Ausangate Trek from Cusco: 5-Day Andes Hiking & Hot Springs

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/15

Duration5d

GroupUp to 10

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Andean peaks, coca tea mornings, glacier lakes and quiet laughter

You’ll step into Andean mornings with coca tea in hand, hike past turquoise lakes and herds of alpaca on the Ausangate Trek from Cusco, soak sore muscles in mountain hot springs, and share stories with locals over steaming bowls of soup. It’s not just scenery—it’s something you’ll carry home inside you.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel and hike to Upis village

Meet guide in Cusco early morning
Drive to Tinke for supplies and breakfast
Continue to Rondoca, meet trekking team
Hike about 2 hours to lunch spot
Hike to Upis village camp
Soak in hot springs and relax

Day 2 — Cross passes and camp by lakes

Wake up with hot coca tea
Have breakfast
Hike over Arapa pass
Descend to Puqa Q'ocha lake
Lunch by turquoise lake
Ascend Apacheta pass
Descend to Ausangate Qocha camp

Day 3 — Ascend Palomani pass and descend

Have breakfast
Hike up to Palomani pass
Guide performs Apu Ausangate ceremony
Descend to Uchuy Phinaya for lunch
Hike to Sorapata campsite

Day 4 — Enjoy lagoons and hot springs

Cross one pass
Enjoy views of lagoons and lakes
Optional swim in alpine lakes
Hike to Pacchanta hot springs
Soak in hot springs and relax

Day 5 — Cultural ceremony and return to Cusco

Have breakfast
Attend local family ceremony
Learn about culture and weaving
Take bus back to Cusco

The Experience

We bounced out of Cusco before sunrise, still half-asleep and clutching our bags. Our guide, Renzo, was already wide awake—he greeted us with that easy smile Peruvians have when they know what’s coming and you don’t. The drive to Tinke felt endless (maybe I was just hungry), but stopping for breakfast in that chilly air made everything sharper—the bread tasted smoky somehow, or maybe that was just the wood stove nearby. At Rondoca we met the cook and horseman; I tried to remember their names but honestly, my brain was more focused on the looming snow peaks. The start of the Ausangate Trek is humble—just a dusty path and a few curious alpacas—but it didn’t take long before we were out among nothing but mountains and sky.

The first real taste of altitude hit me climbing towards Upis. My lungs burned a little, but Renzo kept us slow (“poco a poco,” he’d say). We reached camp by mid-afternoon—tents already up—and there was this faint smell of wet grass mixed with something herbal (turns out it was coca tea). That soak in the Upis hot springs? I’ll admit I stayed in too long, watching steam curl into the cold air while someone’s radio played a scratchy huayno song in the distance. Dinner tasted better than anything I’d had in Cusco—maybe because my legs were jelly.

The next days blurred into a rhythm: waking up to hot tea handed through tent zippers (I never got used to how cold my nose felt), crossing high passes like Arapa and Palomani where the wind stung your ears but you could see forever. There were moments when we’d stop just to listen—no cars, no voices except for our small group and sometimes the distant bleat of llamas. One afternoon by Jatun Puqa Q’ocha lake, Renzo explained Pachamama as he sprinkled coca leaves into the water; I fumbled through my own clumsy thank-you to the mountain (Li laughed when I tried to say “Apu Ausangate” right—I probably butchered it).

I still think about that morning at Pacchanta when local families showed us how they weave those wild-colored belts—my fingers couldn’t manage even one knot right. The last soak in hot springs felt almost unreal after so many days hiking around Ausangate Mountain. On the bus back to Cusco, everyone went quiet for a while; maybe tiredness or maybe just letting it all settle in. Honestly, there’s no way photos can catch how big those skies feel—or how small you feel under them.

What’s included

Your adventure includes pickup from Cusco by private transport, all camping equipment set up ahead at each site, hearty meals cooked fresh by your trekking team (plus plenty of coca tea), horses for carrying gear so you can walk light, chances to soak in natural hot springs along the way, plus cultural moments like weaving demonstrations with local families before returning comfortably back to Cusco at journey’s end.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Vidal Expeditions