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Tour Map
As well as, the Ausangate hike & Machu Picchu itinerary brings you to Peru’s iconic landscapes, where you embrace all the famed Ausangate trek beauty with none of the crowds on the trail, hiking into the remote, untouched wilderness of the Ausangate circuit, and witness the great colored Rainbow mountain (Vinicunca) – A must see.!
Come and be one of the first adventurers to make this Ausangate trek to Machu Picchu with us and enjoy one of the most impressive spots on earth with craggy peak rising dramatically from the lake’s edge up towards the heavens, the colored hills, and conquer Machu Picchu hiking through this rarely-visited range, on quiet trails, following lovely alpine valleys that are home to traditional Quechua Indian herdsmen and some of Peru’s most rare and spectacular wildlife, including herds of grazing vicunas and the majestic Andean condor.
This beautiful Ausangate hike 7 days starts in the small town of Upis and takes you to hike in for the highland verdant views and up-close encounters with rare andean alpacas, llamas, and birds, witness the snow dusted mountains, glacier peaks, glistening lochs , glacier erratic rocks, breathtaking views on which to take it all in.
Our guide will pick you up from your hotel located in Cusco, then, we will travel for three hours in our private bus to the town of Tinki 3,800 meters above sea level. / 12,464 feet. Here we will make a brief stop to have breakfast and you will also have the option to buy some items for your hike, we will continue driving to Upis.
There our trek begins, we will also meet our team as the horse driver and his assistant, your guide will introduce you all and learn a little about their culture and the relationship between the Ausangate Mountain.
From here we will start the hike along a trail used by the locals, this will take approximately three hours of walking with stunning views of Ausangate Mountain, the landscape will change as we get closer to Upis 4224m/13,864ft, the lunch spot and also our next camp Here you will have the option to enjoy the hot springs, which offer fantastic views of the Nevado Ausangate at the end of the valley. We will camp here for the night.
After the delicious breakfast and the sun rising the peak of the snowy Ausangate “Apu”, we begin our hike gradually ascending to the first pass, then we will be heading to the first pass. While you are hiking, you will observe how impressive the views are in each corner, and at the same time, you will see some chinchillas running in different directions. After a few hours of hiking, we will cross the Arapa Pass at 4,850 meters (15,908 feet).
Here, you will have a well-deserved rest with fantastic views, and it is a perfect place to enjoy your snacks. Then, we start descending down to the valley, passing beside different lakes, where you will have the time to explore and get the best photos. Your guide will show you the best angles. Also, we will reach the turquoise Lake Jatun Puqa Q’ocha, where we will take our lunch with an incredible view of the mountain.
After adeserved rest we then ascended by a switchback trail to the second pass of Ausangate 5,020 meters/ 16,469 feet with stunning views of the Apu Ausangate, here you can feel the energy of this Andean deity and understand why it is very important for the communities of this area, you will also appreciate the lakes located at the bottom of the Apu. These lakes are fed by the melting snow of Ausangate. Afterward, we continue hiking down to Anantapata (4740 m/15,551 ft). We will camp here for the second night.
In order to catch the sunrise once we reach the Rainbow Mountain, also known as the Mountain of Seven Colors, our staff will wake you up extra early this morning with a hot Coca tea.
After an active breakfast, we’ll head up to the next pass, Warmisaya 5,020m/16,469ft. Before the crowds arrive, we hike for a few hours from here to the incredible Rainbow Mountain 5100m/16,732ft, where you will be amazed by the natural colors of the iconic location.
You can unwind and enjoy the moment while taking incredible pictures while it is empty. Your guide will explain the colors to you as you explore each site of the amazing mountain.
After you have explored each site, we will return the same way until our last campsite for lunch, where we can recharge our energy and rest for a little before continuing our journey to Ausangate Qocha 4,400m/14435ft. Here we will set up next campsite.
After breakfast, we continued our ascent to the highest pass of this hike. We will reach Palomani (5,200 m/16,060 ft) after a couple of hours of walking.
Your tour guide will perform a ritual to thank Mother Earth (Pachamama) for these incredible adventures on this pass, which will get you as close to Ausangate Mountain as possible. After leaving the hill we take the path that goes down towards the valley.
An attractive lagoon and the glacier will be seen on your left as you descend. Then we walk to where we will have lunch.
After having lunch we headed towards our final camp in Qampa Pampa which is about 3 hours from the point of our lunch. There we will have an incredible dinner and rest for the next day.
Wake up hot coca tea in the morning to have another great day, after having breakfast we’ll hike up for 2 hours and 30 minutes to the last pass called Jhampa 5,060 m / 16,601 ft, where we’ll have amazing glacier peaks right in front of us.
We will then trek downhill to get our last scenic lunch spot.
