Book the Classic Inca Trail 6–8 months ahead, and earlier for April and May, which go first. The reason is simple: the government allows 500 people on the trail per day, and only about 200 of those are hikers; the rest are guides, chefs and porters. Permits for the following year are usually released in October or November, and the most popular dates can disappear within days.

The Short Inca Trail has 250 permits a day, so 4–6 months ahead is usually enough outside high season. Check your date on our permits page, and if you're late, still ask; last-minute spaces do appear.

You still have options, and most of them still end at Machu Picchu on foot. We'll first check the days on either side of your date. If those are gone too, the Short Inca Trail is often still available, and it uses the same final stretch of trail and the same walk through the Sun Gate. If you want four days of hiking, the Salkantay Trek, the Lares Trek or Huchuy Qosqo + Short Inca Trail give you a similar experience on quieter routes. Send us your dates and we'll reply with the closest real option, not a waiting list.

No. For more than twenty years the Inca Trail has been open only to licensed operators with licensed guides, and permits are issued to the operator, which is why your name and passport go on yours. It isn't a sales line; it's the rule that keeps the trail in one piece. Other routes to Machu Picchu, like Salkantay or Lares, can be hiked independently. The Inca Trail cannot.

Your permit and Machu Picchu ticket are issued with the exact details in your passport: full name as printed, passport number, date of birth, nationality and gender. No nicknames, no shortened names. If your passport expires before the trip, book with the current one and send us a copy of the new one as soon as you have it. The number can usually be updated; names cannot, so the spelling has to be perfect from the start. Bring the passport itself on the trek: there are checkpoints.

Every month has something going for it. March to May is green after the rains. June to September is the driest and the busiest, with the clearest skies as a rule and cold nights. October to January brings more rain, softer light and fewer people on the trail. February is closed: the whole trail shuts for maintenance and reopens on 1 March with campsites cleaned and paths repaired. Whatever the month, pack for rain. It's a cloud forest for a reason.

Rarely, the authorities close the trail for safety after extreme weather, usually heavy rain, and reopen it once the paths and campsites have been checked. If an official closure affects your date, we move your trek to the closest available date or switch you to an alternative route such as Salkantay or the Short Inca Trail, and we tell you the moment we know. Nobody controls the mountains. What we control is how fast we find you a plan.

Harder than a long walk, easier than a climb. Day 2 is the test: around 1,000 m of climbing to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 m, mostly on stone steps, then a long descent. First-time trekkers finish it every day; the ones who enjoy it trained a little. Six to eight weeks of regular walking with a daypack, hills or stairs twice a week, and a couple of long days back to back is enough for most people. If you'd rather not test yourself, the 5-day version splits the hard parts, and the Short Inca Trail is one day of hiking.

The trail starts around 2,700 m at KM 82 and tops out at 4,215 m on Dead Woman's Pass; Machu Picchu itself sits lower, at about 2,430 m. The most useful thing you can do is arrive early: two or three days in Cusco (3,400 m) or, even better, the Sacred Valley (about 2,800 m) before you start. Drink more water than you think you need, go easy on alcohol, walk slowly on Day 1 and tell your guide the moment you feel off. Our guides are trained for altitude and carry oxygen. If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before you travel.

On the Classic trail you walk with a daypack (water, layers, rain jacket, snacks, sunscreen, camera, passport) while a personal porter carries a duffel with up to 7 kg / 15 lb of your things, which you see again at camp each evening. The duffel is for everything you need on the trek but not during the day: clothes, extra shoes, your sleeping bag. 

On the Short Inca Trail with hotel there are no porters, so your daypack holds everything for the hike and the next day. If you'd rather not carry it all, we can send a small bag of up to 5 kg / 11 lb by train, straight to your hotel in Aguas Calientes. For the full list, item by item, read our Inca Trail packing list.

Better than the stories, as long as you know what to expect. Every campsite has public toilets, and along the trail you'll find one roughly every 3–4 hours of hiking. Most are squat toilets, so bring toilet paper and wet wipes in a ziplock bag.

On top of that, TreXperience sets up a private portable toilet for each of our groups, which matters most at the busy campsites. Most campsites also have showers, but the water is ice cold; the only one we'd recommend is at Wiñay Wayna, the last night, where the weather is warmer. Every morning and evening we bring you a bowl of warm water to wash your face and hands.

Three cooked meals a day, a snack pack for the trail and hot drinks in camp, all made by a trekking chef who carries a kitchen up a mountain and still serves soup, a main and dessert. Water is boiled or filtered for you. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and allergy-safe meals cost nothing extra, as long as you tell us when you book so the chef shops for you. On the Short Inca Trail, breakfast and lunch are picnic-style on the trail.

Almost none, and that's part of it. Expect signal at KM 82 and again near Machu Picchu, with patches in between that come and go. Your guide carries a satellite phone for emergencies, and our office can reach the team if your family needs to. Download your music and maps before you go, tell people at home you'll be quiet for four days, and enjoy the rare feeling of nobody being able to reach you.

Every Inca Trail tour includes your Machu Picchu entry, issued with your permit and in your name, and it always covers two circuits: Circuit 1 and Circuit 3. Together they give you a complete visit, equivalent to Circuit 2 on its own and, for most hikers, better: you get the panoramic view from above and the guided walk through the heart of the site, and you arrive on foot through the Sun Gate.

On the Classic Inca Trail, both circuits happen on the last day. You walk in through the Sun Gate and follow Circuit 1, the panoramic route with the classic photo, then continue with your guide on Circuit 3 through the temples, fountains and main buildings of the citadel.

On the Short Inca Trail, the visit is split in two. You do Circuit 1 the afternoon you arrive, then return the next morning for Circuit 3 with your guide. Huayna Picchu is an extra ticket with limited spaces: ask when you book, not when you arrive. Circuit rules are set by the Ministry of Culture and can change; we update this page when they do.

Yes, and you'll be in good company: a lot of our hikers travel solo. We run small-group departures every day, and by Day 2 most groups feel like a team. On the trail you share a tent with a fellow traveler of the same gender, or you can have your own tent for USD 35 extra. On tours with a hotel night, the same applies to the room: shared with another traveler of the same gender, or a private room in a 3-star hotel for USD 35 extra. Just tell us when you book and we'll arrange it.

There's no official age limit on the Inca Trail, but there is a practical one. For children, we recommend 8 years and up: the days are long, the steps are steep, and they need the same permit and passport details as adults. For families we recommend a private tour, so the pace, the breaks and the stories are set for your kids, though children who hike regularly are welcome on our group departures too.

For older travelers the question is fitness, not age: you should have an active lifestyle and be comfortable walking 6 to 8 hours a day on uneven ground. Most of our senior hikers are under 70; if you're past that and still walking mountains, talk to us first and we'll tell you honestly which version fits. The 5-day itinerary and a couple of extra days in Cusco make a real difference at any age.

• Step one: we check permits, campsites and train seats for your date. 
• Step two: you book online with a deposit of USD 300 per person (USD 800 for luxury tours), which we use to buy your permit and tickets.
• Step three: we confirm, usually within 24 hours; if your date isn't available and you don't want an alternative, you get a full refund. Once permits and tickets are bought they are in your name and non-refundable, which is why we recommend travel insurance that covers hiking to 4,300 m. Full terms are on our Terms and Conditions page.