Day by Day Itinerary
* Price based in sharing one tent 2 people
Type Service: Privately Guided
Itinerary: Fixed
Destinations: Ausangate
Activities: Trekking and Walking
Day 1 – Cusco / Tinqui to Upis
Pick up from the Hotel at 06:00 am; we depart from Cusco to Tinqui (3815m/12513ft) in our private transportation and travel about 3 hours to reach the small Andean village of Tinqui at the foot of the Vilcanota range. Driving through the beautiful countryside, we pass several traditional villages including Urcos, Ccatcca, Ocongate finally we will arrive to Tinqui, where we can stop for rests and meet with our horsemen and horses also we’ll put all our things on the horses. Our trek begins around 10:00am crossing the bridge we walk a pampa of grassy meadows below the jagged stone flanks of Ausangate Mountain (6350m/20828ft), the highest snow peak in Southern Peru. After trekking approximately 6 hours, we arrive to the hot springs of Upis (4400m/14432ft). Here we spent the night at a lovely campsite in Upis.
Meals Included: Box-lunch, Dinner
Day 2 – Upis / Arapa Pass to Pucacocha Lagoon
Breakfast; on the next day, we hike around 2 hours to get our first pass, Arapa Pass (4750m/ 15580ft). To be in the pass we will have to walk up the valley along the right slope before climbing a rock-strewn area. A hut and a few corrals form the last settlement we will come across before you climb toward the mountain. Throughout all the passage we will see the majestic Ausangate Mountain. Finally we arrive to the Arapa Pass; from the pass we enjoy wonderful views not only of Ausangate itself. Follow the fence line and cross the ridge by walking to the left of the steep hill between it and Nevado Ausangate. We continue down we have the opportunity to see beautiful lakes, multi-colored lagoons until we reach the larger Yanacocha lake (black lake) where we have our lunch, after the lunch one hour more to the camping site near the Pucacocha Lagoon (4500m/14760ft), We will set up camp here.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 – Pucacocha / Palomani Pass to Pampacancha
In the morning, we make a short ascent to our second pass of Apacheta, (4850m/15908ft) then down until Ausangatecocha lagoon below where we will have our lunch. After the lunch climb for two hours towards the third mountain pass, the Abra de Palomani (5200m/17056ft). This is the highest part of the entire hike, from which we then descend for another 2 hours through an area of llamas, alpacas and “vizcachas” to reach Pampacancha. We can enjoy fantastic views of Ausangate and the Vilcanota range from this point. Then we walk down into a valley, we arrive to our incredibly beautiful campsite at Pampacancha (4050m/13284ft)
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 – Pampacancha / Qampa Pass to Qomercocha
After breakfast; we climb gently up the Qampa side valley, criss-crossing a stream, and passing ancient rock falls where Andean vizcachas large rabbit-like rodents leap among the boulders. On this less-populous southern side of the mountain our chances of seeing wildlife are heightened. Condors skim along the slopes, and elusive herds of rare vicuñas may appear on the ridge tops, while keeping a safe distance. Beyond the tiny hamlet of Qampa we traverse a huge, grassy shoulder of Ausangate with the icy crags of Collque Cruz (Silver Cross) and Tres Picos (Three Peaks) to our right, as we ascend to Qampa pass (5000m/16400ft), our fourth and final crossing. The high point is marked by tall cairns (apachetas) built by generations of foot travellers making the north-south traverse of the Vilcanota range. We descend with the broad, rolling plains of the upper Mapacho basin spread out far below us, reaching our camp at the cluster of lakes known Qomercocha, as evening draws near.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 – Qomercocha to Pacchanta
Breakfast; we leave this spectacular camp reluctantly, with many a glance back. These lonely lakes, some deep and crystal clear, others shallow and bubbling with exotic algae, lie beneath sharp, towering peaks. Powerful yet peaceful, it is easy to understand how this became a place of ceremony for the Quechua shamans of the Region. We follow a series of rolling ridges across open grassland, encountering child shepherds and women hand-spinning wool as we approach the village of Pacchanta (4100m/13448ft), the biggest settlement on our trek. Here delightful hot springs offer us a sublime soak, with the entire panorama of snow-capped Ausangate filling the southern horizon.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 – Pacchanta to Tinqui
Breakfast; we leave Pacchanta and start to walk our way back to Tinqui, which will take approximately 2 hours. Once in Tinqui, we board a private transportation that will take us back to the city of Cusco, where we estimate to arrive after nightfall.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
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