Lodge-Based 5-Day Apu Ausangate Trek

In a comfortable coach you’ll head along the Vilcanota River to visit the temple of Checacupe, then the upper valley of Pitumarca. At Japura, you'll trek a short distance to Chillca. Locals and musicians playing Andean instruments greet you in your first Andean lodge as you sip coca tea. Hot showers and full bathrooms are available.

At dinner, enjoy the emphasis on tasty and nutritious local cuisine (such as Alpaca meat), but vegetarian and other preferences are welcome.

After breakfast, begin your Apu Ausangate trek alongside thousands of alpacas and llamas in the glacier valley of Phinaya. On the way to more glaciers at Santa Catalina, you’ll climb by the inspiring Pjachaj Waterfalls. Above, your picnic lunch awaits! Then, surrounded by moraine walls, glaciers, and lagoons, you’ll walk about 5 hours to Machuracay Tambo. Your bags, carried by a llama caravan, meet you there and the family that runs the lodge will welcome you.

Today on the Camino Del Apu Ausangate trail you will take in your first mountain pass at just over 5000m which has spectacular panoramic views. Descending alongside the glaciers, you’ll hike to the Ausangate Cocha Lake for lunch. Here, the landscape dramatically shifts due to the existence of red sandstone formations where you will see vicuñas and sometimes condors.

After a day of great hiking, you’ll arrive at the third Andean lodge ready to relax and enjoy.

After breakfast, take the trail to another mountain pass. Dropping down, you’ll hike by Lake Kayrawiri, surrounded by rugged mountain peaks and the great valley below. Striations of colour are embedded in the hillsides. Next, you’ll go on to Cerro Laya Grande via the massive Glacier del Inca, where you discover the striking colours in the sediments of Vinicunca (also known as the “Rainbow Mountain”). Eat lunch here while taking in this unique landscape.

On your way to the fourth Andean lodge, you could see hundreds of Andean geese nesting in the cliffs of Anta, and the flatiron formations of Apu Labrayani near Huampococha Tambo where you will spend the night.

You’ll begin today enjoying a great view of the mountains as you reach the top of our final pass. It’s all downhill from here! You’ll encounter some of the most capricious shapes of limestone formations from the Cretaceous Age and hike until the end of the trail in Trapiche. Here, have lunch and then return by bus to Cusco while reminiscing on the wonderful experiences you’ve had in the Andes.