2026 Machu Picchu Tickets and Inca Trail Hiking Permits - It's Complicated

All the tickets for entry to Machu Picchu in 2026 can now be viewed on the official Peru government website. We survived the 10 day process of buying our tickets on the day they were released in January. If you're planning a trip to Machu Picchu in 2026, you can buy your entry tickets now. And you should. Before you plan your trip to Peru, if you intend to go to Machu Picchu, the first thing you should do it check entry ticket availability. 

Tip for buying Machu Picchu tickets online:

If you have problems finding availability for your entry dates to Machu Picchu on the official government website, make sure you're using the default language setting. Spanish! Last year we got a few emails from frantic folks who reported that they could not see any Machu Picchu tickets available for dates that were months away. After doing some digging we discovered that all these folks were using the "translate to English" feature. When we checked using Spanish language settings, we could see tickets were available. So it turns out that it's best to search for your tickets in the default language. Spanish. You may have to flip back and forth between English and Spanish to fully understand the data fields. This is one time where you don't want to make a mistake! The Ministry of Culture is unforgiving when it comes to making changes or refunding tickets. 

All Tickets to Machu Picchu for entry in 2026 are available. And Yes there are changes!

As of January 21, you can now see all the tickets for all circuits are now available. Consumers, hotels, tour operators and anyone with an internet connection, a passport and a credit card can buy entry tickets to Machu Picchu. And now we know when the high season begins and ends. And we also know that the park is closing all circuit 3 hikes for the entire month of June. So. Did anyone know about this? No. Here's a link to see the details about the closure of Huayna Picchu for the month of June.

Link to Interview of Machu Picchu Experts on The Informed Traveler Podcast in November 2025.

Vidal and I talked about insider tips for travel to Machu Picchu and hiking the Inca Trail. We discuss the most recent trends for arranging trips to Machu Picchu in 2026.. CLICK HERE to go to The Informed Traveler Podcast website to hear the podcast (audio only). Our interview starts at 9 min / 45 sec. 

Here's a direct link to the official Peru government website where anyone can buy Machu Picchu entry tickets.(click this link if you want to leave Adios website)

When are hiking permits for the Inca Trail available for 2026?

Every year, so far, they released permits in batches over the course of several days in October for the following year. They finally released 2026 Inca Trail hiking permits on November 17, 2026. Adios Adventure Travel is taking reservations and pre-registration (at no cost or obligation). We can check that Inca Trail hiking permits are available before you make all the plans for your trip.

CLICK HERE if you would like to view the full description and pre-register for the easy 2-Day Inca Trail hike on the Adios website (no payment needed until you're ready to confirm. Pre-registration helps us planning and scheduling our staff. There is no obligation if you are not ready)

On the plus side, in 2026 they are now including 1 entry to Machu Picchu circuit #3 with each hiking permit. If you recall they took away the entry to circuit 3 last June 2025. The bad news is that they are now charging extra for the c3 entry tickets. The good news is that iavailability of c3 entry tickets are confirmed as long as availability of Inca Trail hiking permits are available. See what they did? When they took away c3 entry tickets last June, some hikers did not have entry to the ancient city on any circuit (except #1, which doesn't count! ok?) Tour operators were stunned and hikers were disappointed because online tickets were sold out! Now they're "giving" us back the c3 entry tickets and we're so happy right? But everyone has to pay more. Bastards. (pardon my French!)

In 2024, park authorities made one of the biggest changes I've seen affecting all the routes through the Machu Picchu national park. They created 10 new one-way circuits that began on June 1, 2024. When did they announce this monumental change? Around May 15, 2024. That's right. Two weeks notice. Thousands of people had carefully selected and purchased their entry tickets on the old routes starting in January 2024. The only way to make the transition to the 10 new circuits was to be very lenient with the desires of the travelers holding the old entry tickets. So even though the Machu Picchu park rangers and gate angents were instructed to show leniency when visitors with the old tickets showed up at the gate, visitors were not informed in advance that they could pretty much (within reason) ask for anything and it would be granted. Many travelers worried about something they didn't need to worry about, while others went into what I call a condor tailspin. The launch of the new circuits at Machu Picchu was another public relations setback.. 

Then! On June 1, 2025 they suddenly stopped including entry tickets to Machu Picchu with the Inca Trail permits. There was no notice, no announcement, no details. We figured it out when our manager bought some permits for hikers in December 2025 and noticed that it did not mention entry to circuit #3 at the ancient city of Machu Picchu. That's how tour operators found out about the change. It was utter confusion and disbelief. So to solve the problem in 2026, the park agreed to include the circuit #3 entry ticket with each Inca Trail hiking permit. However! They raised the price of the hiking permit about $50 USD per person to cover the cost. 

Can you buy Machu Picchu entry tickets online before they are released on the official Peru government website?

