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Inca Trail permits: when to book and how they work
Only 500 people a day can start the Inca Trail, including porters and guides. Here is how permits are sold and how to read our live calendar.
The Inca Trail is the only route to Machu Picchu that requires a permit. The Peruvian government limits it to about 500 people per day, and since each group needs porters, cooks and guides, only around 200 of those spaces are for travelers.
Who can buy them
Permits are sold only to licensed tour operators, with the full name and passport number of each traveler. They are personal, non-transferable and cannot be moved to another date.
When to book
- May to September: four to six months ahead
- April, October and November: two to three months ahead
- December, January and March: often a few weeks ahead
- February: the trail is closed for maintenance
How to read our live calendar
On the Inca Trail tours you will see a calendar with the spaces left for each date, read directly from the official availability system. Green means plenty of spaces, amber means few remain and red means sold out. For the Salkantay and Inca Trail combination, the calendar already shifts the date so you see availability for the day you enter the Inca Trail.
If your date is gone, the Salkantay, Lares and Ancascocha treks also end at Machu Picchu and do not need an Inca Trail permit.
Guides, trip planners and porters who walk these routes every week. We update our guides when rules, prices or seasons change.
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