Tourist guide in Machu Picchu

The tour guide service in Machu Picchu is an excellent option for a historical, enjoyable and safe visit, that is to say, a complete one. Visitors can choose between a shared service or a private one. The first is joint with other tourists. The second, with your private group of friends, partner, family or more. The price varies according to the type of service you choose. At the door of Machupicchu are most of the guides waiting for the tourists. You can also get one online.

The tour guide service in Machu Picchu

The tour guide service, according to the rules of the archaeological site of Machu Picchu, is mandatory. This, however, is not fulfilled in practice. Tourists can tour the Inca city without a guide. Even so, hiring one will always be the most recommended option.

The tour guide not only accompanies the tourist on his tour of Machu Picchu, explaining the history and importance of each Inca construction. It also allows the visitor to comply with all the rules within the site. So you can make your journey in complete safety.

The tour with a tour guide in Machu Picchu takes approximately 2 hours. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. The guide will accompany you through the main Inca constructions including: the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Condor, the Main Temple, the Temple of the 3 Windows, the Sacred Rock, the Intihuatana as well as the House of the Guardian (there you get the classic photo postcard).

However, the visit to each temple and construction has a fixed schedule so it will depend on the time of your tour.

All tour guides are certified professionals with authorization and knowledge in Machupicchu. They also have knowledge in first aid. All guides must have their guide card visible with them.

To hire a tour guide, just go to the entrance gate of Machu Picchu. Many guides congregate there in search of tourists to enter and make their tour of the Inca city.

Another option is to request one at a tourism agency. The tours to Machu Picchu already include the tour guide service. The visitor will only have to choose between a shared or private service. The cost depends on which one you choose.

The shared service

The shared tour guide service is the one that brings together visitors from different backgrounds. All together hire the same service and make the tour of Machu Picchu in a group of no more than 15 people.

The shared service is cheap compared to the private service. The tour is established by the guide according to the characteristics of the group (if there are older adults, the tour will be shorter, for example).

In general, the tour guide performs the shared service in Spanish or English (in some cases in Portuguese). This service is not performed in other languages ​​such as French, German, Italian, etc.

The tours take place in the mornings, from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Afterwards it is difficult to get a shared guide at the gate of Machu Picchu.

The private service

The private tour guide service is the one that a tourist hires for his partner, family, group of friends, that is, an exclusive group from 1 person to a maximum of approximately 8 people.

The private service is more expensive compared to the economic service. However, the payment is unique for the entire group. The route is established by the request of the visitors themselves. These can include a special site or simply leave everything in the hands of the tour guide.

The tourist can also request a guide in different languages: Spanish, English, Portuguese, French, German and more. For that, the visitor must contract the private service through an internet tourism agency. Another option is to look for a private guide in your language at the entrance gate of Machu Picchu.

The tours in private service can be carried out at any time of the day. It is also possible to request a private guide to tour the mountains of Machu Picchu.

Differences in the guide in Machu Picchu

These are the differences between the shared and private tour guide service in Machu Picchu:

The guide through the mountains of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu has three optional tour mountains: Huayna Picchu, Machupicchu mountain and Huchuy Picchu. The entrance to these three mountains is with a different ticket than the ‘ticket Machupicchu Only’.

Touring these mountains with a tour guide is optional. In practice, almost no tourist asks for a guide to make these short walks to its peaks. In some cases, older tourists request a tour guide to accompany them on this challenging adventure.

In any case, to tour the mountains of Machu Picchu, the tourist must request a guide in private service. The cost is higher than a conventional private service. The tourist will accompany him through the mountain as well as the archaeological site of Machupicchu.

More information about the guide in Machu Picchu

All tour guides must have technical or university studies. They must also certify their language proficiency. Finally they will obtain their official guide card. This document must be visible during the tour of Machu Picchu with the visitor.

The tour with a tour guide is highly recommended because within Machu Picchu there are no information panels on each of the temples, enclosures and buildings. The visitor who travels through the Inca city without a guide will not recognize the history and importance of each building.

All tours to Machu Picchu already include the tour guide service. On the other hand, if you travel on your own, you can hire one at the entrance gate of the Inca city. There are many guides who offer their services, shared or private, there.