Caminatas Alternativas Cusco
This very special alternative trek takes you alongside the spectacular snow-capped “Apu” of Ausangate (6.372m/20900ft) and takes you over mountain passes, through awesome mountain scenery, authentic Andean villages, hot springs and turquoise lakes. This alternative route to the classical circuit around Mount Ausangate still offers the most spectacular views of this sacred Andean mountain before it deviates towards the impressive Sibinacocha Lagoon, leaving tourist crowds behind and entering an almost uninhabited area where you can truly commune with nature. The hike ends in Phinaya, a small and remote Andean community with just horses and bicycles as transportation.. An unforgettable trail for lovers of mountain trekking, or those searching for something different and away from the increasingly popular traditional Ausangate trek.
Our adventure begins very early at 5:00 a.m. We will pick you up from your hotel to head on a two-hour drive to Ocongate (3,500 m / 11,482 ft.), a picturesque place full of joy. You will enjoy the first views of the great Vilcanota range with its majestic Apu Ausangate mountain; we will pass through high Andean villages and see their people wearing colorful costumes. Keep in mind that these costumes represent the colors of the mountains.
We will continue our journey to the Upis community (4,250 m / 13,944 ft). Here, we will have a good breakfast, and meet the cook and the muleteers, who will be part of this adventure. We will walk for three hours along a trail used by the local people until we reach the Upis Camp (4,400 m / 14,436 ft).
Later, we will delight our palate with a delicious lunch and, after a short rest, we will head to the lake Huayna Ausangate Cocha (4,480 m / 14,436 ft), a charming place for the energy it transmits. Remember that on this short tour you can leave your things at the campsite.
A sunny day would be perfect to enjoy the natural beauty that awaits us. We will have breakfast and begin a two and a half hour ascent to the Arapa Pass (4,800 m / 15,748 ft). If we are lucky, we will be able to see the running of the vicuñas, South American camelids considered a symbol of the Peruvian Andes.
After taking amazing pictures in the surroundings, we will descend gradually for three and a half hours enjoying the views of beautiful lakes: Yanacocha and Pucacocha.
We will arrive at the lunch and camping site known as Hatun Pucacocha lake (4,400 m / 14,436 ft). After taking a short rest, we will have time to explore the nearby lakes. At night, we will have dinner and contemplate the beautiful constellations before going to sleep.
A new day full of beautiful landscapes awaits us. We will have a nutritious breakfast to begin a two-hour ascent. Soon you will witness the perfect contrast of landscapes: impetuous dry and desert mountains leading to green valleys and immense glaciers. After having a beautiful scenic experience, we will descend for an hour and a half to Anantapata (4,750 m / 15,585 ft), where we will enjoy a revitalizing lunch.
A well-deserved rest will be enough to continue walking uphill for another two hours until we reach Warmisaya (4,985 m / 16,355 ft) and we will be able to appreciate part of the immense chain of reddish mountains that welcome us to the Rainbow Mountain. Finally, we will descend for 45 minutes to Surinecocha (4,800 m / 15,748 ft) and set up camp.
We will start the day very early with a delicious breakfast. We will start with a two-hour hike, an ascent that will take us to enjoy an incredible natural wonder, the Rainbow Mountain (5,100 m / 16,732). Once there, we will contemplate the sunrise and take incredible pictures long before the other groups arrive. After a magical moment, your guide will explain the importance of this place in the Andean world.
Later, we will descend to the Red Valley viewpoint (5,050 m / 16,568 ft), where you will be able to see the immense valley disappearing into the distance. We will return by the same path and descend gradually until we reach Quesiuno (4,376 m / 14,357 ft), where we will have lunch. After a good rest, we will continue ascending for approximately two and a half hours. We will appreciate the view of a beautiful green valley with herds of llamas and alpacas. In the evening, our camp will be waiting for us at Ausangate Cocha (4,500 m / 14,764 ft) to rest comfortably after a delicious dinner.
After a few days of acclimatization, comes the highest point. It is nothing less than 5,200 meters above sea level! We will get up with a lot of conviction and enjoy a delicious breakfast. Today victory will be ours and we will feel it when we reach our goal.
We will ascend for about two hours until we reach Palomani Pass (5,200 m / 17,060 ft), where we will have the most extensive view of the Vilcanota mountain range. After a brief rest appreciating the most amazing views, we will descend for an hour and a half to the community of Huchuy Phinaya (4,700 m / 15,420 ft) and have lunch.
Get ready because we will have a gradual ascent of two hours by the beautiful Jampa gorge, we will be accompanied by the immense glaciers of the Callangate chain until we reach the last camp in Sorapata (4,650 m / 15,256 ft.). Upon our return the camp will be ready. After savoring an exquisite dinner, a peaceful night in the tranquility of the mountains awaits you.
We will wake up to the impressive view of the snow-capped Tres Picos. Afterwards, we will have breakfast and get ready for one last ascent. It will take us two and a half hours to reach Jampa Pass (5,070 m / 16,634 ft), a wide, green valley, perfect for the Andean man who dedicates himself to agriculture and grazing his animals. This will also be a good time to capture the beauty of the surroundings.
We will begin to descend for about three hours to Pacchanta (4,100 m / 13,451 ft). Along this last part, we will be able to appreciate the beautiful succession of lakes that are well appreciated by the Andean man. We will stop to perform a small ceremony of thanksgiving to the mountains and to Pachamama, for, of all the possibilities in life, we are blessed to have arrived here.
Hours later, we will head to Pacchanta, a small community with attractive hot springs, where we will enjoy a bath, ideal for relaxing our muscles. Here we will also have lunch. Later on, we will say goodbye to the appreciated group of servants who accompanied us on this journey and we will embark on a two and a half hour trip back to Cusco, thus culminating this incredible 6-day adventure.
