MOUNT AUSANGATE AND THE VILCANOTA RANGE

 

For many centuries the people of Peru’s rural areas have maintained their ancestral traditions.  

One of the areas that has experienced few changes is the area around the massive peak of Ausangate, where communities continue to live as their ancestors did five centuries ago.

This unforgettable trip gives travellers an in-depth look at the way of life of the ancestors of the ancient Incas.

 

ITINERARY

 

Dominating the horizon southeast of Cusco, the magnificent peak of Ausangate (6387 metres/20,950 feet) is the highest and most sacred mountain, or Apu, in southern Peru. For centuries it has been central to the religious beliefs of the Andean people and annual pilgrimages to its icy slopes are still made by local people.

Treks in the Ausangate area take seven days. The scenery is spectacular; snow capped peaks and glaciers look down impassively on seemingly endless grasslands studded with turquoise lakes and thermal pools. Herds of llamas and alpacas graze under the watchful eyes of their owners, who live in the same isolated and picturesque villages that their ancestors founded countless generations ago.

FIRST DAY: CUSCO – OCONGATE – TINQUI

We leave Cusco and take the road southeast towards Puno, following the course of the Huatanay and Vilcanota rivers and passing the pre-Inca Wari site of Pikillacta and the villages of Andahuaylillas and Huaro, which are both famous for their colonial-era parish churches. At the village of Urcos we leave the main road and drive up to the trailhead at the village of Tinqui, with the mountains of Ausangate and Jampa looming on the horizon.

SECOND DAY: TINQUI - UPIS

Beginning our trek, we hike up to open grassland, or puna, towards the base of the Ausangate massif, crossing a high pass before descending to our campsite near the thermal springs at Upis (4400 metres/14,400 feet).

THIRD DAY: UPIS - PUKACOCHA

We begin this day by crossing the fertile Upis river valley past herds of grazing llamas and alpacas, before ascending screen slopes and crossing the high Arapa pass (4750 metres/15,585 feet), before descending to Lake Pukacocha (4600 metres/15,080 feet). From this campsite on the lakeshore there are excellent views of the surrounding lakes dominated by the western face of Ausangate.

FOURTH DAY: PUKACOCHA - PALOMANI

Passing turquoise lakes, we cross the Apacheta pass (4800 metres/15,750 feet) and descend to Lake Ausangate (4620 metres/15,154 feet) before ascending once again to cross the highest pass on the trek at Palomani (5060 metres/16,600 feet), with spectacular views of the eastern ridge of Ausangate and the Mariposa, Jampa, Acero and Caracol

mountains. Condor, puna ibis, Andean geese, hawks and mountain caracara may be seen along this section of the trail, as well as the mountain rabbit, or vizcacha, vicuña and even deer.

FIFTH DAY: PALOMANI – JAMPA - PACHASPATA

From our campsite we descend to Uchuy Finaya and hike past the remote village of Jampa in the valley of the same name, the horizon dominated by snowcapped peaks. Circling to the northwest, we pass the Ticllacocha lake and cross the Campa pass (4650 metres/16,400 feet) to the meadows of Pachaspata, where we will camp on the shores of Q’omercocha (“Green Lake” in Quechua).

SIXTH DAY: PACHASPATA - PACCHANTA

Descending through the valley, we reach the village of Pacchanta (4253 metres/13,950 feet), where we will spend the rest of the day and have a chance to relax in the nearby natural thermal pools.

SEVENTH DAY: PACCHANTA - TINQUI – CUSCO.

Rewarded by fine views of Ausangate and the snow-wreathed summits of the Vilcanota range we continue our trek, passing the typical villages of Culpacata, Yanama, Mojonpata and Quimsapuqjio. The hillsides are grazed by herds of llamas and alpacas, watched over by their Quechua speaking owners. Finally, we reach Tinqui, where our vehicle will be waiting to take us back to Cusco, where we will arrive in the late afternoon.

 

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