Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain

DAY 1, Cusco – Tinky – Upis

The Adventure to Ausangate Trek 3 Day, begins departing from Cusco early in the morning 5:00am. We drive for about 3 hours in our private van to the small village of Tinke, where we will have a stop to take the breakfast. This is also a great opportunity to purchase any last-minute items you may need for the trek. After we continue our drive to reach Rodeana community 3,900m /12,795ft. The official starting point of our hike. Here we will meet our trekking team who will support us the hiking days. You’ll also have ample time to prepare and pack your day backpack with the essentials for the day ahead.

The first three hours on the path are wonderful prelude to the magnificent scenery of the Cordillera Vilcanota. After a few hours we reach the lunch spot and our campsite in Upis 4,424m /14,501 ft, here you will have a fantastic view of Ausangate.  In the afternoon, you will have whole afternoon to rest and enjoy the hot spring with stunning view of the surrounded mountains.

Hiking distance: 8 km / 4.9 miles
Minimum altitude: 3,900 masl / 12,940 fasl
Maximum altitude: 4,424 masl / 14,501fasl
Hiking time: 3 – 4 hours

DAY 2, Upis – Pucacocha – Inca Pass – Anantapata

Today after delicious breakfast, we will be heading to the first past on this excursion. The path begins with a gradual ascending for a few hours, on your left side the Apu Ausangate will be always showing you the east face. Along the way to will see some alpacas, Llamas and some wild animals of this area. Finally we will reach Arapa Pass 4, 850m / 15,908ft. From here we continue down the valley, passing the green lake of Puqa Qocha until we reach the turquoise lake Jatun Puqa Qocha, where we will take our lunch with an incredible view of the mountain.

We then ascend the second pass of Ausangate 5,020m / 16,469ft with stunning views of the Apu Ausangate. Here you will feel the energy of this Andean deity and understand why is very important for the communities of this area. You also will appreciate the lakes located at the bottom of the Apu, these lakes are fed from the melting snow of Ausangate.

Afterwards we continue hiking down to the valley crossing some alpacas farm and picturesque Andean communities. After a few hours of hike we reach Anantapa 4,570 / 14,993ft. Our camp site.

Hiking distance: 12 km / 7.4 miles
Minimum altitude: 4,224 masl / 13,854 fasl
Maximum altitude: 4,570 masl / 14,993fasl
Hiking time: 8 – 9 hours

DAY 3, Anantapata – Rainbow Mountain – Cusco

We wake up early this day according to reach the Rainbow Mountain before the crowds arrive. Our team will wake us up with a hot tea or coffee, then, we enjoy the breakfast prepared with different local products. Around 5:00 am  we leave the camp ascending the Warmy Saya pass 5,050m / 16,568ft from there you will appreciate the fantastic colors of the Rainbow Mountain and surrounding mountains. After, we descend and hike to the colorful mountain for about 2 hours, once we reached we enjoy the majestic views of it.

We will be here before the crowds arrive and you will have plenty time to explore this iconic Rainbow mountain. Your guide will explain why the reasons of its colorful layers of rock sediment: turquoise, orange, brown, and red and have time to capture the best photos.

After have done with it, in addition to enjoying the gem of the Peruvian Andes, we’ll begin our trek towards the spectacular Red Valley. As mentioned, this is a less known, less traveled area and you will be amazed not only by the beauty, but also by the tranquility. It only takes 30 minutes of walking to reach the Red Valley lookout point from where we will have views right across the valley.

Finally, we’ll take the path to the bus stations and drive to our restaurant to enjoy our lunch, after a little rest we board our bus to Cusco. Arriving there about 4-5pm we will drop off you at your hotel.

Hiking distance: 13 km / 7.4 miles
Minimum altitude: 4,570 masl / 14,993 fasl
Maximum altitude: 5,120 masl / 16,762fasl
Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours

We are transparent and provide the specific details of what is included and excluded in our tours. We know this is very important so that you know what exactly to bring and you don’t miss anything. We provide this information to ensure that you have an incredible experience during your trek.

What is Included in 3-Day Ausangate Trek?  

