Two climbs sit either side of the Machu Picchu citadel. Peruways sells permits for both, bundled with the entrance ticket.
Huayna Picchu — the sharp peak behind the ruins in every postcard — climbs to 2,693 m. The trail is about 2 km each way but gains 300 m on exposed stone staircases, so the climb takes 60–90 minutes up. Permits are capped at 400 a day, split between an 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. entry wave.
Machu Picchu Mountain is longer and gentler: 3,082 m at the summit, roughly 3 hours round-trip, and the trail opens up a wider view that includes Huayna Picchu, the Urubamba Valley and Salkantay in the distance. Easier on vertigo, harder on the lungs.
Peruways guides work both climbs and know how to pace a group at altitude. Book the entrance plus either mountain with Peruways — permits for both routes sell out weeks ahead in June through August.
