Machu Picchu, INKA trail

Hallo everyone!
I am planning to buy tickets to Peru for September 2017, and I wanna do Inka trail.
I entered the official website ( machupicchu.gob.pe), tried to select September 2017 and there is nothing?! 2018 the same? And then when I enter "consultas" it doesnt show 2017 at all, the list finishes on 2016. Is it a mistake? Every single blog is telling to book as fast as its possible ( half a year in advanced), I wanna book almost a year in advanced and its telling that theres no availibility.

Do you know something about that? How can I register myself?

Thanks for help

Magda

Possibly due to the fact that the permits aren't out yet. They normally come out at the start of the year. Have a look again in Jan/Feb time.

You don't need to stick to Inca trail and book in advance. There are alternative treks (Salkantay being the most popular option) that don't require prebooking. You can sort it out when you are in Cuzco, on short notice.

Hi there,

If you plan to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu you need to do through a trekking company that is licensed that is the only way to hike the inca trail. The permits are going to be on sale possibly in January. If you want to avoid to use a company and you want to hike to MP on your own you should consider to hike an alternative trek. Cusco offers many alternative treks to reach MP some of them are the Salkantay trek, lares trek, Ancascocha trek, inca quarry trek, huchuy qosqo and others.

Permits for the next year are generally released at the end of December or early January.

You are best to contact a tour agency to book the inca trail (they are the only ones that can buy the permits for it).

Thank for that, I am calmer now, since I have already bought tickets ^^.
And if I would like to choose the shortest way to enter MP (train/ bus)do I need to register somewhere, or for that it`s not neccessary, and easily I can buy the ticket while being in Cuzco?

I wouldn't recommend the shortest or quickest way. Trekking to MP is at least half of the whole experience.
If money matters (I suppose it does), choose Salkantay or another alternative trek and do it in Cuzco. You'll get much better offers than on internet. Your outfitter will take care of all practicalities, including train tickets.
Powodzenia.

I would say that the journey there is what makes the place amazing. Do a trek - whether that be the Inca Trail or the Salkantay and do it that way. There is a 2 day Inca Trail trip I've seen somewhere online but it wouldn't be the whole experience.

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If you decide not to hike the Inca Trail or do one of the other treks and you want to go to MP by train you can buy train tickets online (Inca Rail or Peru Rail) from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. You can buy tickets for the bus from Aguas Calientes to the MP entrance when you are in AC.

We did a one day hike on our own:

We took a tourist shuttle from Ollantaytambo to Santa Teresa. We stayed overnight in Santa Teresa (and went to the hot springs). We asked around about transport to Lucmabamba early the next morning. Our hotel (Hostal El Sol) was very helpful and made sure a public van picked us up at 5 am. They dropped us off right at the start of the trail. It took us 2.5 hours to Llactapata (700 m elevation gain) and 2 hours to get down to Hidroelectrica. The trail is straightforward and once you reach the river you can ask as well (not that we really needed to). The only time we were a bit confused was at Llactapata when we tried to find the trail down. Facing MP the trail is on your left. It took us 2.5 hours from Hidroelectrica to Aguas Calientes (12 km). That is the part where you walk along the railway tracks. The Llactapata ruins are not that spectacular (although the part that is overgrown and crumbling has a certain kind of charm) but the view of Machu Picchu from there is amazing! Be patient though as we had to wait for the clouds to lift. Also, the walk up and down through the cloud forest is great (flowers, birds, butterflies, views).

Most people on our shuttle were taking the shuttle all the way to Hydroelectrica and then walked to Aguas Calientes from there. So if you don't want to do the hike via Llactapata just stay on the shuttle all the way to Hidroelectrica.

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I just feel the moral obligation to post this

Inca Trail Portable Toilets

are you willing to pay for this? did you know the water tap where the portable toilet is being cleaned it is also used by the tourist to wash, clean and brush their teeth?

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