This is particularly important if you are flying straight to Cusco from Lima or any other low-lying city. But you really should try to acclimatize for at least a day - ideally two - when you first arrive at altitude, be it in Cusco or any other town or city in the Cusco Region that sits around, or more importantly above, the 8,000 feet (2,500 m) mark. It’s easy to be nonchalant about the risk of altitude sickness while visiting Machu Picchu. Rather, it’s the time they spend at higher altitudes before and after visiting Machu Picchu.

The examples above, most notably Cusco, make it clear that it’s not necessarily the Machu Picchu altitude that’s the real risk to travelers. Machu Picchu Mountain, meanwhile, towers above the archaeological site, its peak reaching up above the 10,000 feet (3,048 meter) mark. Huayna Picchu rises to a height of 8,920 feet (2,720 meters) above sea level. Then there are the two mountains that rise up above Machu Picchu, both of which are open to the public with the correct permits. Mount Salkantay, at 20,574 feet (6,271 m) above sea level, is one of the highest mountains in Peru. The Salkantay trek, for example, reaches its highest point at the Salkantay Pass at 15,213 feet (4,638 meters). Alternative treks to Machu Picchu also rise up well into the altitude sickness zone. You can see an Inca Trail elevation profile here. The highest point along the classic Inca Trail trek - Dead Woman’s Pass - reaches an altitude of 13,828 feet (4,215 meters). And Cusco lies at 11,152 feet (3,399m) above sea level, well above Machu Picchu and above the point at which altitude sickness can occur. Cusco is the traditional tourist hub for the majority of visitors to Machu Picchu.

Machu picchu altitude