Ausangate Trek – Rainbow Mountain 11 Days and 10 Nights

Upon arrival in Lima, your Travelution Peru host will escort you to the nearby Wyndham Costa Del Sol Hotel at Lima’s airport. If you arrive early, we can arrange optional Lima tours and trips to nearby sites to fill your time. With most international flights arriving quite late and flights to Cusco departing early, staying in an airport hotel will allow you to maximize your sleep so you can begin your vacation feeling well-rested.

In the morning you will be taken from your hotel to the airport for a morning flight to Cusco (10,856 ft.), center of the Inca Empire. After checking in at your hotel, today’s Peru travel begins with a guided walking tour through the colorful markets of Cusco, making stops at the colonial cathedral and the impressive Incan Temple of the Sun (Koricancha), followed by a lunch, You’ll be on your own the rest of the day to acclimatize to the altitude (11,300 ft.) while getting acquainted with the well-preserved colonial city of Cusco.

This trip starts early today and you will be picked up from your hotel in Cusco; it will be about a three-hour drive to the trailhead. After driving through Ocongate and the village of Yanama, we’ll arrive in Cojahuri, where the trek begins for us. This first day of our trek is fairly easy walking for about two hours at around 4,000 m of altitude. Our final destination for the day is our campsite of Ranrapata, located on a vast esplanade just below the northeast flank of snowy Ausangate. From the camp, enjoy a beautiful sunset and first trek dinner, prepared by our crew.

Overnight: Ranrapata, 4300mt / 14,107ft

Hiking Details: 4.1 miles / 6.6 km; approximately 3-4 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 7,970 ft to 8,835 ft

From our scenic campsite at the foot of Ausangate and the Jampa Pass, we’ll set off up the Yanama Valley towards Mt. Surinami and Mt. Inca for Puca Rumi Pass (5,000m), like 5 hours up. From the pass, you’ll find amazing views of the red mountain and Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain) in the distance. When the group’s ready, we’ll descend into the Cusipata Valley where our campsite (4,650m) is located, the descend is like 2 hours hiking, just below the famous multicolor mountain. 

Overnight: Cusipata Valley, 4650mt / 15,255ft

Hiking Details: 7.51 miles / 12.1 km; approximately 7-8 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 15.255 ft to 16.604 ft

Rising early, we’ll start our hike to the most amazing Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca 5,000m). From the summit, you’ll be able to see the impressive natural coloration of the mountain. Snap a few photos, take in the views, and rest your feet before we continue our trek to the lakes of Quirillacocha and Surini, a much welcome descent. At the lakes, the trail begins to rise again to the Huasacocha Pass (4,980m). At the bottom of the descent, we meet our final climb for the day, Ausangatecocha (4,654m), about 480 m of uphill and 130 m of downhill into the Anantapata Valley to our campsite. 

Overnight: Anantapata, 4650mt / 15,255ft

Hiking Details: 9.32 miles / 15 km; approximately 7-8 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 15.269 ft to 16.604 ft

From camp we ascend for a two-hour, 500-m climb to Palomani Pass (5,180m). This is the highest mountain pass of the entire route. If we’re lucky, the summit will be blanketed in snow. We have time to rest and recover before we begin our descent to the Chilca Valley and our camp at Wanu Wanu (4,600m).

Overnight: Wanu Wanu, 4600mt / 15,091ft

Hiking Details: 6.83 miles / 11 km; approximately 6-7 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 15,091ft to 16.994 ft

The day’s hiking begins with a gentle ascent to our last pass — the Jampa Pass (5,070m). After climbing for about three hours, we’ll begin a two-hour descent to Qimerqocha Lake and Pacchanta Village (4,340m), where a vehicle will be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Cusco. The drive back to Cusco should take about three hours. 

Overnight: Cusco City, 11260 ft / 3435 mt 

Hiking Details: 10.56 miles / 17 km; approximately 7-8 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 11,260 ft to 16,633 ft

We leave Cusco and head to the Chinchero Plateau to explore Chinchero, an important town in Inca times. The most striking remnant of this period is the massive stone wall in the main plaza, which has 10 trapezoidal niches, and the colonial church. Next, we’ll proceed to the enigmatic Inca ruins at Moray. Visually, these stepped-terrace ruins resemble an ancient amphitheater, though some experts believe they served as agricultural laboratories where the Incas could experiment with new farming techniques. Enjoy a delightful lunch, Visit the salt mines of Maras. This village is a salt-producing center that dates back all the way to pre-Inca times. There are more than 4,000 salt pools carved into the mountain. Tranfer to your hotel in the Sacred Valley, (9290ft / 2830mt) 

A 7 a.m. train departure from Ollantaytambo gets you to station km #104. After registering at the checkpoint, you’ll begin the three-hour hike to Wiñay Wayna, during which you’ll see ruins, waterfalls and many varieties of flora and fauna. You’ll take lots of photos on this picturesque stretch of your Peru tour. Spend one to two hours exploring the beautiful Wiñay Wayna ruins. From here it is a two-hour walk to Machu Picchu. You will arrive at the famous ruins in the late afternoon when there are few visitors. After a brief tour, transfer by bus to Aguas Calientes, where you’ll spend the night at a charming hotel. The evening is free to explore this small village and soak in the hot springs. 

Overnight: Aguas Calientes Machupicchu, 6,232 ft / 1,900 mt

Hiking Details: 7.54 miles / 12.14 km; approximately 6-7 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 7,053 ft to 9,022 ft

We have an early breakfast and head up to the ruins to experience the peace and solitude of this magical place. Our knowledgeable guide leads us through, explaining the significance of the various structures and the theories behind Machu Picchu’s purpose and construction methods. We have the rest of the morning and early afternoon to attempt the optional hike up Huayna Picchu and/or explore the ruins on our own. We catch the afternoon tourist train to Ollantaytambo and from there take the bus to Cusco, arriving at approximately 7 p.m. The day concludes with our guide joining us for a final celebration dinner at a traditional local restaurant. Overnight in Cusco. 

Hiking: Optional Huayna Picchu hike may be unguided and is steep with some exposure. Permits are limited. An alternative optional hike may be available if Huayna Picchu permits cannot be obtained.

Overnight: Cusco City, 11260 ft / 3435 mt

Huayna Picchu – 07:00 am Shift

Hiking Details: 1.25 miles; approximately 2-3 hours hiking, 

Altitude min/max: from 7,970 ft to 8,835 ft

In the morning, we have a guided tour of Cusco and its nearby ruins; you’ll tour prominent Inca sites in and around Cusco, including temples, the megalithic Sacsayhuaman fortress, the carved stone surfaces and subterranean altars of Kenko, the small Puka Pukara fortress that protected the capital and the Tambomachay water temple. , After a  lunch, you will have a leasure afternoon.

After breakfast, transfers back to the Cusco airport will be arranged for travelers departing today. Trip members can opt to return to Lima for connecting flights home or extend their travels in Peru.