2018 Inca Trail Permits Are Going On Sale Four Months Early
Conquering Peru’s Inca trail is on the bucket list of outdoor adventurers everywhere, but if you were thinking of making the trek in 2018, you best get your act together – permits for next year are going on sale four months earlier than usual.
Trekking the Inca Trail solo has been prohibited since 2002 in an effort to regulate and protect it from degradation. Since then, trekkers have required a travel permit to glimpse where the snow-capped Andes Mountains crash into the wild Amazon jungle.
There are 500 permits reserved each day for adventurers – about 200 tourists and 300 trekking staff – and the prime hiking periods of April, May and August sell out almost instantly.
“Tickets usually sell out almost immediately for the peak trekking months,” Dan Clarke of RealWorld Holidays told The Guardian. “Five-hundred a day may sound like a lot, but when you take into account the permits required for the guides, cooks and any other members of the trek team, you can see how they can disappear very quickly indeed.”
So, if one of the world’s most iconic hikes is in your near future, you’ll need to be quick – for the first time, permits for next year’s endeavours will be on sale from October 1, 2017.
Permits for the four-day hike can be purchased through reputable agencies and range from $700 to $2000 per person, including entrance fees and return trips via train.
Routes from the airport to the trail require some planning as there are no roads between Lima and the trail — it’s best to book with a tour agency ahead of time.
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Lead image: Amanda Kerr
