Inca Trail Permits
Inca Trail permit release tracker
Operator-only, passport-bound permits with a hard daily quota; following-year permits release roughly a year ahead (recently around October or November).
Permits by month and trek
Pick your trek and month to set an alert for exactly those dates. We never claim live permit availability; we alert you when the official release happens.
| Trek | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Inca Trail Permit (4 days) | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts |
| Short Inca Trail Permit (2 days) | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts | Alerts |
What to know before you count on a permit
Classic Inca Trail permits are capped per day (roughly 200 tourist places plus support staff), can only be purchased by licensed operators, are bound to your passport, and are non-transferable and non-refundable. Permits for the following year are released roughly a year ahead (recently around October or November, and announced each year by the Ministry), and high-season dates are gone within hours to days. The trail closes every February for maintenance. If your dates lack permits, the Short Inca Trail and alternative treks are the standard fallbacks.
Sources
- Official Machupicchu ticket sales platform - Ministerio de Cultura del Peru (official source)
- Ministerio de Cultura del Peru - Gobierno del Peru (official source)
If your dates have no permits
The classic trail is not the only way to reach Machu Picchu on foot or by rail. When permits are gone, these complete trips are the standard alternatives.
- Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu Essential
7 days, from $1,650 per traveler
- Classic Peru Explorer
9 days, from $1,950 per traveler
- Family Machu Picchu Comfort
9 days, from $2,150 per traveler
- Short Inca Trail & Machu Picchu
7 days, from $2,250 per traveler
- Private Machu Picchu Comfort
7 days, from $2,450 per traveler
- Classic Inca Trail Complete
9 days, from $2,650 per traveler
Get a permit-release alert
Tell us your trek, month, and party and we will alert you when permits for your dates release, with the steps to be ready. Alert only: this does not reserve a permit or hold a place.
Highland Adventures plans complete Peru trips around the right Machu Picchu access. We do not sell standalone tickets.