This high-altitude experience takes you closer to the highest and the sacred Andean peak of Ausangate Mountain.
Apu Ausangate Trek or Ausangate Tour in Peru is one of the best experiences in Cusco. This high-altitude experience takes you closer to the highest and the sacred Andean peak of Ausangate Mountain.
Ausangate peak is a sacred mountain. It dominates the southern skyline of Cusco city. It rises 6372 meters above sea level. Locally known as Apus, this trek offers captivating views of the Peruvian highland from start to end.
Most part of the trek takes you through high passes. You will be rewarded with sights of turquoise lakes. You will have the opportunity of meeting and interacting with locals from the region who have maintained and preserved their age-old traditions and customs.
Ausangate Peru is a lifetime experience. Dotted with many snow-capped peaks you will feel extremely closer to nature.
The trek involves hikes through many high mountain passes. The highest point of the Ausangate Peru Trek is Palomani pass at 5200 meters above sea level. We highly recommend you to spend at least 4 days in Cusco before the trek to avoid altitude sickness.
Ausangate Peru is a part of the Peruvian Andes. It is subject to two seasons, wet season and dry season. During the rainy season, the trail is often wet and slippery. It is best to experience Ausangate Trek in the dry season – between March and November.
Please note that the hiking times could vary on how fast or slow you prefer to hike.
Do take a moment to check our reviews on Trip Advisor.
We will be picking you up from your hotel in Cusco in the morning. Then in our private transport, we will be driving you through the South Valley of Cusco to Tinqui. This is the gateway to Ausangate.
At Tinqui, we will be meeting our crew – muleteers and chef. Here we will be serving you a local meal for lunch. After lunch, we will start the Apu Ausangate Trek with a gradual uphill hike.
The first three hours of the trek offers a beautiful introduction to the Vilcanota Mountain range and the Peruvian Highland.
We will be hiking to Upis. It is a remote village at 4400 metres above sea level. It is also home to hot springs. We will be camping in Upis for the night.
You will be waking up to the pristine views of the mighty Ausangate peak. After relishing a typical breakfast, we will be hiking to the first mountain pass – Arapa Pass at 4850 metres above sea level. From the top, you will get an enchanting view of the valley below.
After a brief stop, we will be hiking down the hill for some three and a half hours. We will be hiking through some beautiful lakes. We will be crossing Puqa Q’ocha which is a green lagoon and continue to Hatun Puqa Q’ocha which is a turquoise lake. Here we will be stopping for lunch.
After lunch, we will be hiking to Apacheta Pass. It is the second pass at 4900 metres. From here you will get a panoramic view of the valley below.
You will also get to see Ausangate Q’occha. It is a turquoise lake on the foothills of Ausangate Mountain.
It gets its name from the mountain as the melting glaciers of the mountain feed the lake. We will be camping here for the night.
We will begin the day quite early in the morning with a hike up the hill to the highest point of the Ausangate Trek, Palomani Pass at 5200 metres above sea level. From here we will be descending to the valley below where we will be stopping for lunch.
After relishing a typical meal for lunch, we will be relaxing with a sight of the iconic three peaks – Tres Picos. From here we will be hiking through a lush green valley – Pampa Jutunpata. We will be hiking to Soraypampa where we will be camping for the night.
After a typical breakfast, we will be hiking through Q’ampa. It is an Andean community. We will be hiking to Q’ampa pass. It is the last pass on the trek.
Here you will be able to see different coloured lagoons. For lunch, we will be stopping on the shores of Nina Parayoc.
We will then hike through some different Andean farms and villages. Here you will be able to see different Andean Camelids – Alpacas and Llamas. Then we will reach Pacchanta. It is a small Andean village and home to natural hot springs.
For the night we will be camping here.
After a typical breakfast, we will be hiking back to Tinqui. Here we will be meeting our driver for our journey back to Cusco. We will be reaching Cusco at around 03:00 p.m.
Departure & Return Location
Cusco Hotel Transfer
Departure Time
8:00 a.m.
Price Includes
Price Excludes
Packing list
From:
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Do you have any questions? Contact us at +51 974 378 488
Find out what those who have trusted us to explore unique destinations and live extraordinary adventures have to say.
