Ausangate

Cusco Peru

The Cordillera Vilcanota is an impressive range of mountains which include the massive Nevado de Ausangate (6,385m) and three others over 6000m. It's excellent trekking country offering the traveler everything you could want: spectacular mountain scenery, snow-capped peaks, hot springs, turquoise lakes, glaciers, herds of llamas and alpacas, picturesque villages and traditionally dressed

Indians. Its also high, tough and cold, so be prepared. This beautiful seven day circular trek starts and finishes at the small Andean village of Tinqui and takes you around the massif of Ausangate and over three high passes (two of them over 5000m). It is essential to be properly acclimatized for this hike spending at least three days in Cusco (or equivalent altitude) before starting. Many tour operators provide a horse for each person to ride. Since many parts of the trail are steep, riders will need to dismount and walk with the horse for about 40% of the trek. Horses are also used for carrying all the equipment. If you are not confident on horseback then there are usually some 'trekking only' tours.

There are only a few trekking operators in Cusco offering this trek on a regular basis. During the high season (June-August) it may be possible simply to arrive in Cusco and visit all of the travel companies around the Plaza, Plateros and Procuradores to see if any have a group leaving. Joining a group works out a lot cheaper but it can be a bit of a haphazard affair as far as quality, group size and departure dates are concerned.

A company will often say it will leave in two days time and then cancel at the last minute if it can't find enough other people for the group. These 'pooled' service treks can cost as little as $80 for a 7 day trek, although the group sizes can be as much as 20 persons. Usually the Ausangate trek is undertaken in 7 days, using a combination of trekking and horse riding. Well acclimatized trekkers could complete the trek in 6 days if they want, including all transport to and from Cusco.