What the Ministry did for 2026 — the only precedent that matters
For 2026, the Ministry of Culture opened sales for both Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail network on **Monday 17 November 2025**, with reservations starting at 8:00 a.m. Peru time. It was the first year the opening moved from December to November, explicitly to spread demand and avoid the saturation of previous years. Reservations were then confirmed with a payment window that ran from 11 December 2025 to 8 January 2026 depending on the travel date.
That is the pattern to plan around: **an opening in the last quarter of the year before, announced a couple of weeks ahead, through the Ministry's official platform**. Whether 2027 opens in November or December again is not published. What you can do is be ready — passports, dates and circuit chosen — so the day it opens you are not deciding under pressure.
What is already on sale for 2027
The official calendar does not open a whole year at once. Right now it reaches 28 February 2027, so **January and February 2027 can be booked today**. We recount every entry slot the Ministry lists, every hour, and this is how those two months looked on 13 September 2026:
- January 2027: 1,364 entry slots on the calendar, **0% sold out**.
- February 2027: 1,232 entry slots, **0% sold out**. Note that February is the month the Inca Trail closes for maintenance — Machu Picchu itself stays open and is reached by train.
- For comparison, the same day: October 2026 was 91% sold out, November 74%, December 36%. That is what «wide open» means in practice: you choose the circuit and the hour instead of taking what is left.
The seasonal routes — 1-C Sun Gate, 1-D Inca Bridge, 3-C Great Cavern and 3-D Huchuy Picchu — are sold only in high season, so do not expect them in the January–February calendar. The live availability board shows the same count refreshed hourly, by route and by month.
Capacity: how many people get in per day
Daily capacity is not a fixed number — the Ministry sets it each year by ministerial resolution. For 2026, Resolución Ministerial 000285-2025-MC fixed **4,500 visitors per day** as the base, rising to **5,600** on the dates it designated as high demand: 1 January, Holy Week (2–5 April), **19 June to 2 November**, and 30–31 December. The 2027 resolution has not been issued; the structure — a base cap with a higher cap on peak dates — is what to expect, not the exact dates.
What to do, by the month of your 2027 trip
- January or February 2027: Book now. Both months are on sale and essentially untouched. Pick the circuit you actually want — our 11-circuit guide walks through every route — and the entry hour you want.
- March to December 2027: Wait for the calendar — there is nothing to buy yet. Use the time to settle the three decisions that slow people down on opening day: which circuit, which entry hour, and whether anyone in the group wants a mountain climb. Then book within days of the opening if you travel between June and October: those are the months that ran out first in 2026.
- Any month, booked late: Our measured rule of thumb: beyond 90 days out only about 15% of slots were sold out; inside 30 days, none were left. The full breakdown is in how far in advance to book. If you are already inside that window, read what to do when Machu Picchu is sold out.
The rules your 2027 ticket will follow
Unless the Ministry announces otherwise, the circuit system in force since mid-2025 is what applies: three circuits split into ten official routes, one ticket per route per entry window, nominative and non-transferable, with a fixed-size backpack limit and no re-entry. We keep the detail in one place — the Machu Picchu rules for 2026–2027 — and update it whenever the Ministry does.
Circuit 2A Classic
The iconic postcard photo of Machu Picchu
Circuit 1B Upper Terraces
The classic postcard photo on the shortest official route
When do Machu Picchu tickets for 2027 go on sale?
The Ministry of Culture has not announced it. For 2026 the opening was on 17 November 2025, the first time it was brought forward from December. Expect an announcement in the last quarter of 2026, and treat any exact date you read elsewhere as a guess until the Ministry publishes it.
Can I already buy tickets for January or February 2027?
Yes. The official calendar reaches 28 February 2027, and as of 13 September 2026 both months were 0% sold out in our hourly count. The seasonal routes (1-C, 1-D, 3-C, 3-D) are not offered in those months.
Will the price change in 2027?
Not announced. The Ministry raised official prices on 1 May 2026 (see our rules guide). Prices for 2027 will be set by the Ministry with the calendar; we will publish them the day they appear.
How many visitors will be allowed per day in 2027?
The 2027 resolution has not been issued. For 2026 the base was 4,500 per day, raised to 5,600 on 1 January, 2–5 April, 19 June to 2 November and 30–31 December. Expect the same two-tier structure; the exact dates are what remains to be published.
My 2027 dates are sold out — is there any way in?
Yes, but not through the online calendar. The Ministry sells a daily quota in person in Machu Picchu Pueblo for the following day — 1,000 tickets a day, and the Minister confirmed on 11 September 2026 that this sale is not affected by the online changes. Our 2-Day Tour from Cusco is built around it: we take you there, assist with the registration and hand you the Circuit 2 entrance.
Do I still reserve first and pay later?
Not anymore. Since the change announced on 11 September 2026, the official platform issues a ticket only after payment is confirmed, with a 15-minute limit to pay. Unpaid selections return to the pool immediately, which should also make sold-out dates reappear more often than under the old 3-hour hold.
See what is open for 2027 right now
The board counts every official slot, every hour, by route and by month. January and February 2027 are on it today; the rest will appear the day the Ministry opens them.