John CJanuary 10, 2025Verified Excellent, perfectly planned trip. The trip was perfectly planned from start to finish, the transport, the hike, the hotel, the food and the entrance to Machu Picchu. The lovely guide Edwin was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the site, the hike, and it's history. It truly is an incredible and captivating place that is a must see if you have the opportunity. Gabriel CNovember 12, 2024Verified Rainbow Mountain Tour guide We had a great tour of Rainbow Mountain. Jose was extremely knowledgeable and was a lot of help. The tour included good breakfast and lunch. I highly recommended this tour Joshua SNovember 10, 2024Verified "Unforgettable Machu Picchu Journey with an Exceptional Guide!" John was the perfect guide for our journey from Cusco to Machu Picchu! From the start, he made everything smooth and enjoyable, picking us up from our hotel and ensuring we were comfortable and ready for the adventure ahead. Thanks to his planning, we arrived at Machu Picchu early, avoiding the crowds and enjoying the stunning morning views. The weather was fantastic, and John's deep knowledge of the history and culture made every moment even more memorable. His explanations brought the ancient Incan sites to life, and he guided us thoughtfully through the walk at Machu Picchu, pointing out details we would have missed on our own. Throughout the entire day, John was attentive, patient, and incredibly helpful. He truly went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Highly recommend! Gabriel CNovember 10, 2024Verified Great tour Me and my brother went on a tour with John. He was very helpful. He was very knowledgeable and helpful. Not only did he give a great tour but he was able to give us good recommendations and was very accommodating Kim AOctober 24, 2024Verified An amazing experience! We are an American family from Evansville, Indiana. After doing much research we chose Machu Picchu Tours to make our dream come true of seeing Machu Picchu via the 4-day Inca Trail Trek.Planning this kind of trip is no small feat, but John Taqquere Villaneuva was there for us every step of the way! He always responded quickly to my MANY texts and provided excellent information to prepare us for the trek. Our amazing guide, Edwin, the Porters and Chef went way above and beyond to make sure we felt safe and that we were getting the best experience that was promised. I cannot emphasize how important hygiene and safe food is on a trip like this. We feel our Porters did an excellent job keeping the dining area clean and providing excellent, healthy and safe food. While it is common for foreigners to get sick when traveling to a new country, the crew kept us healthy, hydrated, and safe the entire trip. Our porters took care of every single detail from setting up our camp, refilling our water bottles, and feeding us delicious hot meals 3 times a day. The porters were always there to take care of us. Our bags were transported and waiting for us in our tents upon arrival. Hot drinks were ready for us upon arrival at each campsite, and hot soapy water and towels were provided to clean up after a long day’s hike. Their work ethic and attention to detail was impressive. The 4 day trek is strenuous. Our guide, Edwin, coached us along the way, helping us to set a pace that worked for us so that we would not burn out. He also handled all of our paperwork and entry tickets. There are checkpoints and everything must be in order and spelled correctly. Without these documents, there is no trek and there is no entry into Machu Picchu. Our guide always kept us informed of the daily itinerary and was always supportive and eager to help. His knowledge of the history of the Inca and the ruins was exceptional. We walked away feeling an immense appreciation and understanding of the Inca because of Edwin. If your dream of seeing Machu Picchu is through the Inca Trail, or want to arrange guided tours, then don’t let fear stand in your way. And if you are looking for an agency, we highly recommend John Taqquere Villaneuva with Machu Picchu Tours. These are good, honest, trustworthy and hard-working people that will help make your dream come true. We are so thankful to Machu Picchu Tours, our Guide, Edwin, and the amazing Porters and Chef for their hard work and efforts to help make our dream come true. HikeJunkieCarlosOctober 21, 2024Verified Very organized crew knowledgeable friendly and just plain awesome to have around every step of the way. Couldn’t have asked for a better crew chef porters tents and food for this 4 day Inca trail tripWas the best experience for all 8 of us in our friends group to enjoy every moment and have amazing time all the way through the trip in town and on the Inca trailVery organized crew knowledgeable friendly and just plain awesome to have around every step of the way. Highly recommend this company to solo and groups that plan to visit Peru SkyMiles KOctober 19, 2024Verified 1 of 2 top Bucket List items, Hike the INCA Trail to Machu Picchu Completed the INCA trail with our Hike Junkies family. The Machu Picchu tours were INCREDIBLE!!! A great big shout out to John Taqquere Villanueva & his team for providing us with their expertise & care before, during & after the 4-day backpacking hike. The porters had camp setup for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner during our hiking adventure. Our chef, Carmelito "5-STARS," prepared meals that you should only find in a fine dining restaurant. We even had some Peruvian history lessons along the way. A few surprise discovery viewpoints along the trail. After completing 4-day Inca trail, we hiked the Humanatay Lake on 5th day & Rainbow Mtn on 6th day. We THANK YOU, John, Alberto, Berle, Aiwyn & drivers, porters for making this the adventure of the century!...so far Rebecca ROctober 19, 2024Verified 4 day Inca Trail with Hike Junkies We just completed the 4 day Inca Trail with Machu Picchu Tours. John Taqquere Villanueva went above and beyond to provide us with an amazing experience, with fun, knowledgeable guides to qn amazing chef and porters. Our tents were comfortable and kept us warm and dry from the elements. We were served four course meals, desert and happy hour on each day. Happy hour consisted of fresh hot popcorn, hot cocoa, coffee, cookies and bread. In addition to the 4 day Inca Trail we scored permits to hike Huayna Picchu ( Stairs of Death) which we conquered just having completed the last day of the Inca trail. Yes, our group is crazy! One member of our group was unable to hike the four day Inca trail due to severe health issues, John Taqquere and went above and beyond to give him an amazing Machu Picchu experience. Our trip consisted of City Walking Tour of Cusco, Alpaca Farm, Humantay Lake, Rainbow Mountain and other ruins. This was a humbling experience that will last a lifetime. Chalmers BOctober 9, 2024Verified Great experience! Our guide Edwin was excellent. The first day is very challenging but equally rewarding, and we were really glad that MPT arranged a pre-meeting the day before to go over logistics and make sure we were properly equipped -- renting poles is highly recommended, well worth the $10. Reaching the Sun Gate and getting the full vista of Machu Picchu felt like a life accomplishment. The second day is much less challenging, walking through the actual ruins of Machu Picchu, and we felt much less pressure because we'd gotten such great views and photos the day before.
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