EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE HIKING AUSANGATE TREK TO RAINBOW MOUNTAIN
The excursion to Ausangate Trek and the mountain of colors offers incredible views and at the same time is a challenging route with a cultural and adventurous mix that will exceed your expectations, especially for trekking and mountain lovers is an epic journey.
Starting at 4200 m (13,800 ft) and reaching an altitude of 5200 m (17,600 ft) the great difference between this hike with the rest of the trekking in the Cusco region, the Ausangate trek is not about Inca archaeological sites, but about incredible and incomparable landscapes, turquoise lagoons, snowy wide valleys, and colorful Mountains.
There are more than 20 species of birds, one of them the condor, alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, are the famous South American camelids, and Andean geese in general this adventure is unique and unmissable you have to be here.
In the last few years, the farmers are charging an entrance fee to the Ausangate Trek and are investing in infrastructure that has made the area more comfortable and safer, the Ausangate Hike is becoming more and more popular every year as the classic Inca trail and the Salkantay trek in the future years will have to be regulated for the next generations.
HOW TO GET AUSANGATE TREK?
In this trek there is the option that you do it on your own that is taking a public bus from the city of Cusco (the direction is the zonal park is about 8 minutes from downtown Cusco) the name of the company is Siwar and there are every 20 minutes and is a cheap price, the trip is approximately 4 hours to the village of Tinki the trip is direct and there are no stops, once in the place of Tinki there are not many accommodations the recommendation is to leave Cusco very early and get to the first camp of Upis.
AUSANGATE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN TREK CAMPSITES AND SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS
7 years ago approximately these excursions could camp where the night fell and was basically free, gradually became popular and today there are 4 villages that have the power to manage these camps along with this very beautiful excursion, and is something very positive for them because they have the possibility to grow economically and their children of farmers can all go to school because Cusco depends on tourism for it every year is being implemented infrastructure to provide greater comfort to future
The campsites in Ausangate trekking are still basic and are in remote places so they are very rustic, in general, there is no water in the bathrooms or showers basically if you want a more comfortable experience you can ask in our Ausangate tours.
Each community collects the money you pay is 3 dollars for the tent you occupy and they usually come in the morning.
The most common practice for this trip is camping in tents but as time goes by there are cabins where you will spend more comfortable nights without suffering from the cold.
ACCLIMATIZATION AUSANGATE TREK
For this Excursion Ausangate trek is recommended to be at least 3 days in Cusco for good acclimatization and not have altitude sickness. it is highly recommended to make short hikes in Cusco where there are places of 30 minutes of very interesting viewpoints as (the white christ) and do the 1-day Ausangate tours as Sacred valley and Humantay Lake Trek.
BEST TIME TO HIKE AUSANGATE TREK
The best time for hiking in Cusco, in general, is between April and September with blue skies and incredible views since they are outdoor activities so you have to bring a good camera and it is the high season and for sure you will find hikers on this hike and the low season is from September to March but the weather is not very favorable, there is rain and cloudy places and basically you will not appreciate the beauty of the place in general Ausangate is open all year round.
AUSANGATE TREK FOR SOLO OR IN GROUP SERVICE?
The safest way to do this excursion is to book this excursión with a travel company to have a better experience, although you can do it on your own you run the risk of getting lost and suffering some accidents since there is no phone signal because you reach more than 4000 masl and know the Spanish and Quechua language to have better communication with the local people because they speak Quechua and you will also have to learn the language.
The advantages of going on your own are that you can make your own route and it will be much cheaper without a guide, cook or muleteer, but you will have to pay the camp fees and at the same time help the villagers economically
AUSANGATE WEATHER
The climate of the Andes in Peru is very varied due to the geographic conditions, in the Ausangate trek there will be very different climates because of the high mountains of this place, ranging between 10-20º C (50 – 68 °F) during the day if it is sunny, and between 05-10º C (41 – 50 °F) during the day if it is not sunny. Given the high altitude of the camps, temperatures drop significantly in the afternoon and especially at night, where they can drop to -10º C (14°F) or even lower in the dry season. Therefore, it is necessary to bring warm clothing for this trek.
Due to global warming, you can carry a waterproof bag for your backpack because during the day you will carry the most important things, all the equipment is transported on horses or mules and has blankets to protect from the rain and the recommendation is to carry your clothes in plastics as a precaution.
AMAZING SCENERIES EVERY DAY?
For lovers of photography this hike is very beautiful where the days there are views of snowy mountains and incredible lagoons and at night with the milky way, in general, will not regret the Ausangate trek to the mountain of colors.
HOW HARD IS AUSANGATE TREK?
The main reason why it is considered difficult is the altitude, but if you have been above 4000 masl before, you should already have experience and should have no problems on this hike.
RENTING TREKKING AND CAMPING GEAR FOR AUSANGATE TREK IN CUSCO
there are many places to rent trekking equipment in Cusco, especially around the Plaza de Armas but the most recommendable are these 2 because they have quality stuff and lower price than the rest of the others.
ROSL, is located on Procuradores Street #394, Cusco 08000, Peru
SPEEDY GONZALES, is located on Procuradores Street #393, Cusco 08000, Peru.
WHAT WE RECOMMEND BRINGING:
- A backpack with a change of clothes.
- Rain gear (jacket and pants if available) or rain poncho.
- Sturdy footwear, waterproof trekking boots recommended
- Sandals or sneakers for comfort during the camping trip
- Warm clothing, a down jacket is especially recommended for this trek, as it is at high altitude and temperatures can easily drop below freezing in the afternoon and at night.
- Flashlight/headlamp and batteries
- Camera and extra batteries (batteries are consumed more quickly in cold conditions)
- Hat or cap to protect you from the sun, rain, and cold
- Sunscreen
- After-sun cream or moisturizing cream for face and body
- Tissues
- Toilet paper
- Snacks: cookies, energy bars, chocolate, raw fruits.
- Water container and water for the first morning.
- Optionally: water sterilizing tablets in case water is collected from streams or rivers along the route.
- Otherwise, we provide filtered boiled water, which is safe to drink and has not reported any health problems so far.
- Small towel
- Bathing suit (if you wish to take a dip in the hot springs along the route)
- Cash in soles and/or dollars
- Copy of original passport
- Optional: walking sticks or poles
THERE ARE TOILTES ON AUSANGATE TREK
in this hike there are no toilets, there are only the so-called Inca toilets, basically, they are dry toilets, the recommendation is to hire a travel agency that has portable toilets to avoid having some problems.
THERE ARE SHOWERS ON AUSANGATE TREK
In this excursion, there are no hot showers, but there are companies that have portable showers and the other option is that you take wet towels and gel basically depending on the days you want to do, in general, there are also thermal baths where you can enjoy and you can enter our tours where you will have many options of Ausangate trek.
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[…] it was necessary to do the Ausangate Trek in the Cordillera de Vilcanota to get there, but thanks to its growing popularity, today we offer […]
[…] the great difference between this hike with the rest of the trekking in the Cusco region, the Ausangate trek is not about Inca archaeological sites, but about incredible and incomparable landscapes, […]
[…] the great difference between this hike with the rest of the trekking in the Cusco region, the Ausangate trek is not about Inca archaeological sites, but about incredible and incomparable landscapes, […]