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Machu Picchu's 'Wonder of the World' Status Is at Risk

Thinking of hiking Peru’s famed Inca Trail? Here’s what to know about Machu Picchu’s recent protests, and why it could lose its credibility as one of the world's seven wonders

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Perched high in the Andes, Machu Picchu stands as a testament to the brilliance of the Inca civilization. Surrounded by misty peaks and lush greenery, this ancient wonder inspires awe and reverence (Photo: Getty)

High in the Andes, near the gates of Machu Picchu, a wave of unrest in mid-September left hundreds of visitors stranded at Peru’s iconic Inca ruins while exposing long-simmering tensions between community organizers, government officials, and the local tourism industry.

The crisis began on September 14 after authorities reassigned transport company Consettur’s 30-year Machu Picchu bus concession to another operator, San Antonio de Torontoy. In response, local tourism companies clashed, generating blockades and halting services that marooned global travelers in Aguas Calientes, the remote gateway town where buses snake through the Andes toward the 15th-century Inca citadel.

Aguas Calientes lies deep in a valley of cloud forests, far beneath Machu Picchu,��and is completely isolated from the road network in the nearby city of Cusco. That makes train travel essential for anyone who isn’t hiking to the site via the famed four-day, 26-mile Inca Trail. Buses in Aguas Calientes typically allow train travelers to skip what is otherwise a zigzagging 5-mile uphill hike with an elevation gain of 2,345 feet.

Hiking Peru’s Inca Trail: What Travelers Need to Know

The recent protests—which sparked a from the U.S. Embassy in Peru—saw residents place logs and rocks along the train tracks that connect Aguas Calientes to Cusco and the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo, effectively blocking the primary route to the ruins.

The Peruvian government evacuated 1,400 tourists and stepped in to mediate. Train service on September 17, and both bus companies have since agreed to restore operations under a contingency plan overseen by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Now, local authorities pledged transparency in selecting a permanent bus operator, as well as police support for tourist safety. Yet, many questions remain.

Nick Stanziano, the Lima-based CEO of tour operator , which runs regular hiking trips to Machu Picchu, explains to �����ԹϺ��� that Peru “walks a fine line between respecting Indigenous forms of social organization and balancing them with modern structures of municipal civil society and private industry.“

“This tension has long shaped decision-making at Machu Picchu, but the latest conflict reveals a deeper issue,” he adds. “Overlapping local and regional interests continue to insert themselves into the management … without the technical expertise or long-term planning such a responsibility demands.”

Will Machu Picchu Lose Its Status As a ‘New 7 Wonder of the World’?

Machu Picchu’s transportation crisis happened in the same week the organization released a claiming that the site was at risk of losing its “credibility” as a world wonder, further damaging Peru’s international reputation as a destination.

Machu Picchu became one of the ‘New 7 Wonders of the World’— alongside the Colosseum in Rome, Jordan’s Petra, India’s Taj Mahal, Mexico’s Chichén Itzá, Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer, and the Great Wall of China—in 2007, following a competition that captivated global travelers and garnered more than 100 million votes.

The organization’s director, Jean-Paul de la Fuente, issued a on September 13 saying Machu Picchu now faces��major challenges requiring urgent attention, including high tourist volumes, inadequate management, and frequent insecurity. He warned that, if these issues aren’t promptly addressed, it could “compromise the credibility of Machu Picchu” as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

“The situation at Machu Picchu has been brewing for many years, and we have been following it with concern,” De la Fuente tells �����ԹϺ���. “Over the past five years, we have presented concrete proposals to the Peruvian authorities for a comprehensive solution… Unfortunately,��nothing happened, and, as always, when you pretend a problem doesn’t exist, it only gets worse.”

Peru’s Ministry of Culture responded with , noting that, “Unesco is the only competent body to promote, worldwide, the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage considered to be of outstanding universal value to humanity.”

Machu Picchu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, and it is not currently inscribed on Unesco’s . At the 47th Meeting of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris this July, Peru’s Ministry of Culture committed to improving the visitor experience at Machu Picchu, as well as developing new monitoring and conservation tools. In August, a team of 40 local and international experts visited the site on a UNESCO-backed trip to research tech-based solutions for site management and responsible tourism.

Machu Picchu has been the scene of sporadic protests in recent years. Violent anti-government unrest in 2023 left hundreds of travelers stranded at the site, which subsequently closed its gates to visitors for nearly a month. That episode similarly involved protesters blocking access points to the isolated attraction.

In the midst of recent turmoil, the Inca citadel did implement major changes. In 2021, it became the , having recorded a total emissions reduction to date of nearly 19 percent (18.77 percent), compared to the baseline data in 2019. In 2024, the government introduced timed entries along set circuits in an effort to combat overtourism.

Machu Picchu Faces More Overtourism Challenges Than Ever

Yet, simultaneously, Machu Picchu actually expanded its maximum daily tourist allowance from 4,044 in 2022 to 5,600 in 2025. As such, it expects to this year with more than 1.5 million visitors. ��Meanwhile, the Chinchero International Airport is set to open late next year in the Sacred Valley, even closer to Machu Picchu than the current airstrip in Cusco. Its opening will double passenger capacity and further ramping up concerns about overtourism at Peru’s fragile archeological sites.

More than a cultural icon, Machu Picchu is a vital pillar of Peru’s commercial and social fabric. Thus, there have been growing calls for the federal government to treat the site as national infrastructure since it anchors a wider economy that sustains tens of thousands of jobs, including guides, porters, and hospitality workers.

“What we are witnessing is, in many ways, a tragedy of the commons,” says Stanziano. “Political, business, and governmental actors pursue self-interest, while collective stewardship falls by the wayside. The result is recurring crises that erode Machu Picchu’s reputation as a safe, well-managed destination and undermine Peru’s image on the world stage.”

Travelers hoping to avoid the potential of unrest—or simply escape the crowds—can always trek to Peru’s many lesser-visited ruins. This includes the challenging four-day round-trip hike to Choquequirao, which is actually a larger archaeological site than Machu Picchu (though less excavated), or the six-mile day hike to the northerly walled settlement of Kuélap. There are also several stretches across the length of Peru along��the Great Inca Trail, known as the , where ancient stone-paved paths lead to remote ruins far from any paved roads.