The Best Places to Elope at Machu Picchu and in Peru
The Inca citadel at dawn, the terraced Sacred Valley, and the colonial-and-Inca streets of Cusco. Where to hold the ceremony, and where the citadel actually fits in.
Couples assume they will say their vows inside Machu Picchu itself.
The citadel is a protected sanctuary where ceremonies and props are not allowed, so the plan is smarter than that.
Machu Picchu gives the portraits; the ceremony happens in the Sacred Valley or Cusco, and together they make the day.
(Continued on Page 2, Col. 1)
The 15th-century Inca citadel on its ridge above the Urubamba, Huayna Picchu rising behind, is the portrait of a lifetime, best in the dawn light before the crowds. The Sacred Valley below, terraced Inca sites at Ollantaytambo and Pisac among the mountains, is where a ceremony can genuinely be held.
Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley
The 15th-century Inca citadel on its ridge above the Urubamba, Huayna Picchu rising behind, is the portrait of a lifetime, best in the dawn light before the crowds. The Sacred Valley below, terraced Inca sites at Ollantaytambo and Pisac among the mountains, is where a ceremony can genuinely be held.
Cusco and the Andes
Cusco, the former Inca capital at 3,400 metres, layers colonial architecture over Inca stone and makes a beautiful ceremony setting, and the striped Rainbow Mountain higher still adds a surreal option for the adventurous.
The right combination depends on the ceremony and the altitude you want. As your Elopement Curator I plan the trip, secure the citadel permits, coordinate the symbolic ceremony, and both shoot and film it. Twelve years and 240+ couples in, Peru is one of the most storied elopements I photograph.
Let the Elopement Compass point you to your Peru itinerary →
