When is Machu Picchu's High Season?

When is Machu Picchu's high season and why does it matter? You just buy any entry ticket on the date you want, and show up! Right? Well. Kind of. Yes. you buy your ticket online and just show up. But the question is, what if you want to buy a particular ticket for a certain hike inside the park? Are all entry tickets to all circuits at Machu Picchu available year round? Are the dates for high season at Machu Picchu the same every year? If you don't know the answer to these questions, keep reading.

What hikes are open year round at Machu Picchu?

The hikes to Huayna Picchu circuit 3B and Machu Picchu Mountain Circuit 1 A are the only hikes open year round.

Circuits 2A and 2B are open year round but they are not connected with any hikes. 

They open the extra seasonal hikes for Easter holidays from April 2-5. 

This is important to know if you want to hike on one of the other 4 seasonal hikes.  The seasonal hikes at Machu Picchu 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, Machu Picchu high season dates change year to year. Four of the 6 hikes at Machu Picchu are only open during high season. This was a new policy that started in June 2024. The dates for high season are not the same every year. 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! If you really, really, really want to hike one of the 4 seasonal hikes, best to wait for the actual tickets to be released on the official government website before you choose your travel dates. The last 2 years the high season dates have been from around mid to late June, to late October, early November. 

Based on the last two years (2024 and 2025), the dates for high season at Machu Picchu start around mid June and end in late Oct/ early Nov. That's the best we can do to nail down the dates if you plan to travel during the high season in Peru. 

When does high season in 2026 begin at Machu Picchu?

June 19, is the first day of high season for the year 2026. We know this because the official Machu Picchu government website released the tickets on January 17 for entry in June. Then you literally check the website for the hike you want. Be aware that those entry tickets are released in batches over the course of 10 days or so. No one knows what the high season dates are until they're available on the official government website. 

Why is the Waynapicchu hike at Machu Picchu closed for the month of June 2026?

The closure of Waynapicchu was discovered literally when the entry tickets for June were released on the official Machu Picchu website in January. I promise you there's no way the Peru government would have announced this in advance. Just no way. They don't do that. For full details about the closing of Huayna Picchu, we wrote up an entire post. CLICK HERE. 

Do Inca Trail hiking permits have a high season?

Just so you know. Inca Trail hiking permits are separate from Machu Picchu entry tickets. Hikers cannot buy them on their own. They need to go through a tour operator. Each hiking permit comes with entry to circuit 1 and entry to circuit 3. CLICK HERE to see the description of the short 1 day Inca Trail hike.

The availability of hiking permits for the Inca Trail begins in late October/ early Novmeber for the following year. This is when they're released for sale. There is no "high season," for the hiking permits. But I would say there is a "busy" season for Inca Trail hikes.. May, June, July, August and September are very busy and hiking permits can sell out sooner for these months, than at other times of the year. 

The Inca Trail is always closed the month of February. This is because visitor traffic to Machu Picchu is the lowest, the rainy season is usually the highest, and therefore this is the best time of year to let the trail lay fallow and recover from constant use the rest of the year.

If you need assistance, we have a team in our US office and a team in our Peru office who collaborate to arrange travel, solve problems and answer even the most unusual questions! Just give us a call, a text or an email. 

Is there any way to be notified about changes to hiking permits and Machu Picchu tickets?

Yes. We offer Pre-Registration for any group who is planning to travel to Peru. The service is free and there's no obligation to book anything. We will keep you updated and help you with planning if needed. CLICK HERE to read more about free pre-registration. (we don't share or sell your contact info, and we don't advertise to you)

For travelers who are interested in hiking in to Machu Picchu but don't have the time or the ability to hike the Classic 4-Day Inca Trail, we recommend hiking in on the short 1-Day Inca Trail. These two trails are the only trails that literally take you on foot into the national park without going through the Machu Picchu main entry gate with all the other visitors..