Picolo recommends · Hotel at Machu Picchu, Peru
Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
The only hotel up at the citadel gate, where you can walk into the Inca ruins at first light while the valley below is still waking.
Dawn at Machu Picchu belongs to the few who sleep up here. Everyone else is still queuing for the bus in Aguas Calientes, the town in the valley, when guests at Sanctuary Lodge stroll the short distance to the gate.
From the garden the view runs to the green peaks around the citadel, Huayna Picchu among them. Late in the day the crowds head back down, and the mountain falls quiet again.
Picolo’s verdict
Why we chose Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
We choose it for the once in a lifetime trip. No other hotel lets you be among the first through the gate and back on a quiet terrace once the day trippers have gone.
You pay heavily for the location. Rooms are more compact than at the grand hotels in Cusco, and there is no town to wander in the evening, so it suits a night or two rather than a long stay.
What you get
- Steps from the Machu Picchu entrance
- Garden looking onto the mountains
- Restaurant on site
- Early access before the day crowds
- Belmond service
A day at Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
- Morning
- Through the gate in the half light, before the first buses climb the road.
- Midday
- Lunch back at the lodge while the ruins fill with visitors.
- Afternoon
- A slow hour in the garden, watching cloud drift around the peaks.
- Evening
- Dinner up on the mountain after the last bus has gone down.
Location
Machu Picchu, Cusco Region, Peru
Open in MapsQuestions about Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
Is Sanctuary Lodge inside Machu Picchu?
It sits just outside the citadel, right by the entrance gate. You still need a valid ticket for the ruins, but there is no bus ride to get there.
Is Sanctuary Lodge worth the price?
It is if being at the ruins at sunrise matters most to you. If you only want comfort, Cusco or Aguas Calientes give you more room for the money.
How do you get to Sanctuary Lodge?
Take the train to Aguas Calientes, then the shuttle bus up the mountain road to the citadel. The lodge is at the top, beside the gate.
Other hotels nearby
Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel
For cloud forest, orchids and quiet in the valley below.
Updated 6 Nov 2026All articles
How Picolo chooses
Our editors pick every hotel themselves, and most of them we have stayed at. No hotel can pay to be included or ranked higher. When you book through our links, Hotels.com pays Picolo a small commission. It never changes the price you pay, and it never decides what we write.
