Ausangate

Circuit

5 days / 4 nights – Private Services

Ausangate Circuit

5 days / 4 nights – Private Services

AUGSANGATE Treks

Private Services

Luxury Services

Special Interest Treks

Ausangate Sacred Mountain

The Sacred Mountain of Ausangate reigns as the highest peak of the Cusco Region, with an elevation of 8,384 masl (20,939 ft) and located in the Vilcanota Mountain range, about 100 km south of Cusco. This magnificent snow-capped peak, which can be seen from many viewpoints in the city of Cusco, is considered a Sacred Mountain and Spirit (“Apu”) by locals, who have believed in its protection for many generations.

The region is inhabited by llama- and alpaca-herding communities who have Quechua as their mother tongue and constitute one of the few remaining pastoralist societies in the world. They use high mountain trails to trade with agricultural communities at lower elevations. Some of these communities can only be accessed by foot or horse, making the place a truly remote experience.

The area is a geological wonderland: dramatic granite uplifts, powerful glaciers and deep glacial-erosion valleys meet remarkable Permian formations of intense red, ochre and turquoise, and stunning limestone forests.

The sacred festivity of Quyllurit’i is celebrated on Sinakara Mountain, in the same area, a week before Corpus Christi every year, bringing thousands of pilgrims in a colorful and unique five-day gathering.

About this Trek

This amazing and lesser-known trek around the snow-capped Sacred Mountain (“Apu”) of Ausangate (6.372m/20900ft) takes you through impressive passes, awesome mountain scenery, remote Andean villages, hot springs and turquoise lakes. This is an unforgettable hike recommended for mountain trekkers searching for an intense experience in remote areas and untouched nature.

Enigma’s experienced trekking guides enrich the days with their knowledge and sharing, covering diverse topics such as Inca history, local lifestyle, social structure, economy, politics, astronomy, and fascinating traditions and beliefs. Lodging is within designated and authorized campsites along the route.

This trek is a real immersion beneath the skin of the rural, high-mountain areas of the Peruvian Andes. Because it runs through high altitude, camping above 4,000 masl (13,120 ft), an adequate acclimatization process prior to the trek is essential to fully enjoy the experience and minimize the risk of suffering from altitude sickness.

Our Insight

Raw, remote and powerful nature, and genuine countryside lifestyle. Camelids, condors, huallatas (Andean geese), in the silence of crisp Andean air …to us, the real Peru. Landscapes are absolutely stunning. A wild haven for remote trekking lovers.

This route runs south from Cusco and does not get close to Machupicchu nor does it include the visit of the famous Inca citadel, for which you will need to save additional days.

TREK ITINERARY

Day 1 Cusco to Upis

We leave the city of Cusco very early by private transport, and drive along the Cusco – Puerto Maldonado highway in the direction of Tinki (3800m/12464ft). On the way we pass through Urcos, where we may spot a beautiful lagoon of the same name, and then continue on to Cattca, an agricultural and cattle raising community where we can appreciate the region’s spectacular views. Finally, we cross Ocongate, capital of the district with the same name and only half an hour away from our destination. After an approximately four-hour drive, we arrive in Tinki, where we meet our wranglers and horses. We start our trek initiating a slight climb that crosses through puna (dry, high area with little vegetation) to then arrive at our lunch spot after a three-hour walk. From here we already have beautiful views of the sacred Ausangate peak (6372m/20900ft). After lunch, we continue walking for another hour and a half to reach our campsite in Upis at 4400m/14432ft. From this point, we may appreciate fabulous views of all the area’s snow peaks. We camp and dine directly in front of Ausangate.

Meals: L, D

Total distance 10 km (6,2 miles)
Estimated hiking time  7-8 hours
Maximum altitude point 4,440 m (14,586 ft)
Campsite altitude 4,400 m (14,432 ft)

Day 2 Upis to Ausangateqocha

After breakfast, we continue our hike ascending for two hours to reach La Arapa pass (4850m/15908ft). We then descend to our lunch spot, crossing an area of falcons and ¨vizcachas¨ or Andean rodents. This area also boasts three beautiful lakes with red, green and turquoise tones–Pukacocha, HatunPukacocha and Qomerqocha–and spectacular views of the surrounding snow peaks. After lunch, we continue on a long and slow ascent that will take us, after about two hours, to the second mountain pass, the Abra de Apuchata (4900m/16072ft), from which we descend, for another half an hour, towards our campsite at Ausangateqocha (4440m/14563ft).

