Ausangate Trek Tour and trekking in Peru

We are driven to the airport to fly to Cusco. We are welcomed and taken to your hotel. Visit the Inca capital, starting with Santo Domingo monastery, the ancient temple of the Sun or Koricancha. Then the place of arms, the market of San Pedro and the district of San Blas.

Accompaniment: private English-speaking guide for the visit
Walking and visiting time: 4 hours
Transport: domestic flight (1 hour)
Meals: breakfast / free lunch / free dinner
Accommodation: in hotel

We leave to visit the archaeological site of Moray. This real Inca agricultural laboratory was already used five hundred years ago to test the resistance of certain plant species to altitude. Then we descend to the salt mines of Maras, which date from the pre-Inca era, and continue to be exploited as formerly by the inhabitants of the village. The water, which comes from a salty spring, is channelled to a series of basins where it evaporates gradually. A thin layer of salt is deposited there to be immediately harvested. After the visit, we take the road back to Ollantaytambo, in the heart of the Sacred Valley.

Transport: private transport (3 hours in the Sacred Valley)
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: in a hotel or hostel at the end of the day: 2,870 m

Ollantaytambo, a small village at the foot of the mountains, has hardly changed since the Inca era. We take the time to discover its archaeological site, and simply walk through the alleys, follow the irrigation canals crossing them, to discover its architecture. In the middle of the afternoon, we take our train to Aguas Calientes.

Transport: group transport (40 min), by train between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: in hotel
Altitude at the end of the day: 2,040 m

Very early in the morning, we take the shuttle to climb to the most famous Inca site in the country: Machu Picchu, ”old summit” in Quechua. Here we discover the still wrapped in the morning mist architectural complex built astride a narrow ridge lined with precipices: an impressive vision that evolves with the progression of the sun. We then walk the streets of the citadel, its neighbourhoods, squares, royal houses, agricultural areas, roads and observatories. We go down again in the afternoon to Aguas Calientes to take the train to Ollantaytambo and the road to the Sacred Valley; we get closer to Pisac. After visiting Pisac, we return to Cusco.

The tours of Machu Picchu since the start of 2019 is limited in time. Thus, entry schedules are stricter. This allows you to enjoy the site more, without having too many people at the same time. Reservations are now possible every hour between 6 am and 2 pm (6 am, 7 am, 8 am, 9 am …). If you book for the 8-hour schedule, for example, it will not be possible to return before. The visits follow a determined course. They are more controlled so that the flow of visitors is fluid. The duration of the guided tour of the site is about 2 hours to 2 hours 30. For specific entries: Machu Picchu + Waynapicchu – from 6 hours Machu Picchu, then Waynapicchu from 7 hours to 8 hours.

Accompaniment: English speaking guide for the visit
Transport: collective shuttles to access the site, train between Aguas Calientes and Ollantaytambo (1h30) then private bus to Pisac and Cusco
Meals: free breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: in hotel
Altitude end of the day: 3,350 m

We leave in the morning for Tambomachay, the farthest of the four Inca archaeological sites near Cusco. From here we walk down to Pukapukara, Q’enqo and finally Sacsayhuamán. This impressive fortress was built on a hill that dominates the city of Cusco. It is characterized by its gigantic blocks of stone interlocked to the millimetre, some of which exceed 9 meters high and weigh more than 550 tons. We then take the road to Tinqui. On the way, we stop at Urcos, the capital of the Vilcanota region. Then we take the road to Ocongate and pass the pass of Pilluyo from where we can admire the Apu Ausangate, a sacred mountain for Quechua residents of the area. From Ocongate village, we continue to Tinqui.

Transport: private transport (3 hours)
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: in a hostel or at the inhabitant
Altitude end of the day: 3 780 m

We meet our team of muleteers who load our equipment. We can finally leave for the first stage of the trekking! The camp is located at the foot of the Ausangate (6,378 m) in the hamlet of Upis. Possibility of swimming in the hot springs to watch the sunset on the summit.

Transport: private transport (3 h)
Accommodation: under tent
Elevation: + 500 m – Altitude end of the day: 4 350 m
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: under tent

Ascent to the Arapa pass (4,865 m): stunning views of the southwestern face of the Ausangate. Descent to the small Lagunas of Uchuy Yanacocha (4,660 m), then Jatun Yanacocha (4,535 m). We arrive at Laguna Jatun Pucacocha (4,600 m). Climb to a second pass: Alcatauri (4,900 m), where we await a splendid sight on Laguna Ausangate Cocha and Ausangate. Descent and camp at Anantapata (4,600 m).

Number of hours of walking: 7 hours
Altitude difference: + 500 m / – 500 m – Altitude end of the day: 4,600 m
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: under a tent

We leave early, to reach the belvedere which will allow us to climb at 5,050 meters of altitude, to discover the mountain in 7 colours. The Vinicunca mountain, also called ”mountain-rainbow”, is formed by the accumulation of layers of sediments over the millennia: the red of iron, the green of copper, the yellow of sulfur. The whole is a palette worthy of an impressionist painting! Return to Anantapata, and descent to Chilca (4 350 m), for our camp.