After lunch we’ll trek for 2 more hours to get the Pacchanta Town. Where we’ll have a chance to swim at hot springs which is optional, and at this place we’ll say goodbye to our muleteers, we will eventually drive back to hotel in Cusco for about 3 hours and 30 minutes. End of our adventure.
This morning we will get up a little later than usual and have our delicious breakfast. After having enjoyed our breakfast we will begin to explore the town of Pacchanta and go to very interesting and sacred places in the town.
Then we leave the town of Pacchanta to drive for 4 hours until we reach the town of Ollantaytambo.
We will drive through the real Sacred Valley of the Incas, following the Wilkamayu River towards the west, along the narrow, flat and winding paved road between the river and the hills, where we will pass through the towns of Calca, Yucay and Urubamba before. . arriving at Ollantaytambo. With several charming little towns scattered along the way.
Upon arrival in this picturesque town, we will explore it walking through its typical old Inca cobblestone streets. Then in the afternoon we will board the train to Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu town (2,040 m / 6,693 feet), for 2 hours, where we will have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.
Today will be the most important day of the Ausangate Trek! Because we’ll conquer Machu Picchu, Peru’s most iconic ruins. So we wake up very early to have breakfast at the hotel, and taking the first buses up to the sanctuary for 25-minute. Once in Machu Picchu, your guide will introduce you to the Sacred city of Machu Picchu, and we will head directly to a well-sought out location from where we will watch the spectacular sunrise over Machu Picchu and take photographs.
After the photography session, your guide will take you to the most important places, explain to you the history, mysteries, and the great Inca technology used to build Machu Picchu for a 2-3 hour guided tour of the citadel. Once you finish the sightseeing at Machu Picchu you will have enough time to explore the sacred city.
Whether you have booked a climb to Wayna Picchu, you will climb up the mountain after or before the tour, it depends on the availability spaces for that date, more info see Wayna Picchu option. In the afternoon you have to take the bus from Machu Picchu Inca city back to Aguas Calientes town (Machu Picchu town), then to take the train back to Ollantaytambo train station and/or Poroy train station, where our transportation will be waiting for you to get you back to the hotel in Cusco.
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and easy as possible. In this section you will find quick answers to all those questions you had about Ausangate hike 7 days to Machu picchu in one place. Please read the following information carefully; will help you with any questions about our services.
All briefings take place at your hotel at 6:30 p.m., one night before the tour begins. If you cannot attend, you must coordinate another schedule at the (Peru Travel Luxury) offices. These meetings last approximately 30 to 45 minutes and there they will give you a small canvas bag, in which you will store all the belongings that you intend to take on the walk and that will not be in your backpack.
You will receive a canvas case or duffle bag during the briefing. The muleteers will carry them along the road and deliver them to you when you arrive at each camp. They measure 66 cm / 2 feet long x 36 cm / 1 foot wide.
A maximum of 8 kg is allowed per canvas bag, in which you can put your clothes or personal items that you need to do this hike.
The trek has to be paid for in full by at least 7.30 pm two days before departure. For example, if your tour departs on a Wednesday, then you must come to our office before 7.30 pm on Monday.
It would be much appreciated if you pay the trek balance in cash US dollars or local currency. You can withdraw some money from several ATMs along Avenida Sol (either in US dollars or local Peruvian Soles). You can pay by credit card or PAYPAL online, but you will have to pay an 8% service charge, charged by VISA and PAYPAL. We do not accept bank checks or payment of the balance by traveler’s checks.
Of course! During the travel, your main luggage can be stored at our office(you can organize briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you are not going to need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags, put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (In the unlikely case of theft many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing all the items). Best put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Peru Travel Luxury company can pick you up from your hotel, as long as it’s in the Historic Center of Cusco. The pickup time will be coordinated with your guide in the briefing. The pickup time may vary between 30 and 45 minutes due to traffic. Cusco is a very old city, therefore, it has many narrow cobbled streets. Some hotels and Airbnbs may be located on streets without access to cars or on long, steep slopes, making it difficult to transport luggage. We strongly recommend that you book accommodation with good access.
Group tours are made up of different types of people. Physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route. It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, it will be the guide who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if said modifications can be made.
Strikes and demonstrations are usually frequent in Peru and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your excursion as planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date. Under these circumstances, tours may also be cancelled. In case of changes or cancellations, all situations will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority and our decisions will be made to protect it.
You’re responsible for your objects during the tour. Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave our trucks, tents, or restaurants.
I just completed this hike for 7 days/6 nights. A must if you like to hike and camp! The landscape is spectacular. I am from the states and have done a few hikes but this was next level. The altitude makes it challenging. Most of the hike is over 4500 my friend and I had mild altitude sickness. We had been above 3000m for several weeks so it was unexpected that we felt so tired and had headaches. We did the full circuit, including Rainbow Mountain and Machu Picchu. Our guide and the food was excellent.