Meals: B, L, D

Total distance 1 km (9,94 miles)
Estimated hiking time 8 – 9 hours
Maximum altitude point 4,850 m (15,908 ft)
Campsite altitude 4,440 m (14,563 ft)

Day 3 Ausagateqocha to Q’ampa

Today, we depart early to 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 two hours through an area of llamas, alpacas and vizcachas to reach Pampacancha (4050m/13284ft). From here we follow an uphill trail that leads us to our campsite in Q´ampa (4300m/14104ft). Along this easy three-hour climb, we may have the chance to spot llamas, alpacas, and maybe even pumas. Dinner and overnight at camp.

Meals: B, L, D

Total distance 17 km (10,56 miles)
Estimated hiking time  8-9 hours
Maximum altitude point 5,200 m (17,056 ft)
Campsite altitude 4,300 m (14,104 ft)

Day 4 Q’ampa to Pacchanta

We climb for two hours until we reach Q´ampa mountain pass (5000m/16400ft), where we may have the chance to spot the Andean deer. From here we descend towards the Qomerqocha lagoon to finally arrive at Pacchanta (4100m/13448ft) after an approximately five-hour walk. Pacchanta is a little community with attractive hot springs where we can enjoy a relaxing dip. We camp and spend the night at this place.

Meals: B, L, D

Total distance 14 km (8,7 miles)
Estimated hiking time  7-8 hours
Maximum altitude point 5,080 m (16,662 ft)
Campsite altitude 4,100 m (13,448 ft)

Day 5 Pacchanta to Tinki and back to Cusco

We leave Pacchanta and start to walk our way back to Tinki, which will take approximately two hours. Once in Tinki, we board a private transport that will take us back to the city of Cusco, where we will arrive after nightfall.

Meals: B, L

Total distance  10 km (6,2 miles)
Estimated hiking time  3 hours
Maximum altitude point 5,080 m (16,662 ft)
Campsite altitude 4,100 m (13,448 ft)

* Departure and arrival times are approximate
** Campsites are subject to change according to the designation of the governmental institution regulating the use of the Inca Trail, as well as to our guide’s criteria and the group progress

TREK DETAILS

Difficulty

Challenging due to the altitude: we recommend a period of at least three days for acclimatization in Cusco or over 3000m/9840ft.

Departure Dates

Daily departures are available throughout the year, although due to weather conditions, the recommended period for this trek is April to November.

All private service departure dates are adapted to your request.

Group Size

Size requested by client

Price Information

Price per person
Prices per person depend on the group size, the larger the group the lower the price per person.

Please contact us to check our prices, specifying:

  • trekking program
  • number of people in the trek
  • departure date
  • requested train service: Expedition (Economy), Vistadome (Superior) or Hiram Bingham (Belmond Luxury train service)

Additional discounts (may be added to the above)

  • Early bookings: 5% on full program price for all bookings confirmed at least six months in advance. This discount may not be applicable in case a promotional price is offered.

What’s Included

  • Pre-departure briefing
  • Pick up from your hotel in the morning and transfer in private transport to Tinki (starting point of the trek)
  • Tinki visitor fee
  • Campsite fees
  • Personal tents: 2 people in each 4-people-capacity tent, to allow for higher comfort and a safe keeping of backpacks. Our tents are 3-season, highly maintained to ensure an excellent performance in the field. Eureka Timberline 4 Outfitter tents are employed when double accommodation is requested and Eureka Timberline 2XT for single travelers. In case of severe climate, we employ 4-season tents.
  • One inflatable sleeping pad per person
  • One sleeping bag per person: our sleeping bags are -18ºC-comfort (0ºF), mummy form and include a sleeping liner. They are cleaned after every use and have a maximum usage of 30 trips
  • One pillow per person
  • Dining tent with tables and chairs
  • Kitchen tent
  • Toilet tent with bio-degradable toilet facilities
  • English-speaking, professional, and official tourist guide (2 guides for groups of over 8 people)
  • Chef and cooking equipment
  • Pack animals (to carry tents, food and cooking equipment)
  • Pack animals to carry personal gear up to a maximum of 10kg per person (including sleeping bag and sleeping pad)
  • 1 emergency horse every 6 persons
  • Wranglers
  • Accommodation for all our staff
  • Meals (04B, 05L, 04D + daily morning snack + daily tea service except last day). Vegetarian or special menus are available at no extra cost
  • One textile snack bag per person, to avoid the usage of plastic bags that contaminate our environment
  • Filtered boiled water from lunch time on first day onwards
  • Bio-degradable personal hand soaps
  • Bio-degradable dishwashing detergents used by our kitchen staff
  • Other things: hot water every morning and evening for washing purposes / boiled water to fill in your water bottle every morning and night, and at lunch time if requested with enough advance notice
  • First-aid kit including emergency oxygen bottle
  • Private transport from Phinaya to your hotel in Cusco
  • 24-hour guest service: please ask for the emergency number available during your time of visit

