South America
Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
Machu Picchu, Cusco Region, Peru
DARK SKY INDEX
8.8
Truly Dark Sky
BORTLE CLASS
Class 2 — Truly Dark Sky
ELEVATION
7,970 ft
CLEAR NIGHTS
150 per year
BEST SEASON
May through September, the dry season, for the clearest nights; December for the solstice, with a high chance of cloud
About
Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel
Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel on the mountain at Machu Picchu, set beside the citadel's entrance on the ground where Hiram Bingham's expedition camped in 1911. It has just 31 rooms, some with terraces facing the surrounding peaks, and you can be at the gates when they open, before the day's visitors arrive from Aguas Calientes. Most arrive by train from Cusco, including Belmond's own Hiram Bingham service.
After the last visitors leave, the mountain belongs to the guests. The lodge keeps a telescope for stargazing, and its guides explain the southern sky and how the Inca read it, including the dark constellations they saw in the shadows of the Milky Way. Machu Picchu itself was built with the sky in mind. The Intihuatana stone and the Temple of the Sun are aligned to the movements of the sun through the year.
Worth knowing before booking: December falls in the wet season, so the solstice brings frequent cloud and afternoon rain. The dry months from May to September are the clearest, and the June solstice, celebrated in Cusco as Inti Raymi, is the bigger local festival.
STARGAZING AMENITIES: On-site telescope with guided stargazing, guides trained in Inca astronomy, early access to Machu Picchu at opening, terraces facing the Andes, the only hotel at the citadel
Dark Sky Details
At nearly 8,000 feet in the Andes, with the small town of Aguas Calientes far below in the valley, the lodge sits under a Bortle Class 2 sky. That elevation earns a meaningful bonus under our ranking system. The thinner air above the cloud forest sharpens the view on clear nights.
What holds the score back is weather. The eastern Andes catch heavy cloud in the wet season, and annual clear nights run to only about 150. On a clear night, the southern Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds stand out - an event worth traveling to experience.
Ready to see it for yourself? Start planning your stay at Sanctuary Lodge, A Belmond Hotel.
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PLAN YOUR VISIT
8.8
Truly Dark Sky
NEAREST AIRPORT
Alejandro Velasco Astete International, Cusco (CUZ), then ~3.5 hours by train to Aguas Calientes and a short bus ride up the mountain
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