Inca Trail Permits — 500 a Day, and What That Means for Your Date
The Peruvian state issues 500 Inca Trail permits a day for the classic route from Km 82, and that number includes every guide, cook and porter on the trail. In practice about 200 of those permits go to trekkers. The short trail from Km 104 has its own quota of 250 a day, and because nobody carries camping gear on it, almost all of those go to visitors. Both quotas are sold only through licensed operators: you cannot buy a permit yourself, and you cannot walk the trail without one.
Permits for the following year go on sale in October. The operators we compare on this site expect the 2027 release in October 2026, though the ministry had not published the exact date when we checked. The classic route sells out in a predictable order. June and July go first, often within days of release; May, August and September follow within a few weeks; April and October last into the new year. If you want a specific date in the dry season, book five to six months ahead. The short trail is easier: two to four months is usually enough outside July and August.
Every permit is tied to your passport number and your date. Once an operator has bought it, it cannot be moved to another day or another person. If you renew your passport between booking and walking, bring the old one as well, or expect a change fee of around $25. This is also why every tour on GetYourGuide asks for passport details at checkout and why most are non-refundable: the operator has already paid the state for your place.
Inca Trail Closed in February
In February the whole trail closes for maintenance, both the classic and the short routes. Nothing is sold for that month.
If February is the only time you have, the honest options are Salkantay or Inca Jungle, which need no permit, or a train to Machu Picchu without the trek. If your date in another month has sold out, the same alternatives apply, and the short trail from Km 104 is often still open when the classic route is gone.
If you need a refund option, the classic trail is the wrong product: almost every listing is non-refundable because the permit is.
"We ended up doing the Salkantay trek instead of the Inca Trail due to the Inca Trail being closed."Caitlin · 4 Sep 2026 · review of the 4-Day Inca Trail Hike & Panoramic Train
Plan B, in order
- Try the short trail. Its 250 permits from Km 104 often outlast the classic quota; you still enter through the Sun Gate.
- Salkantay. No permit, a 4 600 m pass and glacier views, Machu Picchu by bus on day 4 or 5.
- Inca Jungle. No permit, bike and raft, hostel nights; the most-reviewed product of the category with 862 reviews.
- The train. No trek at all: Cusco to Aguas Calientes, bus up, guided citadel.
- Permit
- A named, dated entry issued by SERNANP through a licensed operator; tied to a passport number; non-transferable.
- Classic quota
- 500 per day for the Km 82 trail, including all staff; about 200 trekkers.
- Short-trail quota
- 250 per day for the Km 104 trail; nearly all for visitors.
