How to get to Ausangate Mountain

The Ausangate mountain is a colorful route that attracts tourists from all over the world for its beauty, beautiful landscapes, and adventures that can do around Ausangate.

Kondor Path Tours will provide you with all the information on how to reach the second-highest mountain in Peru.

Ausangate Mountain Location: Ausangate Mountain does locate southeast of the city of Cusco in the province of Quispicanchis district of Ocongate at 6,380 masl.

How to get to Ausangate Mountain

Climate and Temperature of Ausangate Mountain

Temperatures in and around Ausangate Mountain vary according to the year’s season. In the highlands of Peru, there are two well-defined seasons (Rainy Season and Dry Season).

According to these seasons, the temperature fluctuates:

• Between 5°C to 0°C at night and dawn
• During the day, between 15°C to 20°C in the dry season (May to October).

On the other hand, in the rainy season, the temperatures are:

• 5C to 8°C at night and dawn
• During the day, between 15°C to 20°C.

Routes to reach Ausangate Mountain

Are you traveling to Ausangate on your own or through an agency?

There are two known routes which we will describe taking into account that to do this trek on your own.

1.- Route by Ocongate to get to Ausangate Mountain

This route will take 04 days to get there and is the most known by travelers. It would be best if you got up early in the morning to go to the Tomasa Tito Condemayta Avenue bus station next to the Coliseum Casa de la Juventud.

From here, you will find buses that cover the route Cusco – Ocongate. The transportation service cost is 15 soles; the trip is on a paved road for three hours.

How to get to Ausangate Mountain

When you arrive in the town of Ocongate, you must take a collective cab service to the village of Tinki. This trip will take at least 30 minutes. The village of Tinki is 3800 meters above sea level, a town with essential services for tourists and travelers, and it will be from this place you will start the hike around the Ausangate mountain.

You will have to walk 10 kilometers from here until you reach your first camp, Upis, at 4,447 masl. In this camp, you will spend the first night and enjoy a relaxing bath in the hot springs.

We will continue hiking for another 16 kilometers, where the highest point will be the Arapa Pass at 4,850 masl. Then you will descend until you reach Ausangate Lake, where you will spend the night.

This 3rd day will be the most challenging day of the trek as we will hike for 16 kilometers, and you will also have to climb up to the Paloma Pass at 5,200 masl. From here, you will have some spectacular views. Then you will have a downhill path until you reach Huchuy Finaba, where you will spend the night.

How to get to Ausangate Mountain

On the 4th day, the walk will be 14 kilometers, reaching its highest point in the Jampa Pass at 5,080 meters above sea level and continuing until you get to Pacchanta. Which will be the last place you will visit on this journey. After 1 hour more of walking, you will arrive in Tinki, the same home where we started this tour.

2.- Route through Pitumarca to the Ausangate Mountains

This route only takes 02 days, and you will have the opportunity to visit the Ausangate and the mountain of colors. What recently enabled this new route for tourists?

The adventure begins when you will have to take the buses with the route Cusco – Sicuani, located on Huayrurupata Avenue. The service cost is twenty Soles before you will have to tell the driver that you will get off in the town of Checacupe, which does locate at 02 hours and a half.

When you arrive at the town of Checacupe, you must take another transport to reach the village of Pitumarca, which is only 15 minutes away, and then you must continue until you reach the town of Chillca, which will be the starting point of the trek. The hike will be 08 kilometers, and on the way, you can observe incredible biodiversity of flora and fauna until you reach the Ausangate lagoon known as “Inquiri Cocha.” Following the impressive walk will get to Puca Moco, where you will spend the first night at the foot of the snowy Ausangate.

How to get to Ausangate Mountain

On the second day, the tour will be 10 kilometers, for which you should leave early to reach the entrance control to Vinicunca. In this place, you can rent a horse and thus regain the strength to get to the mountain of colors. After visiting Vinicunca mountain, we will take the road to Mancipara, where we will enjoy a buffet lunch in front of a small lagoon of colors. We will return to Japurá, where you will take mobility to return to Cusco.

Ausangate on your own or through an agency?

To make a tour of several days to the Ausangate Mountain is a journey which is advisable to hire the service of an agency because they have prepared all the logistics for the trekking as camping equipment, food, guided and you will only worry about enjoying the hike.

Tips to get to Ausangate Mountain

These are the tips you should remember when making this trek to Ausangate.

• You should acclimatize for at least 02 days in the city of Cusco.
• Camping equipment (tents, poles, etc.)
• Adequate clothing for trekking (trekking shoes, waterproof clothing)
• Warm clothes for the nights (gloves, hats, shawls, wool socks)
• Rain ponchos.
• Solar chargers for flashlights, cameras, and batteries
• Water purification tablets

Hikes and Tours to Ausangate Trek

• 7 Lakes of Ausangate Full-Day Trek
• Ausangate Trek 5 Days
• Ausangate Trek 6 Days / 5 Nights
• Ausangate Trek Recommended Itinerary