Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain – 6 Days

This great Ausangate trek for 6 days boasts unique jaw-dropping views on the way to Vinicunca Mountain, Peru. This fantastic destination offers you massive snow-capped peaks, glacial Lakes, herds of roaming Alpacas, and lots of reddish colored hills as some of the distinct features of the area. After a couple of days of great hiking in the quiet scenery of the Peruvian Andes, you will explore the colorful Rainbow Mountains in Peru. This incredible natural wonder is part of the cordillera of Ausangate in the Cusco region.

In the earlier years, the Rainbow Mountains Cusco was a less-traveled place; only recently have they started gaining interest among travelers and trekkers in Peru. It became a must-visit place and now is a bucket-list destination in Cusco – Peru. At Choquequirao Expeditions, we offer this Ausangate trek with Vinicunca expedition as the best trek option in Cusco for experienced hikers.

The Rainbow Mountain is variously known as the Vinicunca Mountain, formed by many different colors of mineral layers that comprise the sand rock formation set between other multi-color hills. After the great Vinicunca Expedition, you will continue with the Ausangate trek.

Our unique Ausangate trek gets you into the remote, untouched quietness of the Ausangate region, long famous for its stunning high altitude scenery. This rugged and adventurous Ausangate trail connects to Vinicunca Expedition, and hikers may require at least 3 days of acclimatization to the altitude, in Cusco or at another higher-altitude location.

Your guide will meet you in Cusco early in the morning and take you via private transportation to the starting point of our trek- Tinqui. Here you will enjoy a local lunch while your gear is loaded onto pack horses. After lunch, you will begin hiking to our first camp. This day we only walk for a few hours until we arrive at the village of Upis. Here you can take a soak in the hot springs while enjoying coca tea and relax your muscles until dinner.

With two passes to cross today, we wake everyone up at 5:00 am with coca tea brought to your tent, and you will fuel up with a big breakfast for the day ahead. The morning starts with a hike up Arapa pass (4958m) before a slight decline to our lunch spot near Lake Puma Cocha- a deep blue lake and a perfect stop for a break. Along the way, you will see local herders and llamas, Ausangate mountain to your left, and you will have your expert guide explaining the history of the locals and talking about the landscape along the way. After lunch, we continue uphill for our second pass for the day (Pucacocha pass-5000m) where if you’re lucky, you may see condors and vicuñas until descending to our campsite of Anata where high mountains and incredible hanging glaciers will surround you- watch for the glacier crashing into the lake below! As always, the camp will be set up for you to change and rest your weary legs, and dinner will be prepared.

Today starts with Chillca pass (5050m), a very colorful mountain but only a precursor of what is to come. After crossing the pass, you enter into a bright red valley, a wildly desert landscape with vibrant colors all around, and llamas roaming the ground below- as you approach the top of the pass, you will see the beautiful Rainbow Mountain in the distance, but you’re not quite there! From here, you begin descending to a wide valley and continue walking a Peruvian flat until we are presented with one final climb to the Rainbow Mountain. Soak in the sights and enjoy what you’ve worked so hard for. We will enjoy lunch in the surrounding area and head back down the valley to make our way to the stunning Lake Ausangate, where camp will be set up and waiting for you to take a rest. 

Another great day to enjoy the mind-blowing colored hills next to the Ausangate Mt (6,384m/ 20,945 feet), the highest mountain in Cusco, and see more glacier lagoons; after having breakfast, we will begin again with our trekking, the trail takes us to the next pass called Palomani that is at 5,130m / 16,831 feet the highest pass on the whole trail; where, we will start to take a glance the massive mountain and some other colored hills which are still close by, then, we will walk downhill to get the valley part, where we will eat our lunch, in the late afternoon we will walk up for 2 more hours to the next camp spot located at an elevation of 4,700 m / 15,420 feet. Where in the evening we will have tea time, subsequently dinner. All meals included.

We start the day with a great breakfast provided by our chef; we will then walk gradually up to get the last pass called Jhampa pass 5,060 m / 16,601 feet, where we will still have fantastic views of the glacier peaks right in front of us. We will start trekking gradually downhill for 2 hours from this last pass to the last campsite called Ninaparayoq, 4,700 m / 15,420 feet. Upon our arrival, we will have lunch, and after that, the whole afternoon is for chilling at this last campsite. All meals included.