Number of hours of walking: 8 hours
Altitude difference: + 600 m / – 800 m – Altitude end of the day: 4 350 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent

We are entering a valley on a gently sloping path. This climb allows us to see the landscape which is revealed suddenly: it is again the imposing Ausangate and its glaciers which are offered to our sight. Below, there are small lakes of different colours. The beauty of the landscape is dazzling. We must then descend to the beautiful lake Ausangate Cocha while admiring in passing the various frontal moraines left by the glacier under the lake. Night at the lake.

Number of hours of walking: 7 hours
Altitude difference: + 500 m / – 450 m – Altitude end of the day: 4,650 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in tents

We continue our tour of Ausangate by a steep climb to Palomani Pass, at almost 5 100 meters altitude, from where we have a 360 view ° on the surrounding mountains in the middle of lunar reliefs dominated by the glaciers surrounding the mountain. We will go down again by a path in the balcony, facing several glaciers, until Soraybamba.

Number of hours of walking: 7 hours
Altitude difference: +650 m / -500 m – Altitude end of the day: 4,700 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: night in a tent

In the morning, we pass the Jampa Pass (5,030 meters), surrounded by glacial mountains on all sides. The marked path goes up on a moraine which dominates the Campa glacier. On one side, we observe the Ausangate massif with Mount Mariposa and Mount María Huamantilla, and on the other side, the Ccallangate massif, as well as the three peaks of Pico Tres (6,093 meters). Arrived at the pass, we discover a large number of apachetas, kinds of cairns or pyramids of stones that the people of the area and the visitors of passage elaborate in offering to the apus (spirits of the mountains), to ask them protection during their trip. From the pass, it is possible to see on the horizon the Cordillera de la Urubamba, with its princess, the Verónica (5,825 meters) and the Cordillera de Vilcabamba, where reigns ”in master” the perfect pyramid of Mount Salkantay (6,271 meters). We will then descend to the mountainside to our camp at Pacchanta. Possibility of bathing in hot springs.

Walking hours: 6 hours.
Elevation gain: + 400 m / – 650 m – Altitude end of the day: 4 300 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in tents

We leave the tranquillity of the village to reach the pass overlooking it (4,660 m). Along the way, we cross pastures and crops under the curious gaze of the animals grazing peacefully. We pass in another valley that goes quietly to Lake Armacocha. This lake located near the Sura Anate Glacier (5,940 m) is ideal for approaching the glacial tongues that descend nearby. We then head to the last pass of your trek (4,860 m). The climb is gradual and will be rewarded by a sublime panorama. Indeed, we arrive overhanging the Singrenacocha lagoon. This immense moraine lake is one of the largest in the Ausangate massif; it is accompanied by many legends that our muleteers will be able to tell us at the time of the bivouac.

Number of hours of walking: 7 hours
Altitude difference: + 700 m / – 700 m – Altitude end of the day: 4 300 m
Meals: breakfast – lunch – dinner
Accommodation: in a tent

We leave the calmness of the lake to descend into the valley. We go to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. On the way, we visit the ”Sistine Chapel of the Andes”. Andahuaylillas is located 40 kilometres from the city of Cusco; it is remarkable for its colonial architecture. The main square is lined with old houses and planted with trees called ”pisonay”. The most remarkable monument of this locality is the church San Pedro de Andahuaylillas which was built in the 16th century. The interior is entirely decorated with murals, altars and baroque carved altarpieces. It has paintings from the Cusco School that developed at the beginning of the Spanish occupation. Arrive in Puno and check-in at the hotel.

Transport: by private vehicle (7 hrs)
Number of hours of walking: 4 hours – Altitude at the end of the day: 3 820 m
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: night in a hotel

Departure by boat from the port of Puno towards the island of Taquile, located on Lake Titicaca. On the way, we stop on the floating islands of Uros, where the Aymara inhabitants build their houses on gigantic boats in reeds (totoras) moored to stakes to avoid drifting. They live on fishing, crafts and hunting. Taquile Island is widely exploited through the system of terraced crops. The way of life of the inhabitants has preserved its community organization inherited from the Inca period. If the property is private, the work is collective: the 300 or so people work for them one day, one day for the community. Taquile lives in a relative autarky with the Inca principles of ”do not steal, do not lie, do not falter”, remained alive for centuries. From the heights of the village, our efforts are rewarded by a superb view of the lake, the bay of Puno, and Bolivia (Cordillera Royale) in the mists of the Altiplano. We take the boat back to Puno. Installation at the hotel. Free evening.

Accompaniment: English speaking guide for visits
Transport: Collective boat (5 hours)
Meals: breakfast / lunch / dinner
Accommodation: in hotel

We are headed to Juliaca airport for our flight to Lima, where we take our correspondence to Europe.

transport assistant: by private vehicle, by plane (1 hour and 30 minutes)
Meals: breakfast

—– END OF THE PROGRAM —–
For unpredictable reasons at this stage, your guide may need to alter the program for the smooth running of your trip. He remains the sole judge and guarantor of your safety. Walking times are given as an indication and may vary from one participant to another.