The Peruvian government limits Inca Trail traffic to 500 people per day, including guides, cooks and porters who must carry all food, tents, etc.  No pack animals are allowed on the Inca Trail as their hooves would damage the ancient stone paths.

The ratio of support staff to hikers is about 6 to 1, so actually, there are not very many entrance permits for hikers! Every hiker must sign up through an authorized travel agent, usually months in advance since spots sell out very quickly.

Planning and reserving your spot with months of anticipation is critical to trekking the famous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. especially for the high-demand months from March to September.

Also, dates around holidays sell out very quickly, just hours after being released.  All entrance spots are typically sold out 6 – 8 months in advance.   This means that we need our list of trekkers and all your required data ready to book openings as soon as they become available, typically in the middle of December.

Booking the Inca Trail with us is super easy with our bi-lingual staff available 24/7:

• Choose three different dates: your first, preferred date and two back-up dates in case we can’t book your first choice because it sold out.
• You’ll need to send us all the required trekker information (see below) and deposit $250 for each trekker so we’re ready to book your dates as soon as they become available.  We take five different payment methods: VISA, MASTER, AMERICAN EXPRESS, and DINNERS CLUB AND PAYPAL.  You can call our toll-free numbers if you have any questions:
• After we receive your deposit, we’ll send you a confirmation email and request the following data for every traveler in your group. Please double check all information because any errors or changes could invalidate your entrance permits.
• Full name as it appears on the passport
• Passport number and date of birth
• Dates to begin your trek: please specify your first, second and third choices of start dates
• Type of Inca Trail service: see www.valenciatravelcusco.com for your choices.
• Complete telephone number
• Emergency contact name, phone number and email
• Once we have your information, we’ll put your reservation in the queue for your requested dates, and book your 2018 adventure as soon as it’s available!
• We recommend waiting to book your airlines tickets until we receive your Inca Trail to Machu Picchu permits.  Note that we can guarantee your trail dates in advance until we have your entrance permits.

We can change errors that are typographical in nature, or if there’s a new passport number. Complete name changes are not allowed because the Peruvian government does not permit travelers to transfer entrance permits. You must bring your old passport used to book the trip with you to show at the trail entrance and checkpoints (or bring a high-quality scan), and send us a high-quality scan of your new passport as soon as possible.

Once we have your trek permits, date changes and cancelations are not possible. The Peruvian government tightly regulates entrances for this popular trek, and does not allow cancelations, date changes or refunds. Once we have your permit to enter the Inca Trail in your name on your requested dates, it is 100% non-refundable and non-transferable.  The only way to change dates is to buy new entrance permits if they are available.

The official opening sale of 2018 Inca Trail entrance permits takes place at the end of this year. We will be ready to get your permits as soon as they become available. Once we have your permits, we’ll send a confirm email with the exact dates.  Then, we can help you schedule your flights or you can book your own, whichever you prefer.  We ask you to please look for our emails and respond promptly in case we need to confirm information with you.

Yes, you will save money because you’ll pay 2017 prices for 2018 services. We will respect the 2017 price of the Inca Trail against any increases made by the government or currency changes.  The trend is that the cost of the Inca Trail increases every year; for example, the entrance fees for the Inca Trail increased 90% from 2016 to 2017.