Please read my lips. No. No one, not even the new President of Peru can buy a ticket to Machu Picchu online before they are released on the official government website. Not the Pope, not Jesus, and certainly not you and I. Why are you seeing tour companies offering entry tickets to Machu Picchu before they're released? Click and buy now! Those companies are taking a reservation or what I would call a pre-registration for your tickets. You pay and send them your passport and then when tickets are released, the company will attempt to buy the actual Machu Picchu entry ticket you requested. Taking advance reservations for tickets when they're not yet available is an acceptable pracitce as long as the company is transparent about the fact that no one can guarantee ticket availability. DO NOT CLICK AND BUY MACHU PICCHU ENTRY TICKETS FROM AN ONLINE 3RD PARTY UNLESS YOU KNOW THEIR POLICIES BEFORE YOU BUY! Clicking and buying is not a guarantee that you have a ticket! If you choose to click and buy a ticket from a 3rd party website, you have no guarantee that you will actually get that ticket. So. Do not tick the box on your checklist - "Machu Picchu entry tickets confirmed." When you receive the ticket confirmation code is when you have a ticket. Unfortunately there's no longer any way to double check the authenticity of the ticket confirm code. However, they could send you a PDF image of your ticket with the scannable QR code, your name, passport info and circuit number. 

When is the high season at Machu Picchu?

High season is June 19-Nov 2, 2026. What does it mean? This is important to know if you want to do one of the 4 seasonal hikes.  The seasonal circuits are: 1D / Inka Bridge, 1C / Sungate, 3C / Gran Caverna and 3D / Huchuy Picchu (do not confuse that last hike with Huayna Picchu aka Wayna) Ministry of tourism officials can't seem to grasp that many, if not most foreign travelers going to Peru, actually plan their trips months, if not a year or more, in advance. But for some reason that no one seems to understand, Four of the 6 hikes at Machu Picchu are only open during high season. This was a new thing that started in June 2024. The dates for high season are not the same every year. But the dates in 2026 are the same as the dates in 2026. That's two years in a row! Woohoo!. So if you want to hike one of the hikes only open in high season, keep that in mind. And in 2025, there were times when the hikes to the Inka Bridge and Gran Caverna were closed for days at a time, for no apparent reason. Even if you have tickets, it's not a guarantee that the hike will be open. We've never seen them close down Huayna Picchu hike without actual cause. For instance, the rainy season in 2025 blew in a little later than usual and with 2 days notice, they closed down the Inca Trail, Salkantay Trail, and the 2 hikes at Machu Picchu that would normally be open in March and April. I've never seen them do this on such a wide scale before. There have been other years where mudslides and flooding affected certain places and they might close a trail for a day or two. But in 2025 it was different. So. There are no guarantees. Welcome to Peru Folks!

Why is the hike to Huayna Picchu closed in June 2026?

I'm listing this information separately because if your dream is to scramble up one of the most thrilling hikes in the world on your trip to Machu Picchu in 2026, you definitely need to see this. We wrote up all the detaisl which you can read at this link. Note that the qechua word "Huayna" is also spelled like this, "Wayna."  

Strategies to Prepare for Travel to Machu Picchu in 2026

• Plan a 2-day / 1-night trip to Machu Picchu. Squeezing 5h travel time each way with time to wait in line for buses, and ride up to the main gate, then have time to enjoy the visit in the ancient Inca city, has many moving parts. 
• Consider hiking the short 2-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu which is 1 day of hiking and then next day exploring the ancient city. Including an overnight in a hotel in the village of Aguas Calientes. You can pre-register without payment by going to this page on the Adios website.
• Arrive in Cusco at least 1-2 days before you go to Machu Picchu. It's convenient to do a full day Sacred Valley van tour of the historical sites on the day before you take the train. (get train tickets to Machu Picchu that begin from Ollantaytambo) The Sacred Valley tour ends in the village of Ollantaytambo where the main train station is located. Take the late afternoon or evening train to Aguas Calientes. Or stay overnight in Ollantaytambo and do the 1 day Inca Trail hike the next morning. On the return train you can get bi-modal train service all the way back to Cusco.
• At this time, tour guides are not required to enter Machu Picchu, but there can be an advantage to working with a licensed tour operator to help you outline your activities before you book or buy anything. Once you buy your Machu Picchu tickets, you can't change them, or your Inca Trail hiking permits. Nor can they be banked for future use, or transferred to another person. This is one trip where you want to get it right the first time!
• No matter what you read now from me or anyone else, things could change by the time you actually step onto the Land of the Inca. The Peru government has established a pattern of changing the rules for buying Machu Picchu tickets and Inca Trail permits anytime they choose to. So. Where does that leave you? Plan accordingly. And. It's OK to advocate for yourself if circumstances dictate.

Can you talk to a real person for assistance with planning your trip to Machu Picchu?

If you need a helping hand, give us a call in the US. 757-714-6649 in Virginia. Our manager in Cusco bends over backwarnds to make things work when our groups run into situations beyond anyone's control. Try to avoid calling at the last minute. If you're not sure about what to do, call us before you do something you'll regret later. We've managed to pull a few folks back from the brink of disaster on a few occasions. We'll do our best to get you back on track to planning your dream vacation to the middle of nowhere!

Why would you pre-register for your trip to Peru?

First of all.It's free! Here's the lilnk for details and recommendations to pre-register with Adios Adventure Travel. This helps us with planning and scheduling. And we keep you advised if there are any updates or changes to getting hiking permits, entry tickets to any other issues that could affect your access to the world wonder.

Why are the shuttle buses at Machu Picchu on shaeky ground in 2026?

This story started in September 2025 and has not been settled. Will Machu Picchu shuttlebusgate rear it's ugly head in 2026? No one knows for sure. But I won't be surprised when it does

Here's the link to the page where we explain what's going on with the Machu Picchu shuttle buses..