Inca Trail permits 2027 are not on sale yet. When we checked Peru’s Ministry of Culture on 8 October 2026, it had not announced the date that 2027 sales open. The last two seasons went on sale in November of the year before: on 4 November 2024 for 2025, and on 17 November 2025 for 2026. Only licensed agencies can buy a permit. Each one is issued in the hiker’s name and passport number, and the classic route allows 500 people a day, guides, porters and cooks included. We take 2027 bookings now with a US$250 deposit and apply for your permit when sales open.
- 2027 sales date: not announced as of 8 October 2026. We update this page the day the ministry publishes it.
- Daily limit: 500 people a day on routes 1 to 4 (the 4-day trek), 250 on route 5 (the 2-day trek from Km 104).
- Who can buy: travel agencies registered with the Cusco culture office, for named clients only. You cannot buy a permit yourself.
- Changes: a permit is valid only for its date, route and holder. It cannot be moved to another date or another person.
- Machu Picchu: the Inca Trail ticket includes one visit to the citadel at the end of the trek (circuit 3-B in 2026).
- Closed: every February, for maintenance.
On this page
- Inca Trail permit availability calendar
- When 2027 Inca Trail permits go on sale
- How Inca Trail permits work
- How to book the Inca Trail with us
- Passports, student cards and children
- Deposit, payment and refunds
- When Inca Trail permits are sold out
- Official sources
Inca Trail permit availability calendar
The calendar below shows how many permits are left for each start date of the 4-day Inca Trail. Pick a month and year to see that month.
Permits are AVAILABLE from : 2024
How to read it. The numbers show how many permits the government system still lists for each day. A date showing fewer than 10 is still worth asking about: it is still possible to secure a permit there, because places go to whichever licensed agency pays first. Until 2027 sales open, no figure for a 2027 date is real availability, because those permits haven’t been released.
The figures come from the Peruvian government’s system. We check them, but we can’t guarantee figures published by a third party, and a place shown as open can be bought by another agency before we apply for yours. If your date is sold out, see the options below.
When 2027 Inca Trail permits go on sale
As of 8 October 2026, the Ministry of Culture and its Cusco office (the DDC Cusco, which sells the permits) had published no date for 2027 sales. We checked both offices’ official news pages on gob.pe and the Diario Oficial El Peruano, where rule changes are published. Several agency websites say 2027 permits are already open, or that permits are normally released in the first week of October. Neither matches what the ministry has published. Permits are sold to agencies on the ministry’s platform, TuBoleto.
How the last two releases went
| Trekking season | Sales opened | How it worked |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 November 2024, 9:00 a.m. | Released month by month: January 2025 on 4 November, March on 5 November, April on 6 November, and so on through the year. |
| 2026 | 17 November 2025, 8:00 a.m. | Agencies reserved on TuBoleto and paid on a published schedule. The ministry described it as moving advance reservations from December to November, to avoid saturation on the busiest days. |
| 2027 | Not announced (checked 8 October 2026) | Sales now follow the direct-sale rules adopted in September 2026 (below). |
What changed in September 2026
On 11 September 2026 the ministry amended the Inca Trail regulation (Ministerial Resolution 000333-2026-MC). Three changes matter if you are planning for 2027:
- No more holds. Agencies used to reserve a place and had three hours to pay. Now a permit exists only once it is paid in full: the buyer has 15 minutes, and an unpaid place goes straight back on sale. This is why we take your deposit before we apply. We can’t hold a date for you without paying for it.
- Tied to the person. The permit is issued to a named holder, for one date and one route, and the agency must list every trekker, guide and porter by name.
- The old October to December window is gone. The regulation used to let agencies reserve the next year’s permits from the first working day of October to the last working day of December. That clause was repealed. How and when 2027 sales open is therefore up to the ministry, and it has not said yet.
The new system started a 30-day trial on 22 September 2026. Once the trial ends, it becomes mandatory. If you want a June to August 2027 date, our advice is the same as every year: book early. Then we can apply for your date the day sales open, before it sells out.
How Inca Trail permits work
The Inca Trail is a network of Inca roads inside the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, run jointly by the Ministry of Culture and SERNANP, Peru’s protected-areas service. A permit (the “boleto de ingreso”) is the only document that lets you walk it. These are the rules that matter when you book.
