Ausangate Trek 5 Days: Experience Unique Andean life, Mountains, Lakes and Local Culture in Cusco

The Ausangate Trek is located in the south of Cusco, where you can get an authentic Andean experience. Hike between snowy mountains, turquoise lakes, herds of alpacas and llamas, learn the local culture, be impressive with the energy of Apu Ausangate, considered the deity of the Andes. Learn about Pachamama (Mother Earth).

Duration: 5 days
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Cusco - Tinqui - Upis

Nevado Ausangate - Your guide will meet you in Cusco early in the morning, and take you via private transportation to Tinke where we have a stop to buy the last stuff, you also be able to take some breakfast, afterwards we continue to Rondoca the beginning of the trek. Here you’ll meet with the rest of our trekking team Cook & horse driver. Then, we starting our hike for about 2 hours, we’ll get to the lunch spot along the section you will appreciate the Apu Ausangate mountain. After lunch we continue the hike to our first camp. This day we only hike for a few hours until we reach the village of Upis. Here you can take a soak in the hot springs, while enjoying coca tea, and relax your muscles until dinner.

Duration: 4 hours

Distance: 8km/ 3 miles

Elevation: 3800m- 4200m

Hiking time: 3-4 hours

Camp: 4200m/ 13,780ft

Upis - Arapa Pass - Puca Qocha - Ausangate Qocha

Nevado Ausangate - This day our team will wake you up with a hot Coca tea, After a great breakfast we start the hike, during our morning trek, we will cross the Arapa pass (4,850 metres/ 15908 feet). From here, we continue 2½ hours down the valley, passing the green lake of Puqa Q’ocha until we reach the turquoise Lake Jatun Puqa Q’ocha. Have lunch at the border of the lake with stunning views of the Ausangate Mountain, explore the area and get some awesome photos. We then ascend the second pass of Apacheta(4,980 metres/ 16,338 feet) with the stunning turquoise blue Laguna below. This lake is fed from the melting snow of Ausangate. After to enjoy this incredible view, we descend to Ausangate Qocha for about 1 hours and camp here for the second night.

Duration: 8 hours

Distance: 12km

Elevation: 4200m- 4930m- 4700m

Hiking time: 7 hours

Camp: 4630m/ 15,190ft

Ausangate Qocha - Palomani Pass - Sorapata

Nevado Auzangate - This day we’ll reach the highest pass during this trek, after our breakfast we will ascend to Palomani pass 5,200 meters (17,060 ft), it takes about 2 hours hike up, here our guide will make a ceremony for Apu Ausangate and you’ll feel the energy of this deity. then, we just descend for an hour to have our lunch in Uchuy Phinaya , during the afternoon we will hike for a couple hours to reach our next campsite

Duration: 7 hours

Distance: 13k

Elevation: 4600m- 5200m - 4300m

Hiking time: 6-7 hours

Camp: 4500m/ 14,763ft

Ausangate Qocha - Palomani Pass - Sorapata

Nevado Ausangate - With only one pass to cross we will take our time today enjoying the deep blue lagoons, and alpine glacial colored lakes along the way. If your brave enough you can even jump in to cool off. Views of the massive Ausangate mountain are still visible, only today you will get to enjoy them from a new angle along with views of Pacchanta Valley. Our goal is the hot springs of Pacchanta where we’ll enjoy a nice soak and the views of the Ausangate Mountain above.

Duration: 6 hours

Distance: 15k

Camp Elevation: 4300m (descending)

Sorapata - Qampa Pass - Pacchanta - Cusco

Aguas Termales Pacchanta - After completing the hike around Ausangate Mountain, today, after breakfast, we will have a ceremony where a local family will show us the incredibleness of their traditions by preparing local food, learning about their culture, and weaving techniques. After that, we will take the bus to drive to Cusco.