Wake up call with hot coca tea in the morning to have another great day; after having breakfast, we’ll hike downhill for 2 hours and 30 minutes to Pacchanta town, the final point of the trail, where we’ll have a chance to soak in the hot springs. At this place, we’ll eat our last lunch. After having lunch, we’ll have a farewell ceremony to our muleteers, cooks, and guides. We will eventually drive back to the hotel in Cusco. All meals included, except the last dinner.

• Pre trek Briefing (briefing at the hotel).
• Pick up from your hotel on the morning of departure.
• Transportation from Cusco to the trailhead at the beginning of the hike by private car.
• English / Quechua / Spanish professional guide speak.
• Second Tour Guide over 12 people.
• Tents – 2 people in a 4 person tent which allows for greater comfort, and also storage of backpacks.
• Thermarest air-inflate comfortable sleeping Mattress.
• Cook and assistance of the Cook.
• Cooking equipment.
• Snacks.
• Daily tea service.
• Dining equipment including chairs and tables.
• Portable environmental Biodegradable toilet (The Pett).
• Food service in the campsites (6 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners, 6 snacks) – nutritionally balanced menu.
• Vegetarian and free gluten food for no extra cost.
• Personal trekking food – nutritionally balanced menu (Buffet).
• Horseman and Horses. (to carry our camping equipment, food and 8 kilos of your stuff like sleeping bag and mat as well as clothes) We never overload our horses (well Animal Welfare).
• Ausangate & Vinicunca Rainbow Mountain entrance fees.
• Camping spots fees.
• First-aid kit.
• Emergency oxygen bottle.
• Insurance policy for our Guide, Cook & Horseman.

• Extra expenses.
• Dinner – Day 6.
• Pillows.
• Not detailed meals.
• Travel and health insurance (bring copies with you please).
• Sleeping bags (it can be rented from us for US$ 30 for the entire trip).
• Walking sticks (it can be rented from us for US$ 20 for the entire trip).
• Tips (optional).

• Original passport.
• Travel insurance.
• Sleeping bag.
• Walking sticks.
• Rain gear (jacket and pants) or poncho.
• Strong footwear, waterproof trekking boots are recommended.
• Extra socks are a must.
• Sandals or plastic slip thongs are also good to give your feet a chance to breathe at night if you want to take them.
• Warm clothes include jackets, fleeces, gloves, scarf, and knit / tour beanies.
• Thermal clothing is also recommended, especially for sleeping.
• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• Camera, films, and batteries.
• Hat or cap to protect you from sun, rain, and cold.
• Sunblock.
• Toilet paper.
• Snacks: biscuits, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits, muesli, etc.
• Non-disposable canteen (Nalgene type) and water for the first morning.
• We recommend bringing water purification tablets in case you pick up water from streams.
• Your own special medicines you may need, paracetamol, second skin blisters, etc.
• Small towel.
• Cash – sufficient for snacks, tips, and souvenirs.
• Eager and adventurous spirit to enjoy your hike.

We also offer a special service only for you or your group, you have the power to choose the size of your group and the date of departure, we will never add other people since it will be organized only for you.

Our Ausangate Trek to Rainbow Mountain – 6 Days private service, includes additional items such as:

• Extra horse to ride.
• North Face 4 season tents.
• 02 waking poles per person.
• 1 duffel bag to carry all your sleeping bags, self-inflating pad as well as your clothes.
• Private Transportation round trip
• Sleeping bag / Silk Liner included.
• The tour guide is just for you. And of course, we pay a little bit more to our Staff and Guide.

We offer 3 kinds of service, each with different price ranges and you can book in any of these services according to your convenience, we just need you to be a minimum of 02 people to organize your trip on the date that suits you, all our services are 100 % guaranteed.

We are a direct TOUR OPERATOR that never passes clients to other agencies as most agencies do it here in Cusco to save operating costs with poor quality.

We will make the trip even if there are only 02 people in your group.

What if I suffer from altitude sickness?
Our tour guide is professional, he will treat you accordingly with the oxygen tank, we always provide an oxygen tank for this kind of tour.