Machu Picchu 2026 tickets: first five days sell out in 12 minutes

If you were hoping to ring in the New Year of 2026 at Machu Picchu and hadn’t booked yet, you’re already too late.

When Peru’s Ministry of Culture opened online sales for 2026 entry tickets at tuboleto.cultura.pe at midday on 17 November, tickets for the first five days of January 2026 disappeared in just 12 minutes, according to the Association of Tourism Agencies of Cusco (AATC), T-News reported.

The scramble is the clearest sign yet of how intense global demand has become to visit the Inca citadel under the new ticketing rules and capacity limits that will govern Machu Picchu from 2026.

Tickets gone before lunch

The Dirección Desconcentrada de Cultura de Cusco (DDC Cusco) carried out a public, supervised “opening” of the reservation system on 17 November:

• 08:00 – system opened for 2026 Camino Inka (Inca Trail) permits
• 12:00 – system opened for 2026 Llaqta Inka de Machupicchu entry tickets

The event was held at DDC Cusco’s offices, with tourism authorities, tour operators and a notary present, and a real-time screen showing how the spaces were being reserved, in an effort to demonstrate transparency.

The spaces for 2, 3, 4 and 5 January 2026 were snapped up almost instantly, and that the most sought-after time slots “disappeared” in about 12 minutes.

A new booking system, same overwhelming demand

For 2026, the Ministry of Culture moved its usual sales window forward from December to November and introduced a staggered reservation calendar by month, designed to reduce system overload and give both visitors and tour operators more time to plan.

What changes for visiting Machu Picchu in 2026?

If you’re planning ahead, two big changes matter most: capacity and circuits/routes.

Higher caps on specific high-season dates

A new ministerial resolution sets the maximum daily capacity for 2026 as follows:TVPerú+1

• 5,600 visitors per day on:
  • 1 January 2026
  • 2–5 April 2026 (Easter period)
  • 19 June–2 November 2026
  • 30–31 December 2026
• 4,500 visitors per day for the rest of the year

So New Year’s Day 2026 – one of the dates that just sold out in minutes – will be one of the highest-capacity days of the entire year.

Three circuits, 10 routes – plus a sixth official Inca Trail route

Since June 2024, visiting Machu Picchu means choosing one of three circuits and 10 defined routes, each with its own path and viewpoints. This structure continues into 2026.

• Circuit 1 – Panorámico (viewpoint-focused routes such as upper terraces and Intipunku / Sun Gate in high season)
• Circuit 2 – Machu Picchu Clásico (the most complete tour through the classic urban sector and terraces)
• Circuit 3 – Machu Picchu Realeza (routes that include Huayna Picchu, Huchuy Picchu and the Great Cavern in high season)

On top of this, a new regulation for the Red de Caminos Inka (Inca Trail network) creates a sixth official access route to Machu Picchu, and reserves dedicated daily quotas for hikers who arrive via the Trail.

The bigger picture: demand vs. conservation

The fact that five days of tickets vanished in under 15 minutes at a site that can now admit up to 5,600 visitors per day on peak dates underlines the tension Machu Picchu is living with: global demand keeps rising, while Peruvian authorities – under the watchful eye of UNESCO – are under pressure to protect the sanctuary from overtourism.

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