Although the Ausangate Trek is not as popular as the Inca Trail trek, it is extraordinary by leading through the wild and little-visited places of Peru.

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It leads through the Vilcanota Mountains and its several passes at the altitude of about 5000 masl, then descends to the valleys and passes through traditional Peruvian villages. You will see snowcapped peaks of local mountain giants, glaciers and turquoise lakes, all set in this beautiful mountain range. You will also see the Winicunca Rainbow Mountain.

 

The Vilcanota Mountains is located 100 km southeast of Cusco. It has several peaks over 6000m, including the sacred mountain of Ausangate (6372m), the highest mountain in the Cusco region. This trek does not require permission, as is the case with the Inca Trek. It is one of the quietest treks in the region and it is hard to meet other tourists. You will be able to observe the wild animals such as condors, vicunas, lynx and pumas. The camps are mostly at the beautiful blue mountain lakes. You will also be able to bathe in natural thermal springs.

 

Ausangate Trek is one of the few treks in Peru where you can rent horses for the entire trek. However, some sections are so steep that it is necessary to go next to the horse.

 

The trek itself is qualified of degree "C", which means the trek is long and a lot of sections are at high altitude. You will need to be in good shape.

 

Ausangate Trek is available in several options (4, 5, 6 and 7 days). The most popular is the 6-day program which we offer to you.

 

DAY 1: Early in the morning, we'll pick you up from the hotel and head out from Cusco southeast to the village of Tinki to start our trek. This journey takes about 3.5 hours. From Tinki we will continue through Vilcanot Valley with a slight climb to the grassy plains. From there, there will be a first view of the Vilcanota Mountains and its two peaks Ausangate and Colque Cruz. We cross the Mapacho River and through the villages of the local communities we arrive at the Ausangate base camp. The campsite is close to the thermal springs of Upis (4408 m).

 

 

DAY 2: In the morning we set off to cross the first mountain pass Arapa (4850 m). After reaching the pass, we stop for a light lunch before going down to the valley. We walk past the green lake Puqa Q'ocha (4556 m), and we overnight at the camp in the valley next to the blue lake Jatun Puqa Q'ocha. From the camp there is a opportunity to climb to a close mountain ridge, we will see the red-colored lake Vino Q'ocha. Each lake in the region is colored diferently due to sediments from nearby mountains.

 

 

DAY 3: Today we will start the trek early in the morning, we will walk past the flocks of lamas and alpacas and ascend to the highest pass of the trek (4800 m). Today's performance will be rewarded with breathtaking views of the southeast Vilcanota Mountains, the peaks of Mariposa and Caracol. It is also the place from which we can watch the condors solitaries and admire their size. After descending into the valley, we arrive along the Jampamayo River to the small village of Jampa before arriving at the camp in Chillca (4456 m).

 

 

Day 4: The fourth day will be the easiest part of the whole trek that will lead along Pampa Jutunpata and the shores of Lake Ticllacoch. This part of the valley is a great opportunity to see the representatives of local wildlife fauna - vizcacha, lynx, vicuna. We stop for the lunch and set off to the last trek's pass - Q'ampa (5000 m). From the pass we will see several pretty-colored lakes shimmering in the sunshine. We descend to the other side of the valley to the turquoise lake Q'omercocha (4704 m) and here we spend the night at the camp.

 

 

DAY 5: After the breakfast we will continue to descend to the village of Pajchanta (4010 m). The local community makes its living by breeding the livestock and growing crops. The village itself is a very authentic look into the traditional Peruvian culture. There are also natural thermal springs where we can relieve our tired bodies,  especially the legs. Here we spend the night in the camp.

 

 

DAY 6: We will have the breakfast in the morning and take off for Tinki, where we take the bus to Cusco.