Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain (4 Days)

We will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then we will travel to Tinqui (Tinki). It is a small village that serves as a gateway to Ausangate Mountain Range. The route from Cusco to Tinqui itself offers excellent views. 

Once in Tinqui, we will have breakfast. We will then start the Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain. 

On the first segment of the trek, we will be walking up the hill for three hours. This will be along the Andean farming lands where you will be able to see the life of the local community dwelling here.

This route offers an enchanting view of the Andes. We will then reach our lunch spot. Here we will have a freshly prepared meal for lunch. 

After lunch, we will continue hiking to Upis. This will be a two hours trek. Upis is a small community that nestles at (4,100 m / 13,448 ft). It also houses hot springs. You can soak in the hots prings before we have dinner and camp for the night. 

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Minimum Elevation: 3,810 m / 12, 564 ft
• Maximum Elevation: 4,500 m / 14,532 ft
• Walking Distance: 12 km / 7 miles
• Approximate Walking Time: 6 – 7 hours
• Level of Difficulty: Moderate

We will wake you up to a hot cup of freshly brewed coca tea. Then as you will get freshen up, we will serve you breakfast. After breakfast, we will start hiking. We will begin with a gradual uphill hike to Arapa Pass. The pass is at (4,850 m / 15,908 ft). 

This high altitude pass offers a pristine view of the valley below snuggled in the snow capped peaks of Pucacocha and Mount Ausangate. The highlight of the area are the three colourful lagoons. Pucacocha, Hatun Pucacocha, and Qomercocha. They are in shades of green, red and turquoise. We will be camping for the night near the Ausangate glacier. 

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Minimum Elevation: 4,300 m / 13,560 ft
• Maximum Elevation: 4,890 m / 15,909 ft
• Walking Distance: 12 km / 7 miles
• Approximate Walking Time: 7 – 8 hours
• Level of Difficulty: Challenging

The most beautiful day of the Ausangate trek to Rainbow Mountain awaits you. We will be serving a hot cup of coca tea followed by breakfast. We will then start the trek. This will be one and a half hours trek up the hill to Ausangate pass (4,930 m / 16,170 ft). Along the way you will be able to see many Vicuñas, Alpacas and Llamas. 

We will stop at this pass to admire the out worldly view. Then we will start descending for an hour and a half to Alccatauri Village (4,410 m / 14,455 ft). This is one of the prominent parts of the trek. Here you will be able to witness the Andean hospitality and traditions. 

From here we will be hiking for 30 minutes, up the hill to our lunch place. 

After a healthy lunch, we will continue the uphill hike to the second pass of the trek. We will be hiking for an hour and a half to Minasniyuq Pass. From here you will get a first glimpse of Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain at a distance. On this pass our guide will demonstrate how the Andean priests make offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth). 

Once you have had your fill of scenic views and culture, we ill start an hours down hill hike to our camp site. It is in Surine Cocha (4,800 m / 15,748 ft). We will be camping on the banks of Surine Lake.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
• Minimum Elevation: 4,410 m /14,455 ft
• Maximum Elevation: 4,930 m / 16,170 ft
• Walking Distance: 12 km/ 7miles
• Approximate Walking Time: 8 – 9 hours
• Level of Difficulty: Challenging

We will wake you up to a hot cup of Coca Tea. After relishing on a healthy breakfast, we will start the last leg of our Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain. This will be a hike up the hill for two hours. We will be on the summit of Vinicunca at (5,030 m / 16,480 ft).

As one of the renowned outdoor companies in Cusco, we have expert guides who have explored these places extensively. Our guide will take you to some unique spots from where you would get a perfect view of Rainbow Mountain. 

Our guide will then give you the information on what makes this mountain so special. You will also know the reason how the colours formed. 

You will be among the first ones to reach here so normally our guest gets time to enjoy the pristine sight in solace. Then we will start hiking down the hill to Quesiuno Village. This will be a two and a half hours trek. Here we will stop for lunch. 

After lunch, in our private transport, we will start our return journey to Cusco. It takes about three and a half hours drive. We will be reaching Cusco at around 0600 PM. 

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
• Minimum Elevation: 5,030 m / 16,480 ft
• Walking Distance: 11 km /6.4 miles
• Approximate Walking Time: 5-6 hours
• Level of Difficulty: Moderate