• Pre-Departure briefing : Once you book the tour with us, you will get a notification about the pre-departure briefing, where you will meet with your trekking guide and the tour group in our office the night before your Ausangate Trek departure. During this briefing, you will receive important details of the trek. After this time, you will receive your duffle bag for your extra luggage, which will be carried by the horses while you are hiking
• Professional Adventure Guide :  All our tour guides have a great reputation in customer service, our tour guide have graduated with tourism career from National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco. They have also studied English in a private language institute. Through to their patience, responsibility, knowledge, passion for trekking and proud to have been born in the land of the Incas.  We ensure our guides provide an excellent experience for you when you explore the amazing Rainbow mountain.
• Entrance Fees to Ausangate park : Once we receive your details and the deposit for your tour, we purchase all the necessary tickets for your trek it will be for a specific date and will be in your name.
• Accommodations : We include accommodations 2 nights along the Ausangate trek,  with a suitable camping equipment to make sure your trek is an experience of the life time. Our tents are Mountain gear or Doite pro Aconcagua for 4 people, which will be shared only for 2 people to ensure you comfort and enough place for your luggage. The same way we include Inflatable mattress. There will also be a spacious dining tent for you to enjoy each meal along this tour.
• Private Transport : We included all the transportation during your tour. We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco and take you to the beginning of the trail, the bus returning from the Ausangate to Cusco will drop off you at your hotel.
• Horses :  We include horses to transport all the duffel bags and equipment during this tour also will be a horse man. We know safety is first is for that we include an emergency horse in case someone feels tired or get altitude sickness.
• Personal Duffel bag : We included a personal duffel bag for your 3-day Ausangate trek. You will get this duffel bag in our office during your pre-departure briefing the night before of your trek. This bag will be carried by horses during the trek. You will find it in your tent every afternoon you arrive to the campsite. It can be filled with your personal items, sleeping bag and mattress but the maximum allowable weight is 7kg/17lb. The duffel bag must be returned to our office no later than one day after your trek.
• Toilet Tents :  During our Ausangate trek, we bring our own portable toilet tent because we know how important is to protect our environment and we are trained to don’t leave no traces along the route.
• Medical First Aid Kit :  All tour guides are very well trained in First aid. They received training courses every 6 months how to assist to someone who is in an emergency situation. Also, they are trained how to supply a balloon oxygen in the case if someone requires it.
• Meals :  We know food is such an important part of any vacation and getting the right fuel on an active holiday is crucial. We include 2 breakfast, 3 lunch and 2 dinner. And of course, we cater to all dietary restrictions Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten free and others just let us know. Our chefs are well-trained to prepare the best food ever you’ve had with local and organic ingredients.
• Water :  We will provide you water from the first lunch to the last breakfast. This water will be filtered, boiled and cooled by our Chef. You must bring your own water container, bottle or camelback that can hold water for hiking for a few hours. We recommend a capacity of 2 liters.

 We don’t Included 

• Sleeping bag : Every trekker along the Ausangate trek 3-day needs a proper sleeping bag which has to be for -15°C / 5° F.  We recommend you bring your own, but if you don’t want to bring your own or you don’t have one, you can rent a sleeping bag from us.
• Walking Sticks : Hiking with trekking poles has its benefits, protect your knees while you are hiking downhill, especially on the remote area which are many up and downhill, trekking poles help you during the ascent, increased stability. If you don’t have a pair of trekking poles you can rent them from our office.
• Red Valley Entrance : We do not include the entrance ticket to the Red Valley, You must to pay directly there, the price for it is about 20 – 30 Peruvian soles
• First Breakfast : We do not provide breakfast on the day of your departure. However, most hotel offers breakfast during your stay there. In case your hotel does not provide breakfast, we will stop at a restaurant near to Tinki where you will be available to purchase a breakfast.
• Travel Insurance : We recommend to buy a travel insurance before to leave your country in case something happen along your visit to Peru.
• Tips for our team : Tips are not included. Tipping the team is usual on any excursion to the Ausangate, although we pay good salaries to our entire team, tips are welcome as a token of your appreciation for the team hard work.

In our company we focus to make your trip an unforgettable experience and we want to provide all details which you need to know before to leave your country and start your life experience in Peru.

What you need to pack fo Ausangate Trek 3 Days?

