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mountains, natural thermal springs, turquoise lakes rich in bird life, picturesque local villages and traditionally dressed Quechua highlanders.
The Ausangate tour is a spectacular and beautiful 7-day circular trek, starting and finishing at the small village of Tinqui. The trek takes you around the huge snow-capped Ausangate, and over three high passes (two over 5,000 m). We will have the chance to meet and to talk with native Quechua Indians who live at 14,000 feet, tending their herds of llamas and alpacas. It is essential to be properly acclimatized for this hike spending at least 3 days in Cusco before starting

We will also have a good chance to spot condors, the world´s largest flying bird, and other Andean fauna such as vicuña

ITINERARY

DAY 1 : CUSCO TO TINQUI (3,800m)

We leave Cusco, at about 08:00am. It is a 7 hour bus trip to the small village of Tinqui- the starting point of the trek. On the way we will pass through beautiful scenery and several traditional villages along the route. These include : Urcos, Cattca and Ocongate, where we will stop for a while to take some photos. We spend the night near the village of Tinqui.

DAY 2 : TINQUI TO UPIS (4,400M)

After packing the equipment, we start our trek at about 8:00am.The first 3 hours until lunch, will be a great introduction to the magnificent scenery of the Vilcanota mountain range, with the great view of the snow capped mountain of Ausangate.
After lunch we have just two more hours trek until we arrive to the hot springs of Upis, where we are going to set up our camp for the night.  This camp site is almost directly  in front of Ausangate mountain. Later in the afternoon you can enjoy the natural thermal springs

DAY 3 : UPIS TO LAKE JATUN PUQA Q’OCHA.

We leave around 7:00AM, and after three hours walking we reach the Arapa pass (4,850m). From this pass we continue four more hours down the valley until we reach the beautiful green lake of Puqaqocha. Finally, it´s on to our next campsite Jatun Puqa Q´ocha (beautiful turquoise lake).
From the campsite you can climb the small ridge north of the camp to see Lake Vino Q’ocha (named by the locals because it is sometimes the color of red wine due to glacial sediment coming down from nearby red mountains). Camping beside this beautiful lake you may be kept awake at night by the dramatic sound of ice falling into the lake.  But don´t worry it´s safe.

DAY 4 : LAKE JATUN PUQA Q’OCHA TO PAMPACANCHA.

In the morning we’ll ascend to the second pass of Apuchata (4,900m). We then walk downhill with the fantastic view of the turquoise Lake Ausangate below. This lake is fed from the melting snow of Ausangate mountain. From the lake you’ll hike up hill again to the Palomani pass (5,200 m), the highest point of the trek. Following the trail into the next valley for an hour or so brings us to the next campsite at Pampacancha.

DAY 5 : PAMPACANCHA TO Q’OMER Q’OCHA.

Compared to the previous days, this day is relatively easy. During the trek the snow-capped peaks of Tres Picos and Puca Punta come into view. This is an excellent place to observe the delightful andean rabbits. This small rodent looks like a cross between a squirrel and a rabbit and they live in large family groups among the stones and boulders at the foot of the three  slopes. With luck you may spot groups of vicuñas, undoubtedly the most beautiful member of the South American camelloid family, with its slender neck, huge eyes and soft golden wool.
After passing through the community of Q’ampa the trail continues north west to Q’ampa pass (5,000 masl), the last pass of this trek. From this point walking downhill we enjoy fantastic views of different-colored lakes. We will camp besides the beautiful greenish-turquoise lake Q´omer Q´ocha.

DAY 6 : Q’OMER Q’OCHA TO PACCHANTA

Another easy day , we trek for about 3 hours to the small Andean comunity of Pacchanta. You’ll have the opportunity to rest and relax in the natural hot springs for a couple of hours enjoying a cold beer or any soft drink surrounded by amazing mountains and this interesting Andean comunity. We will set up our camp near the hot springs and we will have the afternoon free to explore the surruondings.

DAY 7 : PACCHANTA / TINQUI - CUSCO

The last day we walk just one hour until we get to the place where the bus is waiting for us where we will say goodbye to our arrieros (horsemen)and take the bus back to Cusco, arriving around 5 pm. The end of our service

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