Late December is one of the most requested times of the year on the Inca Trail, and travelers are already booking it. Some want Christmas at Machu Picchu, some want the first sunrise of the year at the Sun Gate, and many want to be back in Cusco for New Year’s Eve. Below you’ll find live availability for every start date from 20 December 2026 to 2 January 2027, with the day you reach Machu Picchu on each route. It is the same data our team loads into our calendar from the official system, and it updates automatically. You’ll also find which start date fits each plan, and why 28–31 December went on sale separately this year.
- 15 July 2026the day permits for 28–31 December went on sale, in a special release by the Ministry of Culture in Cusco.
- 250 vs 500daily permits on the 2-day route vs the Classic 4-day route: the short route fills first.
- Rainy seasonDecember brings afternoon showers and the greenest landscapes of the year.
Live availability by start date
| Start date | Classic, 4 days | Short, 2 days | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spaces | Machu Picchu | Spaces | Machu Picchu | |
| Sun 20 Dec | 353 spaces | Wed 23 Dec | 233 spaces | Mon 21 Dec |
| Mon 21 Dec | 450 spaces | Thu 24 Dec | 184 spaces | Tue 22 Dec |
| Tue 22 Dec | 383 spaces | Fri 25 Dec | 137 spaces | Wed 23 Dec |
| Wed 23 Dec | 438 spaces | Sat 26 Dec | 191 spaces | Thu 24 Dec |
| Thu 24 Dec | 267 spaces | Sun 27 Dec | 176 spaces | Fri 25 Dec |
| Fri 25 Dec | 382 spaces | Mon 28 Dec | 128 spaces | Sat 26 Dec |
| Sat 26 Dec | 332 spaces | Tue 29 Dec | 193 spaces | Sun 27 Dec |
| Sun 27 Dec | 283 spaces | Wed 30 Dec | 49 spaces | Mon 28 Dec |
| Mon 28 Dec | 274 spaces | Thu 31 Dec | 172 spaces | Tue 29 Dec |
| Tue 29 Dec | 214 spaces | Fri 1 Jan | Only 4 left | Wed 30 Dec |
| Wed 30 Dec | 446 spaces | Sat 2 Jan | 167 spaces | Thu 31 Dec |
| Thu 31 Dec | 374 spaces | Sun 3 Jan | 169 spaces | Fri 1 Jan |
| Fri 1 Jan | Early booking | Mon 4 Jan | Early booking | Sat 2 Jan |
| Sat 2 Jan | Early booking | Tue 5 Jan | Early booking | Sun 3 Jan |
Spaces checked by our team against the official system on 30 September 2026. They change daily: confirm your date in the calendar.
How to read it: on the Classic 4-day trek you walk into Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at dawn on day 4, three days after your start date. On the 2-day route you see Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate on the afternoon of your start date, sleep in Aguas Calientes and make your guided visit the next morning. Start dates from 1 January 2027 belong to the 2027 permits, expected to go on sale in October–November 2026. Until then we take them as early bookings.
What the numbers tell us (29 September 2026)
Three months before the holidays, the pattern is already clear. The 2-day route is going first. On 29 September there were only 4 spaces left for 29 December and 49 for 27 December, while most other December dates still had 150–240. Both dates fit neatly between Christmas and New Year: start on the 27th or 29th and you are back in Cusco in time for New Year’s Eve. The Classic 4-day route still had more than 200 spaces on every late-December date. The lowest were 29 December (214), the start date that puts you at the Sun Gate at dawn on 1 January, and 24 December (267).
What it means for you: if you want the 2-day route between Christmas and New Year, book now. If your dates are flexible, the Classic route still has good availability, but late-December dates always go faster than the rest of the month. These figures are a snapshot; the table above shows today’s numbers.
Why 28–31 December went on sale separately
Permits for August to December 2026 went on sale on 25 November 2025. The last four days of the year were handled differently. The Decentralized Directorate of Culture of Cusco (DDC Cusco) scheduled a special sale for 28, 29, 30 and 31 December 2026 on Wednesday 15 July 2026 at 9:00 a.m. on the official Tuboleto platform. The stated aim was to improve visitor flow at the year-end peak, avoid overloading the online system and prevent price speculation. That is why these dates are selling now, and why availability on them moves faster than on the rest of December. To follow the 2027 release, see our permit release tracker.
Choose your start date by what you want to celebrate
| Your plan | Classic, 4 days: start on | Short, 2 days: start on |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Day at Machu Picchu | 22 December | 24 December (Christmas Eve in Aguas Calientes) |
| Christmas Eve in Cusco | 20 December at the latest, or 25 December onwards | 22 December at the latest, or 25 December onwards |
| New Year’s Eve in Cusco | 27 December at the latest (back in Cusco on the evening of the 30th) | 29 December at the latest (back in Cusco on the evening of the 30th) |
| First sunrise of 2027 at the Sun Gate | 29 December (New Year’s Eve at the last camp) | Not possible: the 2-day route reaches the Sun Gate in the afternoon |
| New Year’s Day at Machu Picchu | 29 December | 31 December (New Year’s Eve in Aguas Calientes, visit on 1 January) |
Campsites are assigned with each permit, so the last camp can change. On the 4-day trek, 31 December is an early night: the walk to the Sun Gate starts at about 3:30 a.m.
December weather on the Inca Trail
December is the start of the rainy season. Mornings are often clear, and rain usually arrives in the afternoon. The stone steps can be slippery and the views from the passes are sometimes in the clouds, but the valleys are at their greenest and nights are milder than in the dry season. Pack a good rain jacket, rain pants, a poncho that covers your pack, dry bags and an extra pair of socks; our Inca Trail packing list has a printable checklist. Compare December with other months in our month-by-month guide.
Christmas and New Year in Cusco
- 24 December, Santurantikuy: the Christmas Eve market in the Plaza de Armas, a Cusco tradition with colonial roots and part of the Cultural Heritage of the Nation. More than a thousand artisans sell nativity figures, Niño Manuelito images, ceramics and Cusco School paintings.
- Christmas: Peruvian families celebrate at midnight on the 24th with hot chocolate and panetón.
- 31 December, New Year’s Eve: the Plaza de Armas fills with people and fireworks at midnight, and Peruvians wear yellow for luck in the new year.
Book the whole trip, not just the trek
- Inca Trail first. Permits are the scarcest part. Every permit carries your passport details, and names can’t be changed.
- Trains and hotels next. Late-December trains to and from Aguas Calientes and Cusco hotels fill up, especially around 24 and 31 December.
- Machu Picchu is busy. In the Ministry of Culture’s 2026 calendar, 30 and 31 December are high-season days, with 5,600 visitors allowed per day. If you want Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain, add it when you book. See Machu Picchu tickets for 2027.
- Acclimatize. Plan two or three days in Cusco before the trek, which also gives you time to enjoy the city. See how hard the Inca Trail is.
Not sure which route to choose? Compare them in 2-day vs 4-day Inca Trail, and check any other date on our permits and availability page. The calendar below opens on December 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hike the Inca Trail over Christmas and New Year?
Which start date gets me to Machu Picchu on New Year’s Day?
Can I be back in Cusco for New Year’s Eve?
Why were permits for 28–31 December 2026 sold separately?
Does it rain on the Inca Trail in December?
Can I book early January 2027 already?
About the author
Raquel Sánchez co-founded Terra Quechua Peru in Cusco in 2012 together with Edwin Medina, both with extensive trekking experience. She writes our Inca Trail guides from the day-to-day work of securing permits and organizing every departure with our guides, cooks and porters.