Duration: 3 hours

What's Included
  • Horses for equipments
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Camping equipment
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Entrance fee (20 soles)
  • Sleeping bag
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(63 Ratings)
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2exploretheworld
Aug 17, 2024
Ausangate trek - what a success with Vidal - We recently did the Ausangate trek in Peru with Vidal expeditions. They took real care of us before, during, after the journey. We had friends with dietary restrictions and were well accommodated. Highly recommend Vidal and his team. They know the area very well and guided us based on our experience and interest. Very friendly and will go to lengths to make it a success for his customers.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Excursion05398610513
Jun 10, 2024
Amazing Experience!! - The 5 day Ausangate Trek with guide Chino was absolutely incredible. I am so glad I booked Vidal Expeditions for this trip, it would have been extremely difficult doing solo. Chino was an amazing guide, he supported our group and catered our trip based off our wants (adding rainbow mountain, duration of hikes). The scenery was breathtaking the whole way and the accommodations/food were excellent. Leo, Rosa, and Miguel worked tremendously hard each day to provide us the best experience. Miguel's cooking was the best I've had in Peru! I will 100% book through Vidal Expeditions in the future, they made my trip extremely memorable!
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Juliedavignon
May 15, 2024
Amazing experience with Vidal Expeditions - I 1000% recommend booking with VE for any tours around Cusco area. I booked the 5 day Ausangate trek and it was 5 star service from start to finish. Chino was an amazing guide, Miguel an amazing chef and the lovely couple or horseman/horsewoman Leo and Rosa were the most hardworking people I have ever met. I thought of doing this trek on my own and I am so glad I decided to go with this guided tour. The altitude hits everyone differently and having a guide there to monitor your symptoms is a peace of mind that has no price. Thank you for an amazing trek, I will gladly book again on my next trip to Peru!
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Melissadr6120ne
Apr 28, 2024
Best experience in Ausangate trek - I am a solo traveler woman looking for adventure and prioritising safety. Vidal offered me not only safety but also a lot of learning (adventure is guaranteed). I had the opportunity to meet Urbano and if you want to have conversations about culture, science and geography I recommend him. If I had to choose an agency in Peru it would always be Vidal 🩵. Ps. They made me a birthday cake in the mountains and I will never forget it. ✨
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Corinna_yvonne
Apr 28, 2024
Fantastic experience! - We had four fantastic days with our guide Urbano and his team. Five stars are not enough, we would gladly give more. The Austangate Trek was a once in a lifetime experience. Super organized and absolutely authentic! A big thank you to everyone.
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Michelle
Apr 27, 2024
Fantastic trek with a great team and good food - beautiful experience: - our guide Johans explained the mountain fauna to us. On several occasions we were able to observe various cute little animals through his binoculars (no spoilers ;)). He also immediately understood our walking pace and adapted perfectly to the group's needs without ever stressing us - our chef Felix truly cooks like a god, nothing to envy of a restaurant! food always very varied and plentiful. Plus Felix always puts you in a good mood with his big smile - Mario and Angel, the transporters, were very efficient in setting up and dismantling the camp every time we stopped! Thank you Vidal expeditions for this wonderful experience. We absolutely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
66brendanr
Apr 27, 2024
Ausangate 5 day trek - This was an amazing trip! The scenery was fantastic and every pass brought new views better than the last. Vidal expeditions was amazing. Our guide was Johannes, we was extremely knowledgeable about the local area, plants and animals. Vidal expeditions also cooked us amazing food for each meal! We were never left feeling hungry after a meal. I would recommend a minimum of 3 days in Cusco to acclimate first. We spent only a day and a half in Cusco and found the first night hard to sleep.
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909reissw
Mar 20, 2024
Ausangate is the best - It was an amazing trip and well organised/executed. The food was amazing, Urbano was a great guide and the pre trip communication and organisation was top notch. 100% recommend.
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Lidiagk267hj
Mar 9, 2024
Totally recommended - We have done the Ausangate trekking for 4 days and it has been an unforgettable experience. Both our guide, Urbano, and the rest of the team have helped and taken care of us. The food is excellent!!!!! The trekking is perfectly organized. Thanks for everything.
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Brianti5414dw
Feb 7, 2024
Ausangate Trek in January - We had a great time exploring Ausangate and Rainbow Mountain with Urbano. It was four incredible days with great service from the start until the drop-off. The hike is quite challenging due to the fact that we had to climb a few times over 5,000 meters in cold weather. However, with Urbano as our guide, we were very motivated to complete the whole circuit. We were a group of three people from different nationalities, and Urbano managed to be a family. We also had two other local friends (Angel and Miguel) who came with us to organize everything we got on this trip. We were worried about the weather conditions due to January is part of it, and we're very lucky to have incredible days even with little rain in the evening. The food was awesome; our chef prepared a variety of food every day, and they also provided warm water every morning and afternoon. They set up all our camping gear every day. Urbano took stunning photos and told us great histories during these four days, took care of us every moment, and had useful information about the area.We recommend preparing very well for this trek and taking time to acclimatize well in Cusco before heading for this tour. Drink plenty of water and do some exercises, but the views are without a doubt worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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