What’s Not Included

  • Breakfast on the first day
  • Dinner on the last day
  • Tips: please note that our agency staff is well paid so please feel free to tip or not as you wish

Optional services at additional cost

This private service already includes a porter to carry up to 9kg of personal items, a personal sleeping bag and a personal sleeping pad.

Please contact us should you require additional services.

PRE-TREK INFORMATION

Climate

Cusco’s climate is divided into two differentiated seasons: the rainy season, from November to April (the heaviest rainfalls occurring usually between January – March); and the dry season, from May to October. The dry season is colder, so temperatures can drop to below 0 ºC at night.

Along the Ausangate trek, temperatures range from 10-20ºC during the day if it’s sunny, to 05-10ºC during the day if not sunny. Given the high altitude of the campsites, temperatures drop significantly in the evening and especially at night, where they may get down to -10ºC or even lower in the dry season. Warm clothes are therefore especially required for this hike.

Appropriate clothing along the Inca Trail

Hiking pants and T-shirts are recommended during the day, complemented by sweaters, fleeces and waterproof jackets. It is very convenient to have light raingear available in the daypack (rain poncho or jacket and/or rain pants) as the weather changes easily and rains can suddenly occur. At night, warm clothing is required along the whole route, down jackets, down sleeping bags and thermal clothes are highly recommended. The rest of necessary implements are included in the Pack List.

Recommended Pack List

  • A backpack with a change of clothes for the whole period of the trek
  • Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho (plastic ponchos can be purchased in Cusco)
  • Strong footwear, waterproof trekking boots recommended
  • Sandals or jogging shoes for a higher comfort while at camp
  • Warm clothes, including jacket and fleeces. Thermal clothing is recommended, especially for sleeping
  • Flashlight/headlamp and batteries
  • Camera and batteries (batteries consume more quickly under cold conditions)
  • Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain and cold
  • Sun block
  • After-sun cream or hydrating cream for face and body
  • Toilet paper and tissues
  • Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, dried fruits, muesli, etc. Please note that we do provide a daily morning snack and our meal service is very complete and well supplied. This recommendation applies for all clients being used to a specific snack, as it may happen that it is not included in our selection.
  • Water container and water for the first morning. Important notice: plastic water bottles are no longer allowed on the Inca Trail.
  • 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 never reported any health issues.
  • Small towel
  • Swimsuit (if you wish to take a dip at the hot springs along the route)
  • Cash in soles and/or US$
  • Copy of original passport
  • Optional: walking sticks or poles

HOW TO BOOK

If you would like to make a reservation for this trek, please follow the process below:

  1. Please make sure to read and agree with the Booking Terms & Conditions as your booking is subject to these terms.
  2. Then click on the Book Now button below. This will lead you to a Reservation Form that we kindly request you to fill out and submit.
  3. Once received by us, one of our travel consultants will reply within 48 hours to confirm or discuss options available for your booking.
  4. When your booking is confirmed, a money deposit will be requested within a specific time frame to secure your reservation.
  5. Once we have received your deposit and if received in time, your booking is secured and confirmed. A service confirmation form will be sent to you including all the details of your program.

In case you have any questions or require additional information, please contact us, we will be very glad to assist you.

