkpoints: the hour on your ticket is the hour you must be there. Allow time for the bus, the queue at the main gate and the walk across the citadel to the trailhead. Our comparison of Huayna Picchu vs Machu Picchu Mountain explains both climbs, how long they take and which one suits you.
Finally, remember that the mountains are part of a one-way route. Once you come down, you continue along the circuit to the exit; you cannot go back up or return to a sector you have already passed.
Coming from the Inca Trail or Salkantay
Trekkers arrive with big backpacks, poles and often leftover snacks, so plan ahead. On the Inca Trail, you arrive through the Sun Gate with a daypack while the porters carry the heavy equipment, but metal-tipped poles cannot go into the citadel: fit rubber caps, or your guide will tell you where to leave them. If you are planning this trek, read how hard the Inca Trail is and our Classic Inca Trail 4 days.
On the Salkantay Trek, you sleep in Aguas Calientes the night before and go up in the morning with a small bag, leaving the rest at the hotel. Our Salkantay packing list explains how to split your luggage between the trek and the Machu Picchu day.
What happens if you break the rules
The code of conduct is clear: entering with prohibited objects or doing prohibited acts leads to immediate expulsion without a refund, and to legal action when necessary. Damaging the monument is a crime under Peruvian heritage law, and there have been well-known cases of visitors arrested for removing stones, defacing walls or entering restricted areas.
Most problems, though, are small and avoidable: a backpack that is too big, a selfie stick in a pocket, a sandwich in the bag. Staff at the gate will usually ask you to leave the item in storage before you go in, which costs you time and can make you miss your entry slot. Pack correctly the night before and you will walk straight in.
Frequently asked questions
What size backpack is allowed in Machu Picchu?
Backpacks, bags and purses can be up to 40 x 35 x 20 cm (16 x 14 x 8 inches), roughly a 20 to 25 litre daypack. Larger bags must be left at your hotel or in the luggage storage next to the entrance.
Can I bring food into Machu Picchu?
No. The official code of conduct prohibits entering with food and kitchenware such as plates, cutlery and thermoses. Eat before your visit; there is a café and a restaurant next to the entrance, outside the control point.
Can I bring water into Machu Picchu?
Water is not on the official list of prohibited items, so you can carry it, ideally in a reusable bottle. Take your bottle back out with you, because littering is prohibited.
Are walking sticks and trekking poles allowed?
Only with rubber tips. Sticks and poles with metal or hard tips are prohibited because they damage the stone paths and walls. Walking sticks are intended mainly for older visitors and people with reduced mobility or a physical disability; if you need one, tell us when you book.
Can I fly a drone at Machu Picchu?
No. Flying over the site with drones, paragliders or any aircraft is prohibited, and doing so can lead to expulsion and legal action.
Are there toilets inside Machu Picchu?
No. The toilets are at the entrance, outside the control point, and charge a small fee in cash. Use them before you start your circuit, because there is no re-entry.
Can I leave Machu Picchu and go back in?
No. Each ticket allows one entry on one circuit and route, and the visit regulation does not allow re-entry except for reasons of force majeure.
Official sources: Ministry of Culture of Peru: code of conduct for visitors to Machu Picchu (prohibited items and actions) · Ministerial Resolution 000528-2023-MC: Machu Picchu carrying capacity and visit regulations, circuits, visit time and re-entry (PDF) · Ministry of Culture of Peru: Machu Picchu entry times and tolerance (PDF) · Ministry of Culture of Peru: official Machu Picchu and Inca Trail tickets