The daily limit: 500 people, about 200 of them trekkers
| Route | Starts at | Stay allowed | Daily limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 1 (the classic Inca Trail) | Piscacucho (Km 82) | 4 days, 3 nights | 500 a day for routes 1 to 4 |
| Route 2 | Qoriwayrachina (Km 88) | 4 days, 3 nights | 500 a day for routes 1 to 4 |
| Route 3 | Soraypampa, via the Salkantay valley | Multi-day | 500 a day for routes 1 to 4 |
| Route 4 | Piscacucho (Km 82), via Km 104 | 4 days, 3 nights | 500 a day for routes 1 to 4 |
| Route 5 (the 2-day Inca Trail) | Chachabamba (Km 104) | Direct access | 250 a day |
| Route 6 | Paukarkancha to Km 88 | Direct access | 100 a day |
The 500 includes everyone who enters: trekkers, guides, porters and cooks. A legal ratio sets how many support staff each group may take, so in practice about 200 of the 500 places go to trekkers. The 6 September 2026 reopening after the rain closure shows the split: 25 groups entered with 136 foreign trekkers, 3 children, 25 guides and 240 porters. That day, 404 people started the trail and 139 of them were trekkers. The 2-day route from Km 104 has its own limit of 250, so it can have space when the 4-day trek is full.
Only licensed agencies can buy permits
You can’t hike the Inca Trail on your own. The regulation bans independent trekkers and allows only organized groups run by travel agencies that hold a tourism contract with SERNANP. Each group walks with an official tour guide, and only agencies registered with the DDC Cusco can buy permits, on TuBoleto, for their own named clients. Inca Trail Reservations is authorized by the Ministry of Culture (authorization code for 2026 to 2027: AUT00092). A website that offers to sell you a “permit only” without the trek is not offering something the regulation allows.
Names and passport numbers must match exactly
We buy your permit with the details you send us, and those details are printed on it. At the entry control post (Km 82 for the 4-day trek), staff from the culture office and SERNANP check every trekker’s original passport against the permit. If the name or number doesn’t match, you don’t start. Send your full name exactly as printed in your passport, your passport number, nationality, date of birth and the other details on our booking form. Check them twice before you pay.
No transfers, no date changes
A permit is personal and non-transferable, and valid only for the route and date it was bought for. An unused permit is lost, with no refund. The regulation allows one narrow exception: if you miss your date through documented force majeure (a medical certificate, or a flight ticket and official documents showing you were delayed in transit), the DDC Cusco may give a new date, subject to space. That decision is the ministry’s, not ours. Nobody can sell you a “transferable” Inca Trail permit.
Your permit includes Machu Picchu
The Inca Trail ticket includes one visit to the Machu Picchu citadel within the period set for your route. You don’t buy a separate citadel ticket. For 2026 the ministry tied Inca Trail tickets to circuit 3-B inside the citadel. The circuits are explained in our Machu Picchu circuits guide, and the other ticket types in Machu Picchu ticket prices. Climbing Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain needs its own ticket, bought in advance.
February closure and weather closures
The trail closes every February so the ecosystems can recover and the path and its facilities can be maintained. No permits are sold for February. The authorities can also close routes at short notice when conditions are dangerous. On 18 August 2026 entry was suspended after heavy rain caused landslides and flooded campsites, and groups were back on the trail by early September (details in our news post on the reopening). In those cases the ministry handles new dates or refunds of the entry fee.
The full rulebook for the trail itself, from what you can’t carry to porter load limits, is on our Inca Trail rules and regulations page.
How to book the Inca Trail with us
- Check your date on the calendar above. Have a second date ready in case the first one goes before we can buy it.
- Choose your trek. Most trekkers book the 4-day Classic Inca Trail: US$749 per person, or US$699 with a valid student card (rates on the tour page). The 2-day Inca Trail uses the separate Km 104 permits.
- Send the booking form with every trekker’s passport details. Tell us now if you want extra porter loads: porters are part of the permit purchase, so we can’t add loads after booking.
- Pay the US$250 per person deposit. Since September 2026 a permit can only be bought with immediate full payment, so the deposit is what lets us apply for your permit the moment space is open.
- We buy your permit and confirm it. We apply as soon as sales are open for your date, then send you the confirmation once the permit is issued in your name.
- Arrive in Cusco at least two nights before you start. Cusco is high enough that the first days there are part of your acclimatization; our altitude sickness guide explains why.
Travelling alone? Single travellers join our group departures. Our groups average 8 trekkers and never exceed 16, with one guide for every 6 people.
