Nevado Ausangate, located in the heart of the Vilcanota Mountain, is one of the highest mountains in Peru with an altitude of 6,398metres above sea level. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful mountain in this part of the Andes. It is around 4 hours from Cusco, but the enormous peak can often be seen from many parts of the city.
At 1.00 pm you will be picked up and transported to Tinke, 4 hours away and at 3,900masl. This is a small town where we camp the first night. En-route we will see many small villages where you can see the stresses and strains of traditional rural life.
Today we will trek for around 6 hours from Tinke to Upis. Located very close to the top of the Ausangate Mountain, the Upis community is located at 4,400masl and around 5 or 6 families live there. There are also thermal baths from where we can enjoy the afternoon. In Upis we make camp and spent the night.
We start our day with breakfast in Upis, before starting our ascent onto the first part of the mountain, the Arapa Pass at 4,850masl. After reaching this pass we lunch and begin the climb to the second pass, called Ausangate Pass (4,850m). We set up camp on the mountainside of Ausantgate at 4,650m. From here we will enjoy the amazing views of the mountain range and lakes surrounded by impressive rock formations.
Probably the hardest day of the trek; we climb to the highest pass, at 5,200m. From here we will see the most beautiful views of Ausangate and its snow-cap. That night we camp in Jampa at 4,700m.
Today we climb to a different pass – Qampa, located at 5,100m. From this point we start descending, passing many beautiful lakes en-route, towards the Pacchanta community where we spend our last night. There are more thermal baths here where we can enjoy the evening. We also have a large ‘last supper’ of typical Andean food to celebrate getting this far!
After breakfast we continue 3 hours walking until Tinke once again, where we have lunch before heading back to Cusco.
* the exact program, including the campsites, is subject to change, due to weather, the client’s walking ability, and other unexpected circumstances.