Ausangate Trek 4 days
Summary
Day 1
CUSCO – OCONGATE – TINQUI – UPIS LAKE – UPIS
Day 2
UPIS – ARAPA PASS – YANA COCHA – PUCA COCHA
Day 3
PUCA COCHA – APACHETA PASS – ANANTA – SURINI PASS – QUEULLA QOCHA
Day 4
QUEULLA QOCHA – RAINBOW MOUNTAIN – RED VALLEY – CUSCO
DAY 1: CUSCO – OCONGATE – TINQUI – UPIS LAKE – UPIS
Day 1: Cusco – Ocongate – Tinqui – Upis Lake – Upis
- 06:00 am: Pick-up and 2-hour drive to Tinki.
- Stop in Tinki to visit the town.
- 1-hour drive to the trailhead.
- Breakfast and meet the horsemen.
- 3-hour hike to Upis, passing villages and streams.
- Accommodation in cabins and lunch.
- Optional: 2-hour round-trip hike to Upis Lake.
- Tea with Ausangate views, dinner, and stargazing.
Details:
- Distance: 8 km | Campsite altitude: 4,432 m | Difficulty: Moderate.
DAY 2: UPIS – ARAPA PASS – YANA COCHA – PUCA COCHA
Day 2: Upis – Arapa Pass – Yana Cocha – Puca Cocha
- 05:00 am: Wake-up with coca tea or coffee, followed by breakfast.
- Morning: Hike to Arapa Pass (4,968m), passing farmers, alpacas, and Ausangate views.
- Possible wildlife sightings: condors, chinchillas, vicuñas.
- Afternoon: Reach Puca Cocha campsite, surrounded by mountains and glaciers.
- Visit Puca Cocha Lake, home to ducks, Andean geese, and other birds.
- Dinner in a rock-and-mud dining room.
Details:
- Distance: 10 km | Campsite altitude: 4,577 m | Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult.
DAY 3: PUCA COCHA – APACHETA PASS – ANANTA – SURINI PASS – QUEULLA QOCHA
Day 3: Puca Cocha – Apacheta Pass – Ananta – Surini Pass – Queulla Qocha
- Morning: Hike to Puca Cocha Pass (5,051m) with colorful mountains, glacier lakes, and Ausangate views.
- Enter the Red Mountain Valley, surrounded by vivid landscapes and llamas.
- Lunch at the Rainbow Mountain 2-day campsite.
- Afternoon: Climb Warmi Saya Pass (4,500m) for a distant view of Rainbow Mountain.
- Descend past the lake and continue to the campsite.
- If weather allows, hike to Rainbow Mountain for sunset.
Details:
- Distance: 8 km | Campsite altitude: 4,864 m | Difficulty: Difficult.
DAY 4: QUEULLA QOCHA – RAINBOW MOUNTAIN – RED VALLEY – CUSCO
Day 4: Queulla Qocha – Rainbow Mountain – Red Valley – Cusco
- 06:00 am: Wake up with coca tea, then hike 45 min to Rainbow Mountain (5,040m).
- Explore & take pictures (30 min – 1 hour, depending on weather & pace).
- Hike 30 min to Red Valley, then head to the bus station.
- Return to Cusco, arriving at your hotel around 03:00 pm.
Details:
- Distance: 5 km | Difficulty: Easy | Hiking Time: 2 hours.
INCLUDES
- Satellite Phone. Ausangate is a remote área where you will not find a signal so in case of emergency, our guide uses our satellite phone.
- Cabins for the first night, mountain huts for the second night, and for the third night will be in tents.
- English-speaking guide with radio communication.
- Pre depárture briefing which will be carried out in our Office 1 day prior to your departure.
- Portable private toilet tent.
- Dining room with seats every night where you can rest after a long hike.
- Professional cook.
- Wake up tea. It can be Coca tea, Coffee, chocolate, or any type of tea.
- Mules which carry all of our trekking gear.
- 7 kilograms of your personal belongings.
- Large duffel bag provided by the company, for your 7 kg personal belongings.
- Wáter every day. We boil water and cool down to refill your bottle.
- Happy hour. Every afternoon our cook will prepare hot tea, and you will drink it with popcorn and biscuits.
- A cloth bag for your snack. When our AB Expeditions team went to clean the Aussangate área, we found a lot of plastic along the trail so we avoided using plastic.
- Snacks for every single day.
- Entrance fees to access private lands of the Ausangate area.
- Large Dining tent, table, stools, all cutlery, and kitchen tent.
- Tents to overnight, and Thermarest. Three-person tents are provided for 2 people to provide you with plenty of space for personal gear.
- Entrance fee to Rainbow Mountain.
- Red Valley ticket.
- Meals: 4 Breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 3 dinners with option for vegetarians, Pescatarian, gluten-free, lactose intolerance.
- Private transportation to and from your hotel in Cusco.
- Foam Mattress.
- First aid kit. Every February our guides receive training about first aid kids. They carry in their backpack basic medications to face diarrhea, altitude sickness, any injuries, etc.
- A metal tank of Oxygen. Our guide will have a tank of oxygen at all times.
- Hygiene Product. We will provide you with a bowl a wáter and towel paper to clean your hands at every campsite.
- Plastic Poncho. When it rains a lot, your jacket will be very wet that’s why we give the plastic Poncho to protect you from the heavy rain.
- Rain cover for your backpack.
NOT INCLUDED
- Meals and drinks.
- Huaynapicchu (US$70, según disponibilidad)
- Entrada a las aguas termales en Aguas Calientes (US$ 5).
- Propinas.
- Bastones para caminata (U$15).
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
- Passport (optional): Bring a photocopy, but for the Rainbow Mountain stamp, bring the original.
- 1.5 liters of water: Stay hydrated during the hike.
- Personal snacks: Extra energy bars if you need frequent snacks.
- Pillow for van ride: Leave it in the van during the hike.
- Trekking shoes: Essential for the dusty and slippery path.
- Waterproof pants (optional): Only for the rainy season (Dec-Mar).
- Extra clothes (optional): For rainy season to stay dry.
- Sunscreen lip protector: Protect lips from dryness.
- Warm jacket: To stay warm, as it’s usually cold.
- Rain jacket: For unexpected rain, even during dry seasons.
- Long sleeve t-shirt: Protect from sunburn; apply sunscreen if wearing short sleeves.
- Wool hat: It’s cold at Rainbow Mountain, even in summer.
- Trekking pants: Suggested for hiking, but any suitable pants work.
- Rain poncho: Essential in the rainy season or cloudy days.
- Sunhat: Protect from strong sun at high altitudes.
- Sunscreen: Both sun and cold can burn, so apply regularly.
- Water bottles or Camelbak: Reusable bottles are recommended.
- Sunglasses: Strong sun and snow reflection can harm eyes.
- Extra money: For snacks, soda, alpaca meat, or tips for photos.
- Thick socks: To keep feet warm.
- Neck gaiter: Keeps neck and face warm, especially in winter.
- Gloves: Essential for warmth, especially at the summit.
- Basic medications: Ibuprofen for headaches, Diamox for altitude sickness.
- Portable charger: To keep devices powered in the cold.
- Phone or camera: Capture memories of the adventure.