How far in advance to book
Book 3 to 6 months ahead, and closer to 6 months for April to September, the dry season. For 2027 the safest course is to have your booking with us before sales open, so your application goes in on the first day. In the wet months, November to March, dates tend to stay open longer, but you trade that for rain. Our best time to hike the Inca Trail guide compares the months, and Inca Trail cost breaks down what the trip costs.
Passports, student cards and children
If you will renew your passport before the trek
Book with the passport you have now. If you are waiting for a new one, you can book with your current passport number and send the new details when they arrive. Once you have the new passport, email us a scan of both passports, the old and the new, and we ask the culture office to update the number on your permit. Only the passport number can be updated; the name and date cannot. Until we confirm the update, carry the old passport on the trail as well: the number on the permit is the one the ranger checks at Km 82.
The student rate
The student discount applies to the government permit. To claim it, send us a JPEG scan of a valid student card from your university or institute when you book. It must show your photo, full name, the institution and an expiry date. ISIC cards are not accepted, and neither are graduate cards. Carry the original card on the trek: officials check it at the control posts. If you can’t show a valid card, the adult rate applies.
Children
Children need their own permit, issued with their passport details like any other trekker. The regulation turns away minors who are not listed on the group’s registration form, so every child must be on the booking. Send a scan of the photo page of your child’s passport when we confirm the booking, and ask us about the child rate.
Deposit, payment and refunds
- Deposit: US$250 per person, paid through our secure payment page after you send the booking form. We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express, PayPal, and bank transfer on request.
- If we can’t get your permit: we offer you another date. If no other date works for you, we refund the full deposit.
- Once the permit is issued: the deposit becomes non-refundable, because the government doesn’t refund or transfer permits.
- The balance and cancellations follow our terms and conditions. Travel insurance that covers trip cancellation protects the part of the cost that can’t be refunded.
When Inca Trail permits are sold out
A sold-out date on the calendar means every place for the 4-day trek that day has been bought. A paid permit belongs to its holder and can’t be passed to anyone else, so a sold-out date rarely reopens. You have five realistic options:
- Move your start by a few days. Dates either side of a sold-out day can still have space. Check the calendar month by month.
- Take the 2-day Inca Trail. It starts at Km 104 and has its own quota of 250 a day. You walk the last section of the classic trail past Wiñay Wayna and enter Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. See the 2-day Inca Trail tour.
- Hike the Salkantay trek. Five days over a 4,650 m pass, outside the Inca Trail permit system, ending at Machu Picchu with a citadel ticket. See the Salkantay trek tour and our Salkantay trek guide.
- Hike the Lares valley. Andean villages and high passes, also outside the Inca Trail permit system, with Machu Picchu at the end. See the Lares trek guide, our Lares vs Inca Trail comparison and the 7-day Lares tour.
- Book the following year. If the classic Inca Trail is the reason for your trip, a later season can be better than a substitute. We take bookings for future seasons and apply when they open.
| Option | Days | Inca Trail permit | Highest point | Ends at Machu Picchu |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Inca Trail | 4 | Yes (500/day incl. staff) | 4,215 m, Dead Woman’s Pass | Yes, through the Sun Gate |
| 2-day Inca Trail | 2 | Yes (separate 250/day) | About 2,700 m | Yes, through the Sun Gate |
| Salkantay trek | 5 | No | 4,650 m, Salkantay Pass | Yes, with a citadel ticket (included in our tour) |
| Lares trek | 7 (tour) | No | See the Lares guide | Yes, with a citadel ticket |
Not sure which fits? Email us your dates at info@incatrailreservations.com and we will tell you honestly what is still open, including when the answer is “pick another date”. You can also read our Inca Trail guide and the Inca Trail FAQs.
Official sources
We checked every rule and date on this page against these sources on 8 October 2026, and we update the page when the ministry publishes the 2027 sales calendar.
- Ministry of Culture, 2026 sales opening, 17 November 2025 (Spanish).
- Ministry of Culture, Cusco office, 2025 reservations opening, 4 November 2024 (Spanish).
- Ministerial Resolution 000333-2026-MC, direct-sale amendment to the Inca Trail regulation, El Peruano, 11 September 2026 (Spanish).
- Ministry of Culture, start of the direct-sale trial, 22 September 2026 (Spanish).
- Ministerial Resolution 000294-2025-MC, daily limits per route, El Peruano, 7 November 2025 (Spanish).
- Full text of the Inca Trail regulation (Ministerial Resolution 069-2017-MC), FAOLEX copy (Spanish).
- Ministry of Culture, reopening of the Inca Trail, 6 September 2026 (Spanish).