Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu is at the centre of many people's Peru holidays, but all these people keen to follow in the footsteps of the Incas to the famous lost city does take its toll on the countryside. This is why the Peruvian goverment now closes the Inca Trail every February in order to carry out necessary maintenance work and to let the environment breathe for a month!
This year, the Inca Trail is be closed from February 5th until the 1st of March and during this time, no trekking will be allowed on the traditional trail to Machu Picchu, although some of the alternative routes (for example, via Santa Teresa and Salkantay) will still be operating. In addition to this, the Backpacker and Vistadome train services from Cusco to Machu Picchu will be running normally during this time.
It has to be said that February is not the best time to trek the Inca Trail, or indeed to do any trekking in Peru, as it is the peak of the rainy season in the mountains and conditions can be difficult. As always, we recommend that if you're planning a holiday trekking in Peru, you aim for the dry season (end of March through to the end of October) to really enjoy your Peru holiday!