Apu Ausangate Trek 6 Days

At 0600 AM, we will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then we will be driving you to Tinqui at 3815 metres (12513 feet). This serene Andean village is often referred to as the gateway to Ausangate. 

Once in Tinqui, we will be meeting our crew. After loading the things on horses, we will begin the Apu Ausangate Trek 6 Days at around 10:00 AM.  We will be crossing a bridge and walking through grassy meadows below the jagged stone flanks of Ausangate Mountain (6350m / 20828ft), the highest snow peak in southern Peru.

After trekking for approximately six hours, we will reach the hot springs of Upis (4400m / 14432ft). Here we will be spending the night in a charming campsite in Upis.

• Meals included: Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we will begin the hike around Vilcanota Mountain Range (Cordillera Vilcanota). We will be hiking for about two hours to get to our first high mountain pass, Arapa Pass at 4750 metres (15880 feet). 

To get there, we will have to hike through the valley along the slope before climbing a rocky area. Along the way, we will get to see a cabin and some corrals from the last settlement. Throughout the hike we will have the sight of the mighty Ausangate Mountain. 

Once at Arapa Pass we will get a beautiful panoramic view of the valley below. We will then follow the fence line and cross the mountain range on foot to the left of the steep hill between it and the Nevado Ausangate. 

We will then continue down until we have the opportunity to see beautiful lakes, multicolored lagoons until we reach the largest Yanacocha lagoon (black lake) where we will  have lunch.

After lunch another hour to the camping near the Pumacocha Lagoon (4500m / 14760ft), We will be camping here.

• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Early in the morning, after breakfast, we will make a short ascent to our second pass of the Apu Ausangate Trek 6 days, Apacheta Pass (4850 metres /15908 ft). From here, we will descend to Ausangate Coccha Lagoon where we will stop for lunch. 

After lunch we will hike up the hill for two hours towards the third pass, the Abra de Palomani (5200m / 17056ft). This is the highest point of the Apu Ausangate Trek 6 days. We will have a short break to celebrate that we have conquered the highest pass of Ausangate Trek. 

From here, we will descend for two hours through an area of llamas, alpacas and vizcachas to reach Pampacancha.

Here we will get to enjoy fantastic views of Ausangate and the Vilcanota range. Then we will hike down into a valley. We will arrive at our incredibly beautiful campsite in Pampacancha (4050m / 13284ft).

• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, we will start the third day of the Apu Ausangate Trek 6 Days with a gentle uphill hike through Qampa valley crossing a stream. We will be passing ancient rock falls into large rabbit-rodents as Andean vizcachas leap between the rocks. On this less populated southern side of the mountain our chances of seeing wildlife are heightened.

Condors skim along the slopes, and rare elusive vicuña herds can appear on the tops, keeping a safe distance. Beyond the small village of Qampa we traverse a huge, grassy shoulder of Ausangate with the icy crags of Collque Cruz (Silver Cross) and Tres Picos (Tres Picos) to our right, as we ascend the Qampa pass (5000m / 16400ft), our fourth and last crossing.

The point is marked by high landmarks (apachetas) built by generations of standing travelers who make the north-south crossing of the Vilcanota mountain range. We descend with the broad, hilly plains of the Upper Mapacho Basin stretching far below us, reaching our campsite in the well-known Qomercocha group of lakes, as night approaches.

• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, we will leave this spectacular campsite. We will then hike sling the lakes that lie below sharp, tall peaks.

Powerful and peaceful, it is easy to understand how this became a ceremony site for the Quechua shamans of the region. We will follow a series of ridges rolling through open grasslands.

Here we will be encountering shepherds as we approach the hand-spun town of Pacchanta (4100m / 13448ft), the largest settlement on our trek.

Here enchanting hot springs offer us a sublime soak, with the entire panorama of the snowy Ausangate filling the southern horizon.

• Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast, we will leave Pacchanta and start hiking on the road back to Tinqui. It normally takes around two hours.

Once in Tinqui, we will embark on a private transport that will take us back to the city of Cusco, where we expect to arrive after dark.

• Food: Breakfast, Lunch