Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is one of the most famous ways to visit this incredible lost city and for three years now the government has been issuing 500 permits a day to do just that. For the peak months of May-September they always go quickly and this year is no exception! Permits for April and May are completely booked-up and June, July and August are all now looking very busy too.
This certainly isn't something just affecting RealPeru - every company is in the same position as the permits for the Inca Trail are controlled centrally and each permit must be applied for in the name of the person wishing to do the trek. This is a good thing in general because companies can no longer just bulk buy in advance but it does mean you need to let us know as soon as possible if you're thinking of doing the trek this year - we'd hate you to be disappointed!
If we can't get a permit for the exact dates you want then we can always offer plenty of alternatives to the 'classic' Inca Trail. There are lots of other treks that also end up at Machu Picchu such as the less travelled but in many ways more spectacular route through the Sacred Valley via Salkantay, or something totally different like our great treks to Lares, Choquequirau or in the Central Andes around Huaraz - you just have to ask!