Peru's new international airport near the Sacred Valley won't open until late 2027 — but the countdown has already begun to reshape who visits Machu Picchu, and how. For as long as most travelers have known it, reaching Machu Picchu has required a kind of patience the destination itself seems to reward. Fly into Lima, connect to Cusco, then descend by train or road into the Sacred Valley before the final approach to the citadel. It's a journey with built-in friction — and for decades, that friction has quietly shaped who makes the trip and how they experience it once they arrive.
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