WHY TREK WITH ENIGMA

  • Because all our treks are only and strictly operated by Enigma and its very professional staff. Other agents claiming daily departures operate their treks jointly with other companies in service rotation. Hence, you book a departure with tour operator A, which risks being operated by tour operator B without you knowing. ENIGMA has a high quality of service and a great reputation, which is only possible by ensuring that only ENIGMA staff operates ENIGMA treks. Even if we only have a single traveller for a set departure date, we will operate this trek.
  • Because we have and can prove an excellent treatment of our staff, including chefs, porters, and wranglers. ENIGMA not only complies with the Porter Law and Regulation, but our wages are above the minimum requested by law and above the average paid by most of the tour operators. All our staff eats well and more than enough, they are provided with sleeping bags, thermal clothes, sleeping tents, trekking boots, thick rain ponchos, harnesses, and lumbar support for their duty on field. Most importantly, they have a program ensuring them a minimum number of departures per month and hence, a minimum income per month as well.
  • Because we are very careful to choose and train the best guides for each group. About 80% of our guides work exclusively for ENIGMA and are highly trained, have excellent language proficiency and communication skills, and are regularly evaluated by the reports each guest fills out after each service. We have specific guides for special requests (ornithology, history and archaeology, flora and fauna, and also generalist guides). Our guides have been trained in Wilderness First Response and/or Advanced First Aid by NOLS and are updated every two years by local authorized schools. We also have guides proficient in several languages besides English and Spanish, including French, Italian, German, Chinese and Japanese. In all of our treks, not only on the Inca Trail, there will be a guide for every 8 guests with one of them being the head guide. This ensures a higher safety and attention to guests versus other operators.
  • Because we have some of the best equipment in field, renewed every year, employing excellent brand and performance tents, surgical steel vaiselle for best hygiene, the best water filters, therm-a-rest sleeping systems, with adequate-warmth bags and inflatable and high-isolation pads, and orthopedic foamy three-level base sleeping pads, among others.
  • Because we have one of the best in-field meal services in the area: throughout our decades of operation, our chefs have been trained by several institutes in Lima and Cusco, with chefs coming from the NY Culinary Institute and renowned chefs from Lima as well, with whom menus have been designed and implemented. Their operation ensures maximum hygiene. Above all, be prepared to not only have a superb trekking experience but also a culinary one, including generous and delicious breakfasts, snacks, lunches, tea services and dinners that we can adapt to your very specific requests. Our menus include a variety of Peruvian and international food and also cater to vegetarian, vegan and special dietary requests (Atkins, Gluten-free, etc.), all at no extra cost. ENIGMA is recognized for its gourmet meals, the quantity and quality of food, as well as for its outstanding menu design. We take natural, locally sourced ingredients on the treks and prepare them in the field; we do not take prepared low-quality food, the meals being an added experience in all of our programs.
  • Because ENIGMA’s responsible operation makes sure to have a minimal impact on the environment of the natural protected areas in which it runs. We train all our staff in our environmental policy, and while ENIGMA used to be the only Inca Trail Official Operator to run a yearly Inca Trail Clean-Up, this initiative has now been taken over by the government, and we continue to participate actively.
    • Because we pay legal taxes on all services contributing to the country’s growth and development. Other tour operators do not declare their sales or most of their earnings, or declare them with a lower value, thus allowing them to lower their prices through a dishonest competition. We always declare our earnings and pay the appropriate taxes.
  • Because all our Group Services have a maximum group size of 12, whereas most tour operators work with a maximum of 16 on the Inca Trail, since this is the number authorized by law, or even higher on other routes. We have established 12 as a maximum since this increases the quality of our service, as there are spots along the treks where being 16 makes it impossible to provide a personalized service.
  • Private Services have no size limit. Enigma guarantees to assign 1 guide for each 8 trekking guests, which means an additional guide is added as of guest number 9.
  • Also, our excellent treatment to our staff is not reduced in the low season: porter wages and guide fees are maintained throughout the rainy season, a gesture highly appreciated by our staff.
  • Finally, due to all of the above, we have very highly satisfied guests, as our numerous testimonials prove. In our Testimonials section of our website, you may find reports dating from 2003 (when we started our operation) to today. The original reports are available at our office in Cusco.
  • We are aware other operators may offer the Inca Trail or other programs at a lower price. This does not mean they are offering the same program at a lower price: the level of service will not be the same. We understand price is an issue, but we kindly request our potential guests and clients to choose a responsible tour operator as otherwise, you risk indirectly promoting the exploitation of rural communities and the growth of informal and illegal operators that do not support the country’s development and growth.

“Lugares unicos y espectaculares.

Todo perfecto no se puede pedir mas cambiamos el itinerario el ultimo dia por dar la posibilidad a nuestro compañero de visitar la montaña de siete colores y JC Corimanya nos ayudo”

Stefano Boetto / Italy
Ausangate 6d/5n
July 2022