Important

• Passport
• Immigration Card (given on the plane as you enter Peru)
• Good daypack (the smaller, the better)
• Water storage, Water reservoir like Camel back is encouraged – but enough for at least 2-3 liters.
• Comfortable hiking boots (lightweight with good soles)
• Trekking poles

FOR YOUR DUFFEL:

Horses will carry up to 7 kg of your personal items. This must include your sleeping bag and air matt (if you bring/rent one). From us these two items weigh 3 kg.

• 2-3 sets t-shirts
• 2-3 hiking pants
• 3 sets of undergarments.
• 1 Fleece
• 1 Warm, down jacket: gets very cold at night
• 1 Rain jacket and pants
• 1 sun hat
• 1 wool hat
• Bathers / swimsuit for the hot spring
• Small towel
• Headlamp: essential
• Waterproof gloves
• Comfortable shoes for camp or flip flops
• Walking boots
• Waterproof jacket/rain poncho

Battery Charger: There is no place to plug in while trekking!

Large plastic bags: to help organize and keep clean from dirty.

Sleeping bag: Recommend down bags for -10C at least

INSIDE YOUR DAY BACKPACK:

Daypack can be any size for hiking, but we always say the smaller, the better. If it is larger try to bring it as lighter as possible.

Water: we supply clean water at each meal. You are responsible for your first morning of water only as we won’t have time to filter water until your first lunch.

• Sun hat
• Rain gear
• Fleece
• Camera
• Music (iPhone)
• Hand sanitizer
• Toilet paper and small plastic bag for waste
• Extra Money for Souvenirs, Drinks & Tips
• Earplugs
• Snacks (chocolate, energy bars, fruits, etc.)

TOILETRIES:

• Sunscreen
• Face moisturizer
• Bug spray
• Hand sanitizer
• Wet wipes
• Toothbrush and paste
• Toilet paper
• Personal medication
• First aid kit: band aids, moleskin, etc.

Useful Information for Ausangate Trek 3 Days

On the Ausangate trek tour, don’t forget water! Drinking lots of water will help with the elevation. We advise bringing at least 2 liters per person on the hike with you. Also, you will have chance to buy water at the beginning of the trek.

We skip the crowds! Everybody else goes Ausangate trek tour at the same time. That means they’re all want to take the best camping spots on this route.  Since we leave from Cusco at 05:00 am.  You will get to the view point and the camp site before the crowd, and enjoy this fantastic landscape.

Our guide always brings oxygen tank which are important as you get over 4620 meters/15,255feet above sea level! Not all travel agencies offer this, so this is definitely something to look out for when choosing the best Ausangate tour operator.

The best time to visit the Ausangate is going to be in the from April to October before the rainy season begins

This hike is very demanding. And the constantly changing weather conditions, combined with high altitude, can be a challenge for experienced hikers. But if done right it’s manageable even for those who don’t hike much.

We Recommend for Ausangate Trek

Make sure that you have been a few days in Cusco to acclimatize to the elevation before you set off on your hike to Ausangate Tour. This is by far the best insurance for a smooth and enjoyable trip.

Go to sleep early and try to avoid drinking or partying the night before. Because we will pick you up at 05:00 am and the physically challenging trek will be much more bearable without a hangover.

When you have altitude sickness symptoms, descend as quickly as you can. It’s nothing to mess around with.

Try to go all the way to the viewpoint. You get a 360° view not just the Ausangate trek but of the nearby glacier and a gorgeous valley in the other direction. We think most people didn’t realize what they were missing by not going all the way up.

If you are going to Machu Picchu the day before your trip to the Ausangate, tell your travel company to book your return train ticket early.

Higher elevation also means colder, nearly freezing temperatures, so be prepared. Whether you decide to take a one-day tour, make sure to wear very warm clothes. Also bring coca leaves to fight off altitude sickness and carry the minimum gear possible to ease the hike.

• From $340.00 per person
• Price in group of 4 people: $1320.00 

Online Payment

To book any tour/trek through with Ausangate Tours, we do require a 50% deposit per person. PayPal does charge us a fee of 8% which we ask the client to cover. This taxes is just for deposits, the remaining, you will pay in cash(briefing day) without taxes.