Ausangate Mountain Trek 5 days

Day 1: Cusco - Tinqui Village - Upis 

Early transfer from your hotel in Cusco with 6:00 am departure. We drive for 4 hours on a new highway to Tinqui, passing Urcos Pass (4,000 m/13,123 ft) along the way. Tinqui is a village on the high plains “altiplano” east from Cusco and is where we will start our trek. We follow a wide, gently ascending path toward the northwest face of the impressive Ausangate mountain. We will have a small lunch around noon by the side of the trail. We will continue walking through fields and by scattered stone farm houses, and later in the day we will begin to see llamas and alpacas. We ascend gently to the Upis pass (4,435 m/14,107 ft) and camp at Upis Hot Springs (4,250 m/13,779 ft) where we will be surrounded by snow capped mountains (Ausangate and Maria Huamantilla).There are thermal springs at Upis where we can enjoy a soak at the end of the day. Happy hour is around 4:00pm and dinner at approx 6:00pm depending on hiking speed/weather.

• Meals: Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping facilities
• Distance: 16 km / 9.9 miles 
• Time: 6hrs approximately
• Difficulty: Moderate

Day 2: Upis - Ausangatecocha

After breakfast we begin our trek at 7:00am. We begin ascending for 3 hours to Arapa Pass 4,800 m/15,748 ft. At the top of the pass we will have a wonderful view of the Maria Huamantilla Mountain and Ausangate Mountain behind it. From the Arapa pass we trek across an arid hillside for 20 minutes and then we descend, sometimes quite steeply, for 45 minutes into a valley of deep blue glacial lakes and waterfalls. We will stop to have a quick lunch by one of the lakes. After lunch we continue for 1 hour on flat trails and then 1 more hour gentle ascent to our second pass of the day, Ausangate Pass 4,700 m/15,419 ft. At the top of the pass we will have a beautiful view of Ausangante Mountain and the lake Ausangatecocha, formed by a melting glacier. We then descend for 40 minutes to our campsite by the lake Ausangatecocha 4,300 m/14,107 ft, which is at the bottom of one of the Ausangate glaciers. Happy hour is around 4:00pm with dinner at 6:00pm.

• Meals: Breakfast - Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping facilities
• Distance: 18 km / 11.1 miles 
• Time: 7hrs approximately
• Difficulty: Challenging

Day 3: Upis - Ausangatecocha- Huchuy Finaya - Pampacancha

After breakfast we leave camp at 7:00am and climb steeply for 3 hours on glacial moraine to the highest point on the trek, Palomani Pass 5,400 m/17,716 ft. From the pass there are extensive views of all the peaks in the Cordillera Vilcanota. We then descend for 2 hours on a steep trail into the Huchuy Finaya Valley where we will stop for a quick lunch. From the valley and lunch stop we will have a view of “Las dos gemelas” or the two twin mountains. We continue hiking 3 hours on a varied path to our campsite in the Pampacancha Valley (Qampa) 4,300 m/14,107 ft. Happy hour at 4:00pm and dinner at 6:00pm.

• Meals: Breakfast - Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping facilities
• Distance: 17 km / 10.5 miles 
• Time: 8hrs approximately
• Difficulty: Challenging

Day 4: Pampacancha - Pacchanta ( Hot Springs Camping )

After breakfast we leave camp at 7:00am and begin climbing up to the Qampa pass (5,400 m/17,716 ft) for 2 hours. At this pass we have incredible views of The Three Peaks, the Pacchanta Valley, and will hopefully get a glimpse of some wild vicuña and deer, and if we are really lucky, a condor. We then descend gradually through the Pacchanta Valley, walking between Ausangate Mountain and the Two Twin Mountains for 2 hours until we stop for lunch. After lunch we continue descending gradually on a rocky trail for another 2 1/2 hours to our campsite at Pacchanta Valley (4,000 m/13,123 ft). From this campsite we will have a great view of Ausangate Mountain. There are also hot springs at this campsite, which we can enjoy before dinner.  

• Meals: Breakfast - Lunch – Afternoon Tea Time – Dinner
• Accommodation: Camping facilities
• Distance: 17 km / 10.5 miles 
• Time: 7hrs approximately
• Difficulty: Challenging

Day 5: Pampacancha - Tinqui Village - Cusco

After breakfast we walk for 3-4 hours on a varied and gentle trail to Tinqui across open fields where we will have our final view of Ausangate, potato crops, and herds of llamas and alpacas. At Tinqui we will have lunch and meet our private transport and return to Cusco (3 hour drive), arriving around 4 or 5 pm.

Walking distance approximately 16 km/9.9 mi (3-4 hour hike)
Meals: breakfast, Lunch, Snacks on the trail
Overnight: Camping in 3 person, 4 season Tents (double occupancy)

• Meals: Breakfast - Lunch – Snacks on the trail
• Accommodation: Camping facilities
• Distance: 16 km / 9.9 miles 
• Time: 4hrs approximately
• Difficulty: Moderate

What Is Included

What Is Not Included

Added Values For Free

Price & Availability

“This trek is available to depart any day of the week as long as we have two people.”

Prices:

Group Service :

• US$ 665 PER PERSON (AMERICAN DOLLARS)

Private Service :

• US$ 1 000 PER PERSON (AMERICAN DOLLARS)

***We require a minimum of 2 hikers in order to start the trek. For solo travellers- please inquire on the dates you are looking to trek.

Essentials

• Passport
• Valid, STUDENT CARD (if you booked as a student)
• Immigration Card (given on the plane as you enter Peru)
• Good daypack (the smaller, the better)
• Water storage: Water reservoir like Camelbaks are encouraged – but enough for at least 2-3 liters.
• Comfortable hiking boots (lightweight with good soles)

For Your Duffel

Porters will carry up to 7 kg of your personal items. This must include your sleeping bag and air matt (if you bring/rent one). From us these two items weigh 3.5 kg.

• 2-3 wicking t-shirts
• 2-3 hiking pants
• 4 sets of undergarments.
• 4 sets of hiking socks
• 1 Fleece
• 1 Warm, down jacket: gets very cold at night
• 1 Rain jacket and pants
• 1 sun hat
• 1 wool hat
• Headlamp: essential
• Waterproof gloves (even if they are ski gloves, take them)
• Comfortable shoes for camp
• Walking boots
• Waterproof jacket/rain poncho
• Quickdry towel. We provide small ones, you might enjoy something a little larger.
• Small bottle of soap: we provide warm water each day to clean – might make you feel fresh if you had a little soap.
• Battery Charger: There is no place to plug in while trekking!
• Large plastic bags: to help organize and keep clean from dirty.
• Sleeping bag: Recommend down bags for -10C at least

Toiletries

• Sunscreen
• Face moisturizer
• Bug spray
• Handsanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Toothbrush and paste
• Toiletpaper
• Personal medication
• First aid kit: band aids, moleskin, etc

Inside Your Daypacks

Daypacks can be any size for hiking, but we always recommend the smaller, the better. Inside Machu Picchu, no bag larger than 25L will be allowed in. If larger, you will need to store outside citadel gates.

• Water: we supply clean water at each meal. You are responsible for your first morning of water only as we won’t have time to filter water until your first lunch.
• Sunhat
• Rain gear
• Fleece
• Camera
• Music (IPhone)
• Handsanitizer
• Toilet paper and small plastic bag for waste
• Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips
• Earplugs