Freezing cold nights and amazing sun glories around the snowcapped top of Ausangate is how many remember a trek to Ausangate. And it is many times freezing at night, but the reward for the cold feet are great days with impressive views of the massive of Ausangate with icy snow peaks, blue and turquoise lakes and a insight to the rough life of the ancestors of the Incas, who still live in small stone houses surrounded by herds of llamas and alpacas.
Like many of the highest and often snowcapped Andean Mountains Ausangate is considered an Apu,which means a holy mountain.
Ausangate Snow Mountain
Through the pre Inca and Inca times the people prayed and made offering to these great mountains. The mountains if given the deserved in return would protect the people from all malice.
The Apu Ausangate is also famous for the celebration of Qoyllur Riti. One of the most important religious mix festivals of the Andes, where the Sun cult and Christian icons are seen in the same rituals. Thousands of people come here in June to ascent to 5200 meters celebrating the Cross in the “shining snow”. The crowd is a colorful mix. Tourist, religious people, dances and the famed Ukukus with sticks in charge of keeping good order and prevent people from drinking, what could be lethal in the freezing altitudes.
Alpacas
Itinerary:
Day 1: Cusco - Ocongate – Tinqui - Upis (L, D)
Pick up from the hotel and trip in bus at 6:00am. to arrive at Upis town, throughout the valley of the Huatanay river, beautiful cultivated earth extensions and colorful towns. We will camp in the environs of Upis (4140m), where we start the hike next day.
Day 2: Upis – Hot Spring (B, L, D)
After breakfast, we initiated the long walk in the direction of the base of Ausangate majestic snow-covered (6372m), observing high-Andean customs in this zone we will enjoy the presence of great amounts of Flames and Alpacas. We went towards the thermal water sector where we will encamp (on the snowed foot).
Upis village girl
Mamacha at heights
Day 3: Hot Spring - Lagoon Pucacocha (B, L, D)
After breakfast, very early, we will overcome the Arapa passage (4700m) soon descend towards the Pucacocha lagoons known with the names Hatun Pucacocha, Viracocha and Huchuy Pucacocha, where we will have magnificent landscapes and we will be able to appreciate different species from Andean birds, We encamped to borders of a lagoon (4575m).
This day we will be able to appreciate the snowed Ausangate desglaciations. We will ascend to the passage of Alcatani (4650m), we continued the route descending towards the Ausangate cocha lagoon, soon to ascend towards the Palomani step (5050m) where we will have views of particular beauty, soon we descend to Chilcapinaya where we will encamp.
Ausangate lake
Our camp
Day 5: Chilcapinaya - Jampa Valley – Pachaspata (B, L, D)
We'll continuous route throughout the Jampa Valley where we appreciated Andean settlers with typical suits of the region as well as alpacas, ewes, flames, we will ascend to our last passage of (4600m), to observe the beautiful Ticllacocha lagoon , the Pampas of Pachaspata, we´ll encamp to borders of Qomercocha lagoon.
Accompanied by magnificent high Andean landscapes we descend towards the town of Pacchanta. After a brief route in the middle of the typical Andean landscape we arrived to Tinqui where we embarked for our return to Cusco by bus.
B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner
The muleteers
We recommended taking:
A small backpack with a change of clothes for the whole period of the trek
A big backpack with: Warm clothes, including jacket, fleeces. Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping
Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho (plastic ponchos can be purchased in Cusco)
Flashlight, camera, films and batteries (batteries consume more quickly under cold conditions)
Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain and cold
Gloves, scarf, handkerchiefs
Sun block, after-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body
Toilet paper
Personal first-aid kit
Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc. Please beware that we do provide a daily morning snack.
Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning. Optionally: water sterilizing tablets in case you pick up water from streams or rivers along the route. Otherwise, we provide filtered boiled water, which is safe to drink and has not reported any health problem so far.
Cash in soles and/or US$ (no ATM machines)
Some document
Optional: walking sticks or poles
It includes:
Spanish/English Professional tour guide and assistance
Second assistance guide (beginning from 6 people)
Private Transport Cusco – Upis / Tinqui - Cusco
Muleteer & Mules to take the luggage
Cooker and assistance
Dinning Tent, Kitchen Tents, tables and camp stool
All the feeding in the route (breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea time and snacks)
Doubles tents, comfort and a safe keeping of backpacks. Our tents are 3-season
Matras
Accommodation for our guides, cook and porters
First-aid kit
Ticket of entrance to Ausangate
Not include:
Sleeping bags
Tips for the tour guide and carriers
The breakfast on the first day
Notes:
If you want to ride a horse during the entire long walk, you can rent it by USD 20 per day. You couldn’t ride in descent.
Rent of Sleeping 0ºC = USD 12 per all the trekking
Phones: (+5184) 24-1140 (+5184) 98467-2579 RPM:*276681 Nextel: Nextel: 51*425*4339
Address: 353-A Tandapata Street San Blas, Cusco - Peru.
E-mail: info